Pat McTigue has been appointed executive director and senior vice president of San Diego Zoo Safari Park after spending nearly a year in the post on an interim basis, the organization said.
San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance officials announced McTigue’s appointment in a news release last week.
Officials said he helped guide the organization through the challenges of COVID-19, including closures and reopenings, when he was a vice president and deputy director. More recently, he helped oversee last month’s opening of Denny Sanford Elephant Valley, the largest project in zoo history. The 13-acre habitat is home for the park’s eight elephants and boasts a two-story restaurant, the Mkutano House, with a decor that reflects Kenyan art and culture.
McTigue joined the organization in 2019 when he was hired as director of park operations. When Lisa Peterson left to become the president and CEO at Houston Zoo last April, he was selected as interim director, overseeing the 1,800-acre park in San Pasqual Valley.
Before joining the organization, McTigue spent 20 years in the hospitality and tourism field, including jobs overseeing sales and marketing at several local hotels.
McTigue said that experience in hospitality, with its focus on taking care of people, is something he draws upon in his Safari Park job, not only when it comes to park guests but also supporting his team of employees.
“I will often talk to the team, and I say that we are a conservation organization and we’re a visitor destination,” McTigue said. “We’re a place where people come for enjoyment, for family time, to make memories, things of that nature.”
He said the park uses storytelling and immersive experiences to get its conservation message across to visitors, to “grab at their heartstrings” and help empower them to want to work to make the world a better place.
Shawn Dixon, president and CEO of the alliance, said in a statement that McTigue’s deep ties to the North County community along with his leadership and dedication to the organization’s mission made him “the ideal choice to lead the Safari Park into its next chapter.”
“His ability to inspire collaboration and navigate change has been instrumental in shaping key milestones” for the organization, he said.