Dr. Barbara Baker has been President and CEO of the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium for 25 years, leading one of the nation’s major zoological parks with 77 acres and over 8,000 animals.
Under her leadership, the Zoo has excelled in all areas of its operation, including tremendous budget growth from $3 to $17 million. The most visited cultural attraction in Pittsburgh, the Zoo welcomes over one million visitors annually. Zoo education programs, with 453 participants when Dr. Baker arrived, now peak at 400,000 students. $66 million in capital improvements have dramatically improved the landscape of the 117 year old Zoo.

The Zoo’s endangered species have increased from five to 52, with internationally recognized programs for coral propagation, African elephants, and support for 165 projects on all continents and oceans. The Zoo’s 742-acre International Conservation Center is dedicated to the breeding of endangered species.

Barbara, a strong advocate for adoption issues, is an adoptive parent of six of their seven children. She is a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine with a Masters in Business Administration.