Craig Pugh is Executive Director and CEO of Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo, an independent 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization with volunteer governance committed to excellence in education, recreation, conservation, and research.  Formerly Executive Director of Palm Beach Zoo, Pugh was Associate Director for Communications at one the three largest zoos in the U.S., the Chicago Zoological Society’s Brookfield Zoo.  While at Brookfield Zoo, Pugh served as Conservation Affairs Officer for the Species Survival Commission of IUCN—The World Conservation Union (Gland, Switzerland), the world’s largest volunteer network of scientists.  Pugh was previously Managing Editor for Times-Mirror/Mosby (Chicago).  A Rotary Foundation ambassadorial scholar to South Africa for undergraduate studies in biochemistry and genetics at the University of the Witwatersrand, Pugh later earned a Master of Science in Business Communications from Northwestern University.  In 2009, Pugh was recognized as a Visionary in Sustainable Energy by the Power Center for Utility Exploration of the University of South Florida.  Pugh has served on The Florida Council on Arts and Culture (2009-2010), the 15-member advisory council appointed to advise the Secretary of State regarding cultural grant funding and matters pertaining to culture in Florida.  A Professional Fellow of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), Pugh also serves on the Board of Directors of the Florida Association of Museums (FAM), the not-for-profit professional organization for Florida’s museums and museum professionals, and the Board of Directors of Tampa Bay & Company, the independent not-for-profit organization that represents more than 700 businesses throughout Tampa and promotes the area as a choice destination for conventions and visitors.