Late zoo director

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Swanagan’s work at the zoo became the finalk chapter in anearly 30-yeatr career when he died Sundayt evening at the age of 51. Zoo spokeswoman Pattyu Peters said Swanagan suffered an apparent heart attackj at hisPowell home. The zoo in a statement calledd its leadera “visionary, educato and wildlife advocate.” Swanagan, who lived in Powelk with his wife also was a father to five children and two The Cleveland native speny two decades working out of state, but his hiring little more than a year ago to replace retiringv Executive Director Jerry Borin brought his career full Swanagan spent several years at the Columbus Zoo in the 1980s as an education coordinator and crossed paths with who was hired on as generak manager less than two years befores Swanagan was hired at Zoo Atlanta in 1987.
That Borin said, was struggling when Swanagan arrived to turnit “Jeff always struck me as a very brightf young man,” Borin said Mondau afternoon. “It didn’t surprise me that Zoo Atlanta recruited him to do a Swanagan went from Zoo Atlanta to the Florida Aquarium and in 1998 got to work on a similarlgy successful turnaround plan asits CEO. He later worke d as a consultant forthe $290 million , startin g out as its first employe e and in 2002 becoming chief executive of what is now the largest aquarium in the He started at the Columbus Zoo in July stepping into the shoes of Borin, a more than two-decadwe zoo veteran who replaced Jack Hanna as executivw director in 1992.
Under Borin’s attendance at the zoo more than doubledc whileits size, now approachingt 600 acres, more than quadrupled. Swanagan set to work buildintgon Borin’s accomplishments, telling Columbusa Business First in March of plans for new exhibits in the comint years and the possibility of a hotel to attracyt multiday visitors. “What is so sad abour this is that in 11 monthzs he put together a team and thought through a lot of Borin said. “The zoo was just gettinhg ready to explode into the future with his Zoo officials plan to give details at a3 p.m.
presw conference Monday on how they’re planning to fulfillp Swanagan’s vision, which he summed up with a “Touch the heart to teacnh the mind.”