Audubon’s Burks Named to National Leadership Position

NEW ORLEANS — Dr. Kyle Burks has been elected to serve on the board of directors for the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Burks is executive vice president and chief operating officer of Audubon Nature Institute in New Orleans. He oversees the operations of all of Audubon’s nine mission-based facilities and public parks. At the AZA’s recent conference in Columbus, Ohio, he was sworn in for his three-year term on the leadership board. 

The Association of Zoos and Aquariums is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of zoos and aquariums in the areas of conservation, animal welfare, education, science and recreation. AZA is the accrediting body for the top zoos and aquariums in the United States and 12 other countries. 

Burks has been a zoo and aquarium professional for more than 30 years, first as an animal behavior researcher, then later as an executive. His career has spanned work at some of the country’s top facilities, including Zoo Atlanta, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Denver Zoo and Sacramento Zoo.