"There were a number of lessons learned," remarks Erik Simonson, dryly.
He's three days into his new position at the Chief Executive Officer of the non-profit Lake Superior Zoological Society that contracts with the City to run the zoo.
After a decade-long roller-coaster ride of active and lapsed accreditation from the American Zoological Association, the Lake Superior Zoo is fully accredited now for the next four years, and the new CEO is ready to go full steam ahead with tackling the budget, a capital campaign and the plans for revitalization.