Ron Forman - President and CEO, Audubon Nature Institute

 A past president of the American Zoo and Aquarium Association, Ron Forman began his tenure with Audubon Park and Zoological Garden in l972 as City Hall liaison.  Made Deputy Director in l973 and Executive Director in l977, he led the effort of the major transformation of Audubon Zoo from an "urban ghetto" to an "urban Eden”.

During the 80's, the Audubon Nature Institute, Inc. evolved from the Friends of the Zoo organization and assumed operation of Audubon Park and Zoo.  Plans were made, with overwhelming voter support, for a downtown park and aquarium.  Woldenberg Riverfront Park opened in l989 and was followed in l990 by the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas.

The Freeport-McMoRan Audubon Species Survival Center on the West Bank of the Mississippi River opened late in l993.  An important component of it, the Audubon Center for Research of Endangered Species, opened in l996. 

The Audubon Louisiana Nature Center, located in Eastern New Orleans, merged into the family of Audubon facilities in l994.  The Nature Center, devastated by Hurricane Katrina, operates the programs at the Audubon Wilderness Park located adjacent to the Species Survival Center.

The Entergy IMAX Theatre, adjacent to the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas, opened in October of l995, while phase II of the Aquarium, a changing exhibits gallery, opened in the spring of l996.  The Audubon Insectarium, located in the U.S. Custom House, opened in 2008.

Forman serves locally as Chairman of the Louisiana Stadium and Exposition District, a member of the Executive Committee of the New Orleans Metropolitan Convention & Visitors Bureau and the New Orleans Business Council, and as Chairman of the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra Board.  A past member of the Board of Directors of the American Association of Museums, he is also on the Advisory Committee of Chimp Haven.

Forman is a New Orleans native and a graduate of Louisiana State University.  Married to the former Sally Gelpi, he is the father of three and grandfather of three.

 Travis