Gladys serves as the liaison between Zoo Management and the Board of Trustees as the Senior Director of the President’s Office & Board Relations. She oversees all aspects of Board operations, planning, communications, and compliance of Society bylaws.      
 
Starting in 2005, Gladys spent her first 10 years at the Zoo in the Development Department, supporting the Chief Advancement Officer with exceptional administrative support. This led her to the Executive Team, where she transformed board management, setting in place governance processes that hadn’t previously existed and streamlining the relationship between the Executive Team and the Board. She also has office management experience in not-for-profit work from her role at the Hostos Center for the Arts & Culture in Bronx, New York, and she studied at the City University of New York, also in the Bronx. 
 
Since joining Brookfield Zoo Chicago in 2005, her love for the Zoo’s mission and vision has only grown, and she’s particularly inspired by the Zoo’s external and global conservation efforts. As a member of the DEAI Steering Committee, she is also a passionate advocate for creating a Zoo for All.  
 
As anyone who knows her will say, her favorite animal at the Zoo is the owl!