Newswise — New York, NY – Nov. 13, 2018Alejandro Santo Domingo, a Colombian-American financier and philanthropist, is the new Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Wildlife Conservation Society.

The Wildlife Conservation Society is a world-renowned global conservation organization which harnesses the power of a field conservation program in nearly 60 nations with its four zoos and aquarium in New York to save wildlife and wild places.

“I am honored to have been elected by the WCS trustees as Chair,” said Mr. Santo Domingo. “The world’s biodiversity is facing threats from all angles. Wilderness areas are vanishing and fauna and flora species are facing extinction like never before. The team at WCS is relentless in its efforts in this urgent fight to preserve nature for wildlife and humanity.”

Mr. Santo Domingo has served on the WCS board since 2010 and has served as Vice Chair of the board since October 2015. He has championed WCS global conservation programs and provided pivotal support to transform and expand the work of WCS in Colombia. His support has been pivotal in the rebirth of the New York Aquarium, which faced extensive damage in Hurricane Sandy.

Dr. Cristián Samper, WCS President and CEO, said, “It is with much enthusiasm that I welcome Alejandro as our Chair. Alejandro’s incredible business sense, and insights into media and global challenges will be great assets to our WCS wildlife conservation mission which spans across the world. We look forward to working with Alejandro as we scale up our mission and as we are poised to celebrate our 125th anniversary in 2020.”

Mr. Santo Domingo becomes Chair following the tenure of Antonia M. Grumbach who served as WCS Chair since 2015. Ms. Grumbach, a former managing partner of the law firm Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler, served as legal counsel for WCS for many years, and joined the WCS board in 2008. She will continue to serve as a trustee.

During her tenure as Chair, Ms. Grumbach oversaw a $300 million restoration and expansion of the New York Aquarium, including the new Donald Zucker and Barbara Hrbek Zucker Ocean Wonders: Sharks! exhibit which opened in June 2018. She has supported the implementation of the WCS:2020 strategy with a focus on conserving the largest wild places in 16 of the most important regions for wildlife. She has been a strong advocate for the importance of WCS’s education programs, which inspire hundreds of thousands each year to be stewards of our planet, fighting for nature.

“Antonia has shepherded WCS through several pivotal years as we initiated our WCS: 2020 strategy and the expansion of the New York Aquarium,” said Dr. Samper. “She has been an outstanding partner and leader of the board. We look forward to her continued guidance and support as a trustee.”

Mr. Santo Domingo, 41, who lives in New York and is a graduate of Harvard College, is a Senior Managing Director at Quadrant Capital Advisors, Inc. in New York City. He has extensive experience in business strategies for nonprofit and for-profit operations. He is a member of the board of Anheuser-Busch Inbev (ABI); Chairman of the Board of Bavaria S.A. in Colombia; and Chairman of the Board of Valorem, a company that manages a diverse portfolio of industrial & media assets in Latin America. In the non-profit sector, in addition to his leadership at WCS, he is a Member of the Board of Trustees of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Educational Broadcasting Corporation (WNET Channel Thirteen), is a Member of the Board of DKMS Americas – a foundation dedicated to finding donors for leukemia patients, and is a Member of the Board of Fundación Pies Descalzos.

 

WCS (Wildlife Conservation Society)

MISSION: WCS saves wildlife and wild places worldwide through science, conservation action, education, and inspiring people to value nature. To achieve our mission, WCS, based at the Bronx Zoo, harnesses the power of its Global Conservation Program in nearly 60 nations and in all the world’s oceans and its five wildlife parks in New York City, visited by 4 million people annually. WCS combines its expertise in the field, zoos, and aquarium to achieve its conservation mission. Visit: newsroom.wcs.org Follow: @WCSNewsroom. For more information: 347-840-1242.

 

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