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General Sessions

The 2024 AZA Annual Conference features three exciting General Sessions, including the Honors & Awards General Session, to celebrate excellence in the zoo and aquarium community.

Tuesday, September 17
General Session
8:00 am – 9:30 am
Anthony Morgan
Host, The Nature of Things | Award-Winning Science Communicator
Anthony Morgan is an award-winning science communicator, Ph.D. researcher, startup founder and game designer who has hosted dozens of TV programs. He’s also the new host of The Nature of Things on CBC Television. He's obsessed with changing how people see, think and talk about science in their everyday lives. He's spent close to 20 years finding ways to do just that. He's worked at the Ontario Science Centre with Asap SCIENCE, written for newspapers, hosted CBC Radio, collaborated with municipal governments and serves on the steering committee of the misinformation-tackling Science Up First. This work and more has earned him multiple distinctions and award nominations, including a Falling Walls nomination for a breakthrough science engagement initiative and being named one of CBC's top 20 millennial change-makers.
 
Wednesday, September 18
General Session
8:00 am – 9:30 am
Peter Gros and Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant
Co-Hosts
Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom
With the goal of inspiring the next generation of conservationists, wildlife expert Peter Gros and wildlife ecologist Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant, Co-Hosts of Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom Protecting the Wild share stories of conservation hope each week on NBC. Join Peter and Dr. Rae as they highlight current work being done within the AZA that will be shown in the next season of Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom Protecting the Wild.
Panelists
 
Wednesday, September 18
Honors & Awards Lunch
11:45 am – 1:30 pm
Denise Verret
Chief Executive Officer & Zoo Director
Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens

Incoming Chair of the Board,
Association of Zoos and Aquariums
Honor excellence in the profession at the Honors and Awards Lunch! Prestigious awards will be presented, along with the annual Marketing Committee’s presentation of PIZZAZZ. The incoming and outgoing AZA Board of Directors and Ethics Board Members will be recognized for their leadership. Incoming Chair of the Board, Denise Verret, will be inducted and address delegates.