Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden Director Thane Maynard will transition to a new role with the zoo at the end of the year. Maynard will become executive chair of the zoo Board, effective Jan. 1, 2026.

"It's not really a retirement, but I will play a different role for the zoo," Maynard tells WVXU. The part-time position will focus on fundraising for the zoo's Impact Fund, with Maynard serving as a liaison with the zoo Board and donors.

Chief Operating Officer Dave Jenike will take over the reigns as zoo director.

"He's been our COO for those 19 years, and he'll be a perfect zoo director," Maynard says of his friend and successor. "I know at least 100 directors of American zoos, and none of them can touch him, he is great. He's a big reason that the zoo's been so successful over the las

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