Steve Burns selected to lead Idaho Community Foundation
POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI) - Steve Burns, former director of Zoo Boise, has been selected to lead the Idaho Community Foundation (ICF). He will take the helm in early January.
“Steve has a demonstrated successful track record of leadership,” ICF Board Chair Candi Allphin said. “He has worked tirelessly to build community trust and confidence in the organizations he has led.”
Burns said he is honored to serve as President and CEO of ICF.
“It is an organization I have long admired for the tremendous work it has done around the state,” he said. “I am excited to work with the incredible team of board, staff and all the supporters who have made the community foundation possible.”
Burns led Zoo Boise for 16 years, first as executive director of Friends of Zoo Boise and then as director of Zoo Boise. He left Idaho in 2017 to lead Utah’s Hogle Zoo and returned to Idaho earlier this year.
During his time at Zoo Boise, Burns grew the organization from a small local organization to a leader and innovator in animal conservation.
Zoo Boise was the first zoo in the country to create a conservation fee, an initiative developed and implemented by Burns. Over the years, it has generated $3 million for wildlife conservation around the world.
Under Burns’ leadership, Zoo Boise developed a partnership with Gorongosa National Park in Mozambique, Africa that generated more than $2 million toward restoration efforts at the park and led to the development of Zoo Boise’s Gorongosa National Park exhibit.
Additionally, Burns led the effort to earn the zoo’s first national accreditation, increased attendance by 90%, and built, expanded or remodeled 85 percent of the zoo’s exhibits.
“Steve’s leadership skills, passion and innate sense of urgency will help take ICF to the next level,” ICF Board Director Doug Oppenheimer said. “These skills, in addition to his knowledge of Idaho, will help him continue the Idaho Community Foundation’s philanthropic leadership in all 44 counties in the state.”
