N.C. Zoo director Pat Simmons dies

Pat Simmons (Courtesy photo)

ASHEBORO — Pat Simmons, director of the North Carolina Zoo since 2015, has died, according to information Monday from the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.

“The world is a better place because Pat Simmons shared her unique vision for animal welfare and public education with all of us,” said Walker Moffitt, Asheboro mayor pro tem and North Carolina Zoo Society board member. “She was a great partner to the city and the General Assembly.”

Simmons had been battling cancer for about five years, the zoo announced

She was involved as a zoo director for more than four decades, including from 1985-2014 at Akron Zoo in Ohio.

Information from the zoo said that Simmons “was nationally and internationally recognized in the zoo and aquarium industry, receiving many awards and appointments in support of wildlife conservation, sustainability, and women in leadership roles. … Her legacy in the zoo community will carry on through those she touched throughout her lifetime.”

She was chair of the Board of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums in 2012, and was appointed to the Board of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums from 2015-21.

“The North Carolina Zoo is internationally recognized as one of the very best—and that didn’t happen by accident. It is due in large part to the thoughtful and innovative leadership of Pat Simmons,” Pamaela B. Cashwell, N.C. Secretary of Natural and Cultural Resources secretary, said in a statement. “To say she’s beloved at the Zoo and beyond is an understatement. On behalf of the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, we extend our deepest condolences to her family and friends and thank her on behalf of our state.”