John Linehan, the President and CEO of Zoo New England, has announced his plan to retire.

For 43 years, including 22 as President and CEO, Linehan’s passion for wildlife and people has been the cornerstone of his work on behalf of Franklin Park Zoo and Stone Zoo and their mission of education and conservation. Throughout his career, he has overseen incredible transformation and growth at both Zoos, which continue to connect generations of visitors to the natural world.

“Throughout my career at the Zoos, we have achieved so much including many things I only dreamt about when I first started as a laborer right out of college. I’m incredibly proud of all of the work on behalf of our beloved animals, as well as the passion and dedication of the staff, and all we continue to do to inspire the next generation of conservation stewards,” said Linehan. “I am deeply committed to the success of the organization and will work to make this a successful transition that will benefit Zoo New England and all who work so hard to deliver on our important mission.”

Linehan will stay in his role until his successor is selected.

“I would like to thank and recognize John for his decades of service on behalf of the Zoos. I am deeply appreciative of all that he and the team have done to transform these two beloved institutions, and turn them into the conservation organizations that they are today,” said Colin G. Van Dyke, Chair of the Zoo New England Board of Directors. “John has dedicated his career to these Zoos, and has created a legacy built on the belief that each individual has the power to positively change the world.”

During his tenure, the Franklin Park and Stone Zoos were successfully transitioned from state agency management to a thriving non-profit model – Zoo New England. With the help of a highly-skilled team that he assembled, the Zoos have achieved notable milestones including exceeding more than 1 million in annual visitation the past three fiscal years, exciting new experiences including Franklin Park Zoo’s popular Boston Lights: A Lantern Experience and Stone Zoo’s long-running holiday ZooLights event, as well as impactful programming including the ZooTeen program, currently in its 25th year.

With a deep commitment to conservation, Linehan has remained focused on furthering the organization’s conservation impact on behalf of rare and threatened species, locally and globally. In 2017, he successfully integrated local conservation nonprofit, Grassroots Wildlife Conservation, into Zoo New England to expand the breadth and depth of the organization’s wildlife conservation work. The work of the Field Conservation team, which has garnered both national and international awards, is far-reaching - from rare and threatened species right here in eastern Massachusetts to snow leopards in Mongolia, Cross-river gorillas in Nigeria, amphibians in Panama and One Health focused work in Madagascar.

Under Linehan’s leadership, there has been a focus on continuing to transform Franklin Park Zoo and Stone Zoo, both of which are more than 110 years old, and provide world-class experiences for both guests and animals. Throughout Linehan’s time as President and CEO, many capital projects at Franklin Park Zoo were completed and begun including Nature’s Neighborhoods – the George Robert White Fund Children’s Zoo, Gorilla Grove, and the recent groundbreaking on the new African Experience, featuring an immersive outdoor penguin habitat opening in Spring 2026. At Stone Zoo, notable capital projects include the Treasures of the Sierra Madre, the Caribbean Coast and entryway, and the recently-opened Butterfly Oasis.

Linehan is active in the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), by which both Franklin Park Zoo and Stone Zoo are accredited, and has served as Chair of the AZA Membership Committee, Vice Chair of the AZA Ethics Board, on the AZA Honors and Awards Committee, and has been an inspector on accreditation teams. He is currently a member of the AZA Wildlife Conservation Committee. Locally, he also serves on the Board of Directors for Greater Grove Hall Main Streets, a Park Advisor for the Emerald Necklace Conservancy, and Chair of the Stoughton Open Space Committee.

As a father of four, Linehan never forgot what it was like for children to fall in love with animals and the natural world. He fondly remembers his early years immersed in nature, exploring local woods, ponds, and marshes for wildlife. Now as a grandfather of four, he is even more committed to saving habitats and species for the next generation.

“There is no greater joy than watching a child’s first encounter with wildlife, whether it be a turtle, lion, cardinal, giraffe or gorilla. It is this innate curiosity, which often starts with young children, that builds the foundation for a lifetime of care and empathy on behalf of wildlife and habitats,” Linehan said.

Under Linehan’s leadership, which is instilled with the belief that every individual should have the opportunity to experience the natural world, the Zoos’ community access programs and partnerships greatly expanded, and continue to grow.