Casey Coy has been innovating within the tourism and travel industry to create world-class experiences for guests for more than 20 years. His drive to deliver inspiring guest experiences at the Palm Beach Zoo is based on the understanding that because visitors are the ones who will make a difference in our environment, they need to take home the Zoo's conservation messages. Early in his career, Casey worked in Hawaii, French Polynesia and the British West Indies in world-class resorts such as Club Med. His experiences in the hospitality industry gave him a flavor of what a truly inspiring guest experience should look like. He also began developing his unique ability to create collaborative connections between co-workers. When he joined The Florida Aquarium as a Dive Safety Officer in 1999, he did not imagine it would lead to a career in senior leadership for institutions accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). Casey soon developed expertise in safety, emergency response and crisis management. While at The Florida Aquarium, he launched an industry-leading Diving Operations department, now a model for other AZA institutions in using divers to support and grow field conservation programs. He also launched two innovative programs to get people connected in the water with sharks. These programs also have been modeled in several other AZA institutions since. He also led a nine‐year project that started as an idea and evolved into a collaboration between several institutions. As a result, the shipwreck USS Narcissus was dedicated as the 13th underwater preserve in the State of Florida.Casey continued to show his leadership, safety and business savvy at The Florida Aquarium becoming the Vice President of Operations in 2016. He credits much of his ability to rise successfully within the organization to his strong appetite for removing barriers and building positive coalitions to attain results. Joining the Palm Beach Zoo in 2018, Casey now continues to use his operational expertise and ability to motivate others to attain the shared vision that has put the Palm Beach Zoo ‘on the map.’ Along with putting his qualifications to work in order to successfully perform the duties of Chief Operating Officer, he also directs programs that create personal connections between guests and animals. Personally and professionally, he is dedicated to making the natural world a better place; thus he's at home in the zoological industry working alongside others who are committed to saving endangered species and protecting the wild places in which they live. Casey has been an Accredited Inspector for the AZA since 2015. In his spare time, he dotes on his wife and two girls, loves surfing, kayaking, and of course, diving. He shares his wife’s passion for animals, housing chickens, a horse, dogs, and several cats at his home in Jupiter.
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