William Pitt, Ph.D., M.S.

As deputy director of the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, associate director for conservation and science, and acting deputy director at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo, Will Pitt heads science research and provides leadership throughout the Zoo in the management of all essential functions. This includes leading conservation, research, administration, collections, education, operations, public programs and formal education programs. He oversees more than 250 staff, scientists, postdoctoral fellows, and students from universities around the world 

Based at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute headquarters in Front Royal, Virginia, Pitt oversees all operational aspects of facilities including safety, security, information technology, construction, and maintenance of more than 140 buildings across the 3,200-acre research facility. These include research laboratories, houses, and dormitories for staff and students enrolled at the Smithsonian-Mason School of Conservation. Pitt also manages all Smithsonian Biology Institute satellite locations in the U.S. and around the world. These include locations at the Zoo and Ripley Center in Washington, D.C., Hawaii, Montana, Gabon, Paraguay and Peru.