Lesli Creedon Named Chief Advancement Officer of the Smithsonian's National Zoo

Lesli A. Creedon has been named chief advancement officer at the Smithsonian National Zoological Park in Washington, D.C., effective July 18. As head of Advancement, Creedon will manage, plan and coordinate all fundraising activities and events of the Zoo, as well as oversee major gifts from individuals, corporations and foundations. She will replace Francine Bernstein, who retired from Friends of the National Zoo (FONZ) after leading the development, membership and marketing departments. Bernstein has served FONZ in multiple capacities since 1976.  nbsp;

Since 2007, Creedon has been the executive director of Partnership Development at the United Nations Foundation in Washington, D.C. The Foundation mobilizes public and private partnerships to assist with global issues including climate change, children’s health, peace and security, and poverty eradication. There, Creedon designed, implemented and led its first fundraising strategy with a focus on international partnering and donations. She worked with UN agencies around the globe and represented the Foundation at international conferences and events, cultivating relationships with major corporate, foundation, individual and government donors and partners. Prior to her employment with the United Nations, Creedon served as the vice president of External Affairs at Resources for the Future, a nonprofit, nonpartisan research organization dedicated to energy, environmental and natural resource issues in Washington, D.C. 

Creedon is a graduate of Miami University in Oxford, Ohio and serves on the advisory board of its Department of Economics. She is also a member of the Development Council at ALIVE! (Alexandrians InVolved Ecumenically!), a social service organization.