Growing up in Columbus, Ohio, Suzi Rapp knew at an early age that she wanted to work in zoos. She attended Ohio University, earning a degree in Health and Human Sciences and Education before embarking on a 40-plus-year career at the Columbus Zoo. She began her career in the Education Department, where she developed and implemented programming such as summer experiences, camp-in programs, special Saturday programs, preschool and outreach programs, family programs, and a high school zoo program through a local technical school. She also created and taught a high school “Zoo School,” managed staff, and oversaw all on-grounds shows. Over time, she played a key role in developing the Promotions Department before eventually becoming the Vice President of Animal Programs, prior to founding The KUZO Group.

As the Director of Animal Programs, Outreach, and Animal Encounters, Suzi managed more than 20 full-time staff and many seasonal employees while overseeing a collection of over 135 animals. She became known as an expert in raising neonates, assisting in hand-rearing baby animals for a variety of AZA and ZAA institutions as needed. Furthermore, she assisted the AZA in creating best practices protocols for hand-rearing cheetahs, clouded leopards, penguins, and others. She also oversaw the Animals Program Department at The Wilds in Eastern Ohio, which is owned by the Columbus Zoo. Within her role, Suzi developed the Ambassador Animals program in Columbus, utilizing her ambassadors to educate and inspire. Her team conducted over 3,000 programs a year that always discussed both animals and conservation. To this end, she designed and implemented programs for local events like fairs, company picnics, and Kiwanis and Lions clubs. To further outreach, she created ambassador programs for schools, including trips to rural schools where a large percentage of the student body had never been to a zoo.

Suzi’s impact extended widely into publicity and media presence. For 35 years, she appeared weekly on a major television network’s local show, educating people about animals, conservation, and the important work that zoos do. She consistently spoke, wrote, and shared animal and conservation information across media channels, including TV, radio, online and print articles, and books. Prominently featured on National Geographic’s “Secrets of the Zoo,” she also spoke to visitors on zoo grounds, presented at conferences and fundraising events, and worked numerous times with members of Congress as an advocate for zoos, animal welfare, and conservation. Over her 40-plus years, she did a great deal of fundraising and event creation for organizations such as the Cheetah Conservation Fund, Tanganyika Wildlife Park, Akron Zoo, Brookfield Zoo, Chattanooga Zoo, Louisville Zoo, Toledo Zoo, Lowry Park Zoo, Alexandria Zoo, Dallas Zoo, Fort Worth Zoo, Blank Park Zoo, all Busch Gardens and SeaWorld Parks, and many more.

In the realm of exhibit design, planning, and programming, Suzi oversaw and launched memorable and impactful animal encounters at the Animal Encounters Village, a ground-breaking exhibit allowing visitors up-close and personal experiences. She assisted in the design and implementation of the watering hole concept at the Columbus Zoo’s “Heart of Africa” region, where she managed the Animal Programs team as well as the animal populations, including cheetahs, hyenas, aardvarks, warthogs, and hornbills. For the 32-million-dollar Adventure Cove exhibit that opened in 2020, she provided input on the design, assisted the zoo in acquiring seven sea lions from Shanghai, China, and oversaw their care and travel from there to Florida, and to their new home in Ohio. She also assisted in acquiring four harbor seals and an additional three sea lions from within the US, overseeing the transfer of them all to Columbus.

Suzi has also made direct scientific contributions, serving as the driving force behind the first successful In Vitro Fertilization Transfer of cheetahs in 2020. The cheetahs participated voluntarily in the process, resulting in the birth of two healthy cubs and the first collection of cheetah milk for study to improve the formula needed for hand-rearing neonates worldwide. Her vast professional affiliations, past and present, include memberships in the ZAA and AZA, as well as roles on the ZAA Welfare Committee and AZA Animal Welfare Committee. She has served as the Program Animal Liaison for the AZA’s Felid Taxon Advisory Group, the Public Relations Liaison for the Cheetah Species Survival Plan, a Committee Member for American Humane’s Scientific Advisory Committee, and a member of Wendy’s International’s Animal Welfare Council, while also holding Board Member positions for the Cheetah Conservation Fund and Ocean Connections.