Zoological Society of Buffalo Inc
Donations deductibleZoological Society of Buffalo Inc's network
30 people10 organisationsi30 people and 10 organisations on this map.The large node is the subject of this page. Solid lines are what the register itself records (30). Violet dotted lines (11) are likely: the same full name sits on the current board of another organisation in the same register and region. Form 990 filings give names without a person identifier; SEC insider filings carry a CIK. It may be a different person.The board
30 listediTime on the board is observed from the annual filings: the IRS files no appointment date, so the bar counts years from the first filing the person appears on - a lower bound, not a filed start date. Names are exactly as filed. The IRS publishes no person identifier, so this edition does not yet link a person across organisations in the tables. The network map shows same-name matches as likely links only, never as confirmed.Time served and departures are observed across annual filings. Observed time served is a lower bound - a member may have joined before the first year on record. The organisation reported 30 voting members of its governing body on its latest Form 990 Part VI, which matches the board listed here.| Name | Role as filed | Since | On the board |
|---|---|---|---|
| David P Flynn Chair | Immediate Past Chair | 2018 | 8 yrs |
| Eugene P Gramza JR Chair | Chair | 2018 | 8 yrs |
| Michelle A Sullivan Chair | Chair Elect | 2020 | 6 yrs |
| Abigail L Zabrodsky | Director | 2020 | 6 yrs |
| Barbara T Baker (also filed as Barbara Baker) | Director | 2020 | 6 yrs |
| Brandon Schulz-Koller | Director- Ex-Officio | 2024 | 2 yrs |
| Brian J Kulpa | Director | 2023 | 3 yrs |
| Cavette A Chambers | Director - Ex-Officio | 2022 | 4 yrs |
| Chris Scanlon | Director - Ex-Officio | 2024 | 2 yrs |
| Christopher Kania (also filed as Chris Kania) | Director | 2022 | 4 yrs |
| Craig A Harris | Director | 2023 | 3 yrs |
| Denise Lanz | Director - Ex-Officio | 2024 | 2 yrs |
| Donna M Siwek | Director | 2023 | 3 yrs |
| Elizabeth Potozniak (also filed as Beth Potozniak) | Director | 2018 | 8 yrs |
| Joel P Feroleto | Director - Ex-Officio | 2018 | 8 yrs |
| John R Sanderson | Director - Ex-Officio | 2018 | 8 yrs |
| John R Yurtchuk | Vice Chair | 2024 | 2 yrs |
| John T Gavigan | Director | 2020 | 6 yrs |
| Kanishka Wanninayaka | Director | 2023 | 3 yrs |
| Lisa Ceglia | Vice Chair | 2021 | 5 yrs |
| Michael T Ulbrich | Director | 2020 | 6 yrs |
| Nicole R Tzetzo | Company secretary | 2020 | 6 yrs |
| Paul Millstein | Director | 2020 | 6 yrs |
| Rajiv Ranjan | Treasurer | 2022 | 4 yrs |
| Ronald Mornelli | Director | 2021 | 5 yrs |
| Rylan O Rawlins | Vice Chair | 2020 | 6 yrs |
| Sean Heidinger | Director | 2024 | 2 yrs |
| Sergio P Gangarossa | Director | 2024 | 2 yrs |
| Susan Gingrich | Director- Ex-Officio | 2022 | 4 yrs |
| Susan O'Sullivan | Director | 2022 | 4 yrs |
Officers and senior leadership
7 listediNamed in Part VII as officers, key employees or highest-compensated staff - not board members, shown for completeness.| Name | Title as filed | On the filings |
|---|---|---|
| Denise K Schaefer | Chief Financial Officer | since 2018 |
| Keesha Bullock | Chief External Relations Officer | since 2021 |
| Kurt Volle | Veterinarian | since 2022 |
| Lisa Smith | President/CEO (Eff Oct. 2022) | since 2022 |
| Norah Fletchall | President/CEO (Thru Sept. 2022) | since 2020 |
| Spencer Morgan | Director of Development | 2023 |
| Tiffany Vanderwerf | Chief Conservation Officer | 2020 |
Pay and hours
year to 31 December 2025iFrom Part VII of the Form 990: compensation reported for each officer, director, trustee, key employee and highest-paid staff member, and the average hours a week they report. Most board members are unpaid; a blank means nothing was reported. Pay from related organisations is shown separately.| Name | Title as filed | Hours a week | Pay from the organisation | Related organisations | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lisa Smith | President & CEO | 40 | $213k | $40k | |
| Denise Schaefer | Chief Financial Officer | 40 | $143k | $20k | |
| Christine Fontanenda | Chief Advancement Officer | 40 | $136k | $24k | |
| Kurt Volle | Veterinarian | 40 | $113k | $33k | |
| James Oliver | Director of Facilities and Construction | 40 | $107k | $17k | |
| Eugene P Gramza Jr | Chair | 1 | $0 | ||
| Susan O'sullivan | Vice Chair | 1 | $0 | ||
| Rylan O Rawlins | Vice Chair | 1 | $0 | ||
| John R Yurtchuk | Vice Chair | 1 | $0 | ||
| Rajiv Ranjan | Treasurer | 1 | $0 | ||
| Lisa Ceglia | Secretary | 1 | $0 | ||
| Michelle A Sullivan | Chair Elect | 1 | $0 | ||
| David P Flynn | Immediate Past Chair | 1 | $0 | ||
| Micheal Ball | Director | 1 | $0 | ||
| Dr Latricia Davis | Director | 1 | $0 | ||
| Craig M Fischer | Director | 1 | $0 | ||
| Sergio P Gangarossa | Director | 1 | $0 | ||
| John T Gavigan | Director | 1 | $0 | ||
| Craig A Harris | Director | 1 | $0 | ||
| Sean Heidinger | Director | 1 | $0 | ||
| Karen Howard CPA | Director | 1 | $0 | ||
| Chris Kania | Director | 1 | $0 | ||
| Brian J Kulpa | Director | 1 | $0 | ||
| Ronald Mornelli | Director | 1 | $0 | ||
| Elizabeth Potozniak | Director | 1 | $0 | ||
| Donna M Siwek | Director | 1 | $0 | ||
| Kanishka Wanninayaka | Director | 1 | $0 | ||
| Abigail L Zabrodsky | Director | 1 | $0 | ||
| Rosa Alina Pizzi | Director - Ex-Officio | 1 | $0 | ||
| Joel P Feroleto | Director - Ex-Officio | 1 | $0 | ||
| Susan Gingrich | Director - Ex-Officio | 1 | $0 | ||
| Denise Lanz | Director - Ex-Officio | 1 | $0 | ||
| John R Sanderson | Director - Ex-Officio | 1 | $0 |
About
- Legal name
- Zoological Society of Buffalo Inc
- EIN
- 160911204
- Address
- 300 Parkside Ave, Buffalo, NY, 14214-1963
- State
- New York
- Mission
- Building community; creating connections; saving wildlife through a collaboration for change: the buffalo zoo will be a center of conservation excellence, providing leadership to secure a future where wildlife thrives. We embody our mission and vision through practices that exemplify our values of teamwork, welcoming, integrity, caring, and going above and beyond. (as filed on the Form 990)
- Activity (NTEE)
- D500 Animal-related
- IRS classification
- 501(c)03 (tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) where shown)
- Classified purpose
- Animal-Related
- Size band
- 8 (IRS master file code)
- Formed
- 1931
- Principal officer
- Lisa Smith (as named on the Form 990)
- IRS ruling date
- 1 May 1961
- Status
- Code 01 (unconditional exemption)
- Form 990 filings on record
- 7, latest 2024
- IRS Publication 78
- PC (contributions deductible)
Most connected
Related organisations (Schedule R)
Longest observed on the filings
≥8years on the filingsDavid P Flynn
≥8years on the filingsEugene P Gramza JR
≥8years on the filingsElizabeth Potozniak
≥8years on the filingsJoel P Feroleto
Latest return
year to 31 December 2025iFigures from the newest Form 990 or 990-EZ in the IRS e-file releases of 2025 and 2026, for the year ending 31 December 2025. US dollars, as filed.- Total assets
- $34.7m
- Total liabilities
- $3.1m
- Net assets or fund balances
- $31.6m
- Contributions and grants received
- $6m
- Program service revenue
- $6.6m
- Employees
- 203
- Volunteers
- 392
Filed finances
1 yeariTotals as filed on the IRS Form 990 (revenue and expenses), by tax year.| Tax year | Total revenue | Total expenses | Surplus or deficit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $10.8m | $12.8m | Deficit $2m |
As filed on the IRS Form 990. US dollars.
State registration
1 entityiBusiness-entity registers published by US states. These records are matched to this organisation by name and state, not by EIN, and are labelled as likely matches. Street addresses are not shown.Zoological Society Of Buffalo, Inc. likely matchiMatched by exact name and state (and ZIP where shown). State registers do not publish EINs, so this is not a confirmed match. Source: New York Department of State, active corporations (data.ny.gov n9v6-gdp6). Licence: New York open data terms of use. Data last fetched 18 October 2026.
- State
- New York
- Entity type
- Domestic Not-For-Profit Corporation
- Status
- Active
- Formed
- 5 October 1931
- Registered agent
- Not stated