[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 203 (Tuesday, November 23, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1263]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              RECOGNIZING MR. KEVIN BELL ON HIS RETIREMENT

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. MIKE QUIGLEY

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, November 23, 2021

  Mr. QUIGLEY. Madam Speaker, I rise today to join the Lincoln Park Zoo 
colleagues in honoring Mr. Kevin J. Bell. Kevin recently retired as the 
zoo's President and CEO after 26 years of dedicated service. Kevin's 
retirement marks the end of a long career as a leader in the wildlife 
Conservation and Zoo world. Since he was a young boy, Kevin growing up 
on the grounds of the Bronx Zoo, where his father worked, had a passion 
for animals.
  Kevin has been with Lincoln Park Zoo for 45 years, starting as a 
volunteer at the age of 10, he became a part-time animal caretaker at 
17, and a keeper at 20. After earning his degrees, he was hired in 1976 
as the curator of birds at Lincoln Park Zoo, promoted in 1992 to 
assistant director, and appointed in 1993 to director. After the zoo 
privatized in 1995, Kevin was named president and CEO of the Lincoln 
Park Zoological Society, which manages and operates Lincoln Park Zoo.
  Kevin joined the American Zoo and Aquarium Association in 1976, and 
20 years later would become the chair of the Privatization Task Force. 
A well-respected expert, he has published numerous articles in zoo-
related publications. In 2011, he was selected as one of the three U.S. 
delegates to serve on the board of the World Association of Zoos and 
Aquariums (WAZA). Madam Speaker, please join me and all our colleagues 
in the House of Representatives in recognizing Mr. Bell's years of 
service and congratulating him on his retirement.

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