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Clearwater Marine Aquarium names new CEO
The Clearwater Marine Aquarium lost its Chief Executive Officer, and its star attraction, in the same November week in 2021.
CEO Frank Dame’s resignation, for health reasons, took effect Nov. 5. Winter, the bottlenose dolphin whose fight for life with a prosthetic tail inspired two hit movies, died from a gastrointestinal condition just five days later.
Veteran marine biologist James ”Buddy” Powell, executive director of the facility’s research institute, was named Interim CEO while the search for Dame’s successor got underway.
Joe Handy, former President and CEO of the prestigious Georgia Aquarium, has been hired as the next CEO of the Clearwater Marine Aquarium, the nonprofit’s board announced Thursday. He will begin his new job in October.
In 2005, Handy joined the Georgia Aquarium staff as Director of Visitor Services in 2005, and was named President and Chief Operating Officer in 2017. He then took the role of President and CEO for the National Black MBA Association.
“I felt a sense of pulling and necessity to serve the community, which led me to the role with the National Black MBA Association,” Handy said in a prepared statement. “That same passion, to serve, is what excites me about the CEO role with Clearwater Marine Aquarium.
“It has such a rich history with not only the Tampa Bay community, but with the military, those with special needs who are inspired by the rescued animals at CMA, and also the community of biologists and researchers who dedicate their life to saving and protecting marine life.”
Dame succeeded CEO David Yates, who helped bring national attention to the story of Winter through a relentless public relations campaign, and through the fictionalized Dolphin Tale and Dolphin Tale 2 films.
A rescue and rehab facility open to the public, the Clearwater Marine Aquarium is currently home to five bottlenose dolphins, including Hope, whose dramatic rescue was the basis of Dolphin Tale 2.
An $80 million renovation to the dolphin areas opened in 2021.
Velva Lee Heraty
July 21, 2022at3:30 pm
Many of us are trying to understand why the baby dolphin “rescued” off Clearwater Pier by staff of the Clearwater Marine Aquarium was removed from its habitat and shipped to another facility.An honest statement from the CMA would be advisable to garner good will from the thousands that witnessed what looked like a kidnapping, not a rescue. The calf’s mother was nearby.