The Saint Louis Zoo today announced Kathy Tisone as the organization’s next Vice President of Finance and Chief Financial Officer.
Tisone comes to the Zoo with more than 25 years of experience leading financial stewardship in nonprofits. She is CFO and Vice President of Operations for St. Louis Arc, Inc., a nonprofit serving over 4,500 people with autism spectrum disorders, Down syndrome, intellectual and other developmental disabilities in the St. Louis region. Tisone was selected through a national search conducted in partnership with executive search firm Shelli Herman & Associates.
Tisone spent more than 24 years at St. Louis Arc, and said she is thrilled to join another organization focused on helping the St. Louis community.
“The Zoo has always made me proud to be from St. Louis,” she said. “I couldn’t be more excited to be a part of such a beloved community resource that is accessible to all.”
Tisone grew up in the north St. Louis County community of Ferguson. Her love of what she calls the “clarity of numbers” drove her to earn a bachelor's degree in accounting from the University of Missouri-Columbia. She started her career at Citicorp Mortgage, Reinsurance Group of America and accounting firm Schmersahl, Treloar & Company, where she earned her CPA.
Tisone is a member of a large St. Louis-based family and has a lifelong love of animals. She is mother to two teenage daughters, Addie and Ava. In her free time, she enjoys camping trips on horseback.
Tisone will replace Cassandra J. Brown Ray who retires this month after a successful 32 years at the Zoo.
Tisone starts at the Zoo on Sept. 30.