In announcing the appointment, SDZWA highlighted Dixon’s nine years as chief operating officer and his interim leadership since spring, along with a portfolio of high-profile capital projects, including Denny Sanford Elephant Valley, slated to open at the Safari Park in early 2026. The alliance also emphasized his civic résumé across tourism and business boards, and reiterated that Korn Ferry’s process surfaced Dixon as the best fit to “guide the organization into the future.”
As COO, Dixon “oversee[d] the day-to-day activities of the organization,” spanning wildlife care, science, and education, and - by SDZWA’s own bio - “sales and marketing, capital planning and information technology, cyber security, infrastructure and business system planning.” His team was tasked with supporting the strategic plan and “creating ties between the conservation field work” and the guest experience for “more than 5 million” annual visitors.
Inside the organization, reactions were more mixed. An SDZWA staffer — requesting anonymity out of fear of retaliation - told SanDiegoVille that “the very person who aggressively negotiated against us in the union raise contracts was chosen to lead us,” calling the selection a “good-old-boys-club” outcome after a promised global search.
Context matters. Throughout 2025, SDZWA weathered a wave of worker unrest, including an overwhelming vote rejecting an early contract proposal, public accusations of low wage offers relative to San Diego’s cost of living, and an organizing push that repeatedly warned of a potential strike - pressure that management and the Teamsters ultimately channeled back into bargaining. Even sympathetic outside coverage noted the stark gap between executive pay and frontline compensation, a narrative the alliance struggled to shake as negotiations dragged on. The union eventually ratified a new wage agreement in early June.
Supporters of Dixon also point to a broader résumé outside zoos: “more than two decades” in hospitality and tourism, including early roles with Hilton Hotels and later Vail Resorts Inc., where he lived and worked at Grand Teton National Park overseeing hotel, restaurant, and retail operations with responsibility for guest engagement and financial performance. As corporate director of lodging operations and capital planning for Vail Resorts, he “provided leadership and guidance” across 13+ hotels, a major conference center, golf courses, spas, retail, and restaurants in the Western U.S. and Jamaica, and founded the company’s culinary arts program, establishing training pipelines in Colorado and Wyoming.
Dixon’s interim period also intersected with a series of awkward moments for leadership, including a same-day cancellation of the large internal “Onward” staff event — a move that some employees interpreted as an attempt to avoid visible dissent. In March, SDZWA’s prior CEO Paul Baribault announced his departure after five years, as labor tensions escalated. (Baribault’s exit and the “Onward” cancellation were widely documented in internal communications and employee forums; Dixon communicated the cancellation by email while serving as COO.)
Locally, Dixon has emphasized civic involvement: he is a professional fellow of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, a member of San Diego Rotary Club 33, an Advisory Council Member of the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce, and an Executive Board Member of the Balboa Park Cultural Partnership. He holds a Bachelor of Science from California State University, Sacramento.
Supporters argue that continuity at the top is critical as SDZWA prepares for Elephant Valley and other capital priorities. Detractors counter that continuity is precisely the problem - that a search advertised as “global” landed on the executive who, as COO, was present for (and in workers’ telling, central to) a year of acrimony over wages, scheduling, and staffing. Both things can be true: Dixon may be uniquely positioned to execute the alliance’s capital roadmap, and the manner of his elevation may further strain employee trust.
The board’s statement praised Dixon’s “vision” and “ability to inspire collaboration.” The immediate test is whether that collaboration extends meaningfully to the roughly two to three thousand employees who operate the Zoo and Safari Park every day - the keepers, horticulturists, wildlife care specialists, guest services staff, tradespeople, and scientists who have asked, sometimes publicly, for a bigger share of the pie. If Dixon can deliver a durable contract climate, maintain conservation momentum, and restore internal confidence while the alliance turns the page on a fractious year, the criticism surrounding the search will fade. If not, the choice to convert the interim boss into the permanent CEO will look less like judicious stewardship and more like an echo of the status quo.
San Diego’s most prominent nonprofit can’t function on capital campaigns and conservation headlines alone. It also needs a workforce that feels heard - and paid - in one of America’s costliest cities. Dixon now owns that challenge.
Inside the organization, reactions were more mixed. An SDZWA staffer — requesting anonymity out of fear of retaliation - told SanDiegoVille that “the very person who aggressively negotiated against us in the union raise contracts was chosen to lead us,” calling the selection a “good-old-boys-club” outcome after a promised global search.
Context matters. Throughout 2025, SDZWA weathered a wave of worker unrest, including an overwhelming vote rejecting an early contract proposal, public accusations of low wage offers relative to San Diego’s cost of living, and an organizing push that repeatedly warned of a potential strike - pressure that management and the Teamsters ultimately channeled back into bargaining. Even sympathetic outside coverage noted the stark gap between executive pay and frontline compensation, a narrative the alliance struggled to shake as negotiations dragged on. The union eventually ratified a new wage agreement in early June.
Supporters of Dixon also point to a broader résumé outside zoos: “more than two decades” in hospitality and tourism, including early roles with Hilton Hotels and later Vail Resorts Inc., where he lived and worked at Grand Teton National Park overseeing hotel, restaurant, and retail operations with responsibility for guest engagement and financial performance. As corporate director of lodging operations and capital planning for Vail Resorts, he “provided leadership and guidance” across 13+ hotels, a major conference center, golf courses, spas, retail, and restaurants in the Western U.S. and Jamaica, and founded the company’s culinary arts program, establishing training pipelines in Colorado and Wyoming.
Dixon’s interim period also intersected with a series of awkward moments for leadership, including a same-day cancellation of the large internal “Onward” staff event — a move that some employees interpreted as an attempt to avoid visible dissent. In March, SDZWA’s prior CEO Paul Baribault announced his departure after five years, as labor tensions escalated. (Baribault’s exit and the “Onward” cancellation were widely documented in internal communications and employee forums; Dixon communicated the cancellation by email while serving as COO.)
Locally, Dixon has emphasized civic involvement: he is a professional fellow of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, a member of San Diego Rotary Club 33, an Advisory Council Member of the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce, and an Executive Board Member of the Balboa Park Cultural Partnership. He holds a Bachelor of Science from California State University, Sacramento.
Supporters argue that continuity at the top is critical as SDZWA prepares for Elephant Valley and other capital priorities. Detractors counter that continuity is precisely the problem - that a search advertised as “global” landed on the executive who, as COO, was present for (and in workers’ telling, central to) a year of acrimony over wages, scheduling, and staffing. Both things can be true: Dixon may be uniquely positioned to execute the alliance’s capital roadmap, and the manner of his elevation may further strain employee trust.
The board’s statement praised Dixon’s “vision” and “ability to inspire collaboration.” The immediate test is whether that collaboration extends meaningfully to the roughly two to three thousand employees who operate the Zoo and Safari Park every day - the keepers, horticulturists, wildlife care specialists, guest services staff, tradespeople, and scientists who have asked, sometimes publicly, for a bigger share of the pie. If Dixon can deliver a durable contract climate, maintain conservation momentum, and restore internal confidence while the alliance turns the page on a fractious year, the criticism surrounding the search will fade. If not, the choice to convert the interim boss into the permanent CEO will look less like judicious stewardship and more like an echo of the status quo.
San Diego’s most prominent nonprofit can’t function on capital campaigns and conservation headlines alone. It also needs a workforce that feels heard - and paid - in one of America’s costliest cities. Dixon now owns that challenge.
Originally published on October 23, 2025.