HOUSTON ZOO INC Charity Report

Public IRS 990 nonprofit record

HOUSTON ZOO INC

EIN 74-1590271 · Animal-Related (D115)

What they do

Mission: Connect Communities With Animals, Inspiring Action to Save Wildlife. Vision: Be A Leader In The Global Movement to Save Wildlife. (Continued On Schedule O) Houston Zoo, Inc. (HZI) Strives to Be A Zoo That Practices Exemplary Animal Care, Delivers An Outstanding Guest Experience, Creates A Workplace That Instills Respect and Teamwork, Provides Learning Opportunities, Promotes Conservation Awareness, and Inspires Community Support.

Before you give

Should I give to this charity?

Easy charity check

Look at where the money went

Of every $100 spent, about $86.20 was reported for mission work. Use the spending picture below and ask what results that work produced.

Plain answer: A tax form cannot prove that a charity is doing good. It can show how the charity says it spent its money—and point out questions you should ask.

Basic facts we verified

IRS warning checkNo IRS revocation warning appears in this data.

Money report from 2024The charity has a recent tax report to read.

They explain their jobThe charity tells us what it is trying to do.

They name their leaders58 people are listed in the latest report.

You can reach themThey list contact information, so you can ask questions.

Money made simple

73.33%of revenue went to mission work86.2% of expenses · Program services

5.30%of revenue went to fundraising6.2% of expenses

$85.03spent for every $100 of revenueRevenue covered expenses this year.

6.41%of revenue went to management and office costs7.5% of expenses

$5.42in assets for every $1 spent this yearSome assets cannot be spent right away.

30.0%of its money came from giftsOther money may come from services or investments.

Ask these three easy questions

Who did you help? Ask for a recent story or report that shows real results.
What will my money do? Ask exactly what your gift will pay for.
Is this really the charity? Give only through its official website or confirmed phone number.

Pay context: The highest compensation shown in this filing is $711,080 for LEE EHMKE (PRESIDENT & CEO). Compare pay with organizations of similar size and complexity.

Bottom line: Do not decide from a name, mission statement, or tax status alone. Look at where the money went, then ask what changed, who was helped, and what your gift will do. YouCanGiveBack does not endorse or grade organizations.

Money

Financial picture

Tax year 2024

A plain-language look at the latest Form 990 figures available. These numbers help you ask better questions; they do not, by themselves, rate whether a charity is good or bad.

$100revenue

How each $100 of revenue was used

The large number compares each expense with revenue. The smaller number shows its share of total expenses.

Total reported revenue$82,689,282

Mission workProgram services$60,634,65773.33% of revenue86.2% of expenses

ManagementOffice and general costs$5,297,0226.41% of revenue7.5% of expenses

FundraisingAsking for donations$4,382,1365.30% of revenue6.2% of expenses

Revenue left after expensesReported annual surplus$12,375,46714.97% of revenueShown in gray on the chart

Total expenses$70,313,81585.03% of revenue

Gray means reported revenue left after expenses for this filing year. It does not necessarily mean cash sitting in a bank account.

Has the pattern changed?

Colored bars = expense mix: how each year’s expenses were divided. Total expenses vs. revenue shows whether the charity spent less or more than it received. The current filing is first.

YearExpense mixDetails

2024CurrentExpense mix: 86.2% mission · 7.5% management · 6.2% fundraisingTotal expenses: 85.03% of revenue

2023Expense mix: 86.5% mission · 7.5% management · 6.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 76.13% of revenue

2022Expense mix: 86.5% mission · 6.2% management · 7.3% fundraisingTotal expenses: 79.55% of revenue

2021Expense mix: 88.1% mission · 5.3% management · 6.7% fundraisingTotal expenses: 57.33% of revenue

2020Expense mix: 91.5% mission · 5.2% management · 3.2% fundraisingTotal expenses: 83.40% of revenue

2019Expense mix: 86.9% mission · 5.5% management · 7.5% fundraisingTotal expenses: 71.55% of revenue

2018Expense mix: 86.7% mission · 5.7% management · 7.5% fundraisingTotal expenses: 48.30% of revenue

2017Expense mix: 87.6% mission · 4.6% management · 7.8% fundraisingTotal expenses: 68.12% of revenue

Money in and money out

Revenue$82,689,282

Expenses$70,313,815

Annual surplus $12,375,467 Revenue was higher than expenses for this filing year.

Reported spending amounts

Mission work means the Form 990 category called program services. These are reported accounting categories—not an independent measurement of results.

Mission work (program services)$60,634,657 · 86.2% of expenses

Management and office costs$5,297,022 · 7.5% of expenses

Fundraising$4,382,136 · 6.2% of expenses

See all reported dollar amounts

Revenue$82,689,282

Expenses$70,313,815

Assets$380,810,630

Income$99,652,283

Contributions$24,795,320

Mission work (program services)$60,634,657

Fundraising$4,382,136

Grants given$10,632,450

Average grant$63,667

Management and general$5,297,022

Executive compensation (total)$923,872

Stocks and bonds$50,329,259

Accounting fees$42,196

Investing fees$183,242

People

Leadership and board

Tax year 2024

Names, titles, time, and compensation below are reported by the organization on its Form 990.

People reported as paid

Person and titleCompensation

LEE EHMKEPRESIDENT & CEO · 40 hrs/week $711,080Base $691,246 · Other $19,834

SHERYL KOLASINSKICOO · 40 hrs/week $392,350Base $374,936 · Other $17,414

JERI NORDBROCKCFO · 40 hrs/week $350,509Base $332,237 · Other $18,272

ROBERTO ESPINOSACHIEF ADVANCEMENT OFFICER · 40 hrs/week $335,126Base $313,227 · Other $21,899

KRISTIN FINNEYCHIEF HUMAN RESOURCES OFFICER · 40 hrs/week $321,598Base $301,730 · Other $19,868

TRAZANNA MORENOSENIOR VP MARKETING, COMMUNICATIONS · 40 hrs/week $296,481Base $282,556 · Other $13,925

KEVIN HODGEVP ANIMAL PROGRAMS · 40 hrs/week $265,782Base $241,498 · Other $24,284

BENJAMIN JONESVP CONSERVATION AND EDUCATION · 40 hrs/week $236,051Base $216,513 · Other $19,538

LISA MARIE AVENDANODEPUTY DIR., CHIEF MISSION OFFICER · 40 hrs/week $233,973Base $222,535 · Other $11,438

JAMES HUTCHINSONSR. DIR. FINANCE & ACCOUNTING · 40 hrs/week $203,170Base $194,019 · Other $9,151

ABRAHAM GEORGEDIRECTOR OF TECHNOLOGY · 40 hrs/week $196,679Base $174,428 · Other $22,251

ADRIAN CAVAZOSAVP, BUSINESS OPERATIONS · 40 hrs/week $194,737Base $172,867 · Other $21,870

Compensation alone does not tell whether pay is reasonable. Consider the charity’s size, work, location, and results.

See everyone listed on the board or leadership roster (58)

LEE EHMKEPRESIDENT & CEO

SHERYL KOLASINSKICOO

JERI NORDBROCKCFO

ROBERTO ESPINOSACHIEF ADVANCEMENT OFFICER

KRISTIN FINNEYCHIEF HUMAN RESOURCES OFFICER

TRAZANNA MORENOSENIOR VP MARKETING, COMMUNICATIONS

KEVIN HODGEVP ANIMAL PROGRAMS

BENJAMIN JONESVP CONSERVATION AND EDUCATION

LISA MARIE AVENDANODEPUTY DIR., CHIEF MISSION OFFICER

JAMES HUTCHINSONSR. DIR. FINANCE & ACCOUNTING

ABRAHAM GEORGEDIRECTOR OF TECHNOLOGY

ADRIAN CAVAZOSAVP, BUSINESS OPERATIONS

AUDRA JESUDASONAVP, DEVELOPMENT

MARK HOFFMANSR. DIR. PLAN, DESIGN, ENGINEERING

ROBERT GRAHAMMEMBER EMERITUS

AUSTIN YOUNGMEMBER EMERITUS

LIZ SCHWARZEBOARD MEMBER

MICHAEL DISHBERGERBOARD MEMBER

MONICA KARUTURI AS OF 724BOARD MEMBER

NANCY PUSTKABOARD MEMBER

NEIL CHAPMAN AS OF 724BOARD MEMBER

NICHOLAS HELLYAR AS OF 724BOARD MEMBER

PEGGY KOSTIALBOARD MEMBER

RANDA DUNCAN WILLIAMSMEMBER EMERITUS

BAS SOLLEVELDBOARD MEMBER

ANNE DUNCANMEMBER EMERITUS

RON RAND THRU 624BOARD MEMBER

SADIE RUCKER AS OF 724BOARD MEMBER

SAIED ALAVIBOARD MEMBER

SAMI AHMADBOARD MEMBER

SANJAY KALAVARBOARD MEMBER

ANNE CLUTTERBUCKBOARD MEMBER

STACY OMALLEYBOARD MEMBER

STACY METHVIN THRU 624IMMEDIATE PAST CHAIR

ALIE PRUNERBOARD MEMBER

BILL BARNETTMEMBER EMERITUS

BYRON POPEBOARD MEMBER

CARLOS BUENOBOARD MEMBER

CHARLES DRESSER AS OF 724BOARD MEMBER

CLAIRE LIUBOARD MEMBER

CYNTHIA WALKER THRU 624BOARD MEMBER

EUREKA GILKEY THRU 624BOARD MEMBER

GEORGE BASUBOARD MEMBER

GREG ARMSTRONG AS OF 724BOARD MEMBER

HEATHER CROWDERBOARD MEMBER

BILL BUTZNER AS OF 724BOARD MEMBER

JENNIFER LAPORTEBOARD MEMBER

BRIAN THOMASBOARD MEMBER

JIM POSTLMEMBER EMERITUS

JOE CLEARYBOARD CHAIR

JORDAN SEFFBOARD MEMBER

JOSHUA DAVIDSONVICE CHAIR

KELLEY LUBANKOBOARD MEMBER

KELLI WEINZIERLBOARD MEMBER

KERRY GALVINBOARD MEMBER

BETO CARDENASBOARD MEMBER

KIMBERLY MCKAY THRU 624BOARD MEMBER

KRIS CHIKELUEBOARD MEMBER

About this charity

Recognized since: January 1967
Location: 1513 Cambridge, Houston, TX 77030
County: Harris
In care of: Jeri Nordbrock
Primary officer: Jeri Nordbrock, CFO

How to reach them

WebsiteVisit the charity’s website Phone(713) 533-6501

Filing and classification

Latest tax year: 2024
Tax period began: January 1, 2024
Return type: 990
Tax preparer: BLAZEK & VETTERLING
NTEE classification: Animal-Related (D115)
IRS tax category: Other Grantmaking and Giving Services
Grant-giving organization: Yes