Brian Zimmerman

Brian M. Zimmerman is chief executive officer of Cleveland Metroparks, responsible for more than 25,000 acres of green space in Northeast Ohio, including 18 park reservations, nine golf courses and the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. He became the sixth head of the park district in 2010, after serving as chief of operations for Milwaukee County Parks, and is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Since then he has acquired land at the fastest rate in the district's history aside from its founder, adding more than 4,000 acres of protected parkland and forest. He has helped revitalize Cleveland's urban core by acquiring and transforming nearly 750 acres of lakefront, including the Re-Connecting Cleveland trails that link more than 66,000 residents to Lake Erie, and has grown the trail network past 325 miles across 49 communities in six counties. He guided the district through its 2017 centennial and oversaw new zoo habitats such as African Elephant Crossing and Rosebrough Tiger Passage. His honors include the 2021 National Gold Medal for Excellence in Park Management, Crain's Cleveland Business 2017 CEO of the Year and the Greater Cleveland Partnership's 2022 Shatten Award. He serves on the boards of Destination Cleveland and Flats Forward.