Powell, OH – The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium is pleased to welcome Tim Bergwall, Group President at Greif, Inc., as the newest member of the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium’s Board of Directors.
“It’s a great honor to join the Board of Directors of the Columbus Zoo. This impressive institution, along with The Wilds and Zoombezi Bay, has provided a lifelong source of memories for me and my family in raising our three boys over the last 22 years in Columbus. From the special events to recreation and volunteering opportunities, I am proud to serve the Zoo with a strong sense of pride for the state of Ohio,” said Bergwall.
Bergwall has served as Group President, Paper Packaging & Services at Greif, Inc. since January 2014, and President of Soterra Land Management LLC, a Greif subsidiary since May 2015. Prior to these roles, he served as Vice President of Containerboard Mills.
Bergwall’s career spans 35 years in the paper packaging industry in management roles with large integrated firms such as Union Camp Corporation and smaller independent companies, where he focused on strategic growth initiatives for each organization. He remains active in the paper packaging industry through his service as Vice Chairman of the Fibre Box Association, the largest industry trade associate of the corrugated packaging industry, and as Chairman of Boxboard Products in Greensboro, N.C.
His leadership also extends as Chairman of the International Corrugated Packaging Foundation, which partners with more than 20 universities across the country to build curriculum and provide equipment and funding for Packaging and Engineering Schools. Bergwall is also a Board Member of the Paper Recycling Coalition, an advocacy group with a mission to protect the U.S. recovered fiber supply from market distorting government subsidies and costly government regulations, and he serves in the Containerboard Sector at the American Forest & Paper Association and is a member of the Paper & Packaging Board.
Bergwall earned his bachelor’s degree from Miami University and has attended graduate programs at Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern, Harvard Business School, and The London Business School.
“Together with his leadership experience, Tim’s commitment to education and sustainability initiatives will be a strong asset to the Columbus Zoo as we work to fulfill our mission of Empowering People. Saving Wildlife. Tim joins 18 community leaders who are serving as our Board members and are devoted to ensuring that our world-renowned Zoo continues to make a positive conservation impact locally and globally,” said Tom Schmid, President and CEO of the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium.
In addition to welcoming Bergwall, six members recently completed their service on the Board on December 31, 2023:
- Keith Shumate, Immediate Past Chair, Squire Patton Boggs LLP
- Brad DeHays, Connect Realty
- Dr. Joseph Donovan, OhioHealth, Riverside Methodist Hospital
- Stephanie Fortener, SaaS Capital
- Gary Marcinik, Budros Ruhlin & Roe, Inc.
- Brian O’Mara, Safelite AutoGlass
“We are extremely grateful for these leaders’ commitment to guiding the Columbus Zoo into its next transformational era—one that carries on a solid foundation and inspirational legacy while expanding our commitment to conservation to new levels. We appreciate their contributions and look forward to all of the opportunities yet to come,” said Katie Wolfe Lloyd, chair of the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium Board of Directors.
For additional updates about the Columbus Zoo’s conservation initiatives, education programs, events, and more, be sure to follow the Zoo’s social media accounts on Facebook, Instagram, X, and TikTok, and visit us at ColumbusZoo.org.
###
About the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium
Home to more than 10,000 animals representing over 600 species worldwide, the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium leads by making a positive impact on people, wildlife, and wild places. The Zoo complex is a recreational and education destination that includes the 22-acre Zoombezi Bay water park and 18-hole Safari Golf Club. The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium also manages The Wilds, a 10,000-acre conservation center and safari park located in southeastern Ohio. The Zoo is a wildlife conservation organization with regional, national and global impact, annually supporting conservation and research projects locally and worldwide. For more information, please visit ColumbusZoo.org.
