Home 2021
HONORING
David Bonderman
Save the Dates*
Thursday, June 10, 2021
OR
Thursday, September 23, 2021
Reception 6:30 PM
Dinner and Dancing 8:00 PM
Central Park Zoo
Fifth Avenue at 64th Street
*We hope that we will be able to celebrate together in person on June 10, but please hold both dates on your calendar in case we cannot gather until September 23. We are carefully monitoring how guests can gather safely and will keep you informed as plans develop.
WCS: WE STAND FOR WILDLIFE
WCS saves wildlife and wild places worldwide through science, conservation action, education, and inspiring people to value nature. We envision a world where wildlife thrives in healthy lands and seas, valued by societies that embrace and benefit from the diversity and integrity of life on earth.
We stand for wildlife. Join us.
ABOUT THE EVENT
On Thursday, June 10, 2021 or Thursday, September 23, 2021, the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) will host its annual Gala at the Central Park Zoo. The evening will celebrate WCS’s impact on the planet’s most ecologically important wild places and the extraordinary species that call them home.
Unlike any other event in New York City, the Gala takes place within a spectacular zoo setting. Enjoy a lively reception around the sea lion pool and connect with these curious, intelligent animals during an educational feeding session, followed by dinner and dancing under the stars.
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Forests are massive carbon sinks for the planet, keeping billions of tons of C02 out of the atmosphere. Saving forests can provide nearly one-third of the action we need by 2030 to maintain the fight against climate change. WCS is working to stop the loss of intact forests, including by accelerating and scaling up protections in the world’s most important intact forests in the Amazon Basin, Congo Basin, North American Boreal, North Eurasian Boreal, and Southeast Asian Archipelago. -
Human, animal, and environmental health are intrinsically connected and profoundly influenced by human activities, as the Covid-19 pandemic made us all acutely aware. With the largest international team dedicated to disease surveillance, rapid response, local training, and wildlife health of any conservation organization, WCS is hard at work responding to this global crisis and helping reduce the risk of future disease outbreaks. -
Defending nature’s strongholds—the world’s remaining areas of protected wilderness—is our best hope for ensuring the survival of wildlife and ecosystems. Over the past 125 years, WCS has helped create or expand nearly 350 protected areas across land and sea, and we are scaling up efforts to make sure Earth’s most important strongholds for biodiversity are equipped to withstand escalating pressures. -
The ocean provides half of our atmosphere’s oxygen, feeds over a billion people, and facilitates 90 percent of global trade. But today, overfishing and the loss of top ocean predators threaten local communities, global economies, and human survival. WCS’s marine program covers the waters of 23 countries, and is designed to safeguard global coral species, reverse the decline of sharks and rays, and steward the recovery of marine mammals. -
As the world’s premier wildlife conservation organization, WCS has 125 years of experience in successfully saving endangered species. Stable and recovering animal populations, reductions in poaching, and stronger international wildlife protections all prove that our efforts are working. -
As the first zoological organization in the world to promote wildlife conservation, WCS’s Bronx Zoo helped save bison from extinction more than a century ago. Today, we are working to restore free-ranging bison populations across their historic North American range through partnerships with Indigenous Peoples, accredited zoos, and others. -
WCS’s New York City wildlife parks promote lifelong connections between people and nature while advancing conservation of species in the wild. Our four zoos—the Bronx Zoo, Central Park Zoo, Queens Zoo, and Prospect Park Zoo—and our New York Aquarium comprise the world’s largest network of urban wildlife parks and welcome more than 4 million guests a year.
HONOREE
David Bonderman
David Bonderman is co-founder and chairman of TPG, a leading global alternative asset firm which manages approximately $100 billion in assets.
Prior to forming TPG in 1992, Mr. Bonderman was COO of the Robert M. Bass Group, and before that a partner in the law firm of Arnold & Porter in Washington, D.C. From 1969 to 1970, he was a Fellow in Foreign and Comparative Law in conjunction with Harvard University and prior to that Special Assistant to the U.S. Attorney General in the Civil Rights Division. Mr. Bonderman serves on a number of public and private boards, some of which include: Allogene Therapeutics, Inc.; Boston Championship Basketball, LLC; Seattle Hockey Partners; The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation; and The Rise Fund.
David Bonderman is a long-time supporter of conservation causes and serves on the boards of the following entities: the American Himalayan Foundation, The Wilderness Society, the Grand Canyon Trust, and the Wyss Foundation. Mr. Bonderman also funds The Wildcat Foundation. Protecting Africa’s parks and wildlife is a particular passion, and he has long assisted Wildlife Conservation Society projects across Central and East Africa. His major support for predominantly anti-poaching and wildlife anti-trafficking efforts now extends across 22 African countries.
Leadership
Co-Chairs
List in formation
WCS BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Elected Trustees
Elizabeth Ainslie
Frederick W. Beinecke
Rosina M. Bierbaum
Duncan A. Chapman
Rudolph F. Crew
Katherine L. Dolan
Gordon E. Dyal
Thomas J. Edelman
Christopher J. Elliman
Paul A. Gould
Jonathan D. Green
Antonia M. Grumbach
Andreas Halvorsen
Judith H. Hamilton
John N. Irwin III
Hamilton E. James
Julia Marton-Lefèvre
David J. Millstone
Ambrose K. Monell
Adebayo O. Ogunlesi
Alejandro Santo Domingo
Juan Manuel Santos
David B "Scott" Schiff
Walter C. Sedgwick
Katherine Sherrill
Caroline N. Sidnam
Andrew H. Tisch
Roselinde Torres
Life Trustees
C. Diane Christensen
Howard Phipps, Jr., Chair Emeritus
Julian Robertson
David T Schiff, Chair Emeritus
Mrs. Leonard N. Stern
Ward W. Woods, Chair Emeritus
Barbara Hrbek Zucker
Trustees Emeriti
Eleanor Briggs
Jonathan L. Cohen
Bradley L. Goldberg
Brian J. Heidtke
GALA TABLES & TICKETS
Please respond by March 12 to be listed on the invitation.
Gifts of $25,000 and above will be listed as a Vice Chair.
Contributions are tax-deductible as provided by law. $1,950/$195 of each Gala Table/Ticket is non-deductible.
* Under federal tax rules, certain restrictions apply to the purchase of gala tickets and tables by donor-advised funds (DAFs) and private foundations.
Please contact your tax advisor or your DAF’s sponsoring organization for more details.
Tables (Seating for 10 guests)
past event photos
Previous Gala Events
WCS GALA: WE STAND FOR WILDLIFE
Contact
For more information, please contact:
Elizabeth Benham
2300 Southern Boulevard
Bronx, NY 10460
Phone: 718 741 1616
gala@wcs.org
Mission
WCS saves wildlife and wild places worldwide through science, conservation action, education, and inspiring people to value nature.
Vision
WCS envisions a world where wildlife thrives in healthy lands and seas, valued by societies that embrace and benefit from the diversity and integrity of life on earth.
Photo Credits: Elephant photo by Julie Larsen Maher © WCS; © WCS Mozambique; © Kalyan Varma; © Frank af Petersens; © Paul Hilton for WCS; © BFA; Patrick McMullan/PMc.©Patrick McMullan; Julie Larsen Maher © WCS
© 2021 Wildlife Conservation Society, 2300 Southern Boulevard, Bronx, New York 10460 • 718 741 1616 • Terms of Use | wcs.org