HONORING
David Bonderman

Thursday, September 23, 2021

Festivities begin at 6:30 PM

Central Park Zoo
Fifth Avenue at 64th Street

We are delighted to be able to come together in celebration on September 23. Your safety is our priority. Please rest assured that WCS is carefully monitoring and following all guidelines for gathering safely. Due to the current restrictions, space is limited and will be reserved on a first come, first served basis.

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, September 23, 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 under the stars.

If you plan to attend, the following applies to all event guests:

Mask Policy: Consistent with New York State and the Center for Disease Control (CDC) guidance, masks are optional for guests who are fully vaccinated. Unvaccinated guests over the age of 2 years are required to wear a mask in all indoor areas and outdoor areas where social distancing cannot be maintained. Unvaccinated guests may remove masks for eating and drinking when socially distanced or, at events, when seated with members of their own party.
Masks Available: If you need a mask, please let us know.
COVID-19 Warning: An inherent risk of exposure to COVID-19 exists in any public place where people are present. In accordance with New York State and CDC guidance, unvaccinated people continue to be responsible for wearing masks at WCS facilities. By visiting WCS facilities, you voluntarily assume all risks related to exposure to COVID-19.

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

Elizabeth and Lee Ainslie
Jill and Gordon Dyal
Christopher J. Elliman
Laura and Peter Grauer
Diane and Andreas Halvorsen
Tony and Amie James
Amelia and Bayo Ogunlesi
Mary and Howdy Phipps
Alejandro and Charlotte Santo Domingo
Kitty and Stephen Sherrill
Loretta and Chris Stadler
Allison and Leonard Stern
Andrew and Ann Tisch
Ward and Priscilla Woods

Vice Chairs

Bloomberg Philanthropies
Antonia and George Grumbach, Jr.
Gillian Hearst
John and Jeanet Irwin on behalf of Hillside Capital Incorporated
Sonia and Paul Jones
Mary and John LaMattina
Liberty Coca-Cola Beverages
Lisa and David T Schiff
David B “Scott” Schiff
The Starr Foundation
Robin and Marisa van Bokhorst

List in formation

WCS BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Cristián Samper, PhD

President and CEO

Alejandro Santo Domingo

Chair

Hamilton E. James

Vice Chair

Gordon E. Dyal

Treasurer

Frederick W. Beinecke

Secretary

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
Peter T. Grauer
Jonathan D. Green
Antonia M. Grumbach
O. 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
Robert B. Zoellick

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

TABLES

PURCHASE

Please respond by July 7 to be listed on event materials.
Gifts of $25,000 and above will be listed as a Vice Chair.

For alternative methods of payment (wire, stock, by phone), please contact Liz Benham at 718 741 1616 or ebenham@wcs.org.

$1,950 of each Gala Table at the $10,000 level and above is non-deductible. $195 of each seat at a $5,000 Guardian Gala Table is non-deductible.
Contributions are tax-deductible as provided by law.

* 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

MAKE A CONTRIBUTION

past gala 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

Learn more about the Wildlife Conservation Society

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

GALA TABLES & TICKETS