Minnesota Zoo chief tapped for Texas job

Minnesota Zoo chief executive Lee Ehmke will step down this summer to take over as president and CEO of the Houston Zoo.

Ehmke joined the Minnesota Zoo in 2000 and oversaw the addition of multiple exhibits, including Russia's Grizzly Coast and the 100,000 square foot Heart of the Zoo project.

"His emphasis was always on creating an exhibit that would suck you, the viewer, into the exhibit," said Minnesota Zoo Board Chair Peter Maritz. "It was almost as if you weren't in a zoo at all, that you were out in the wild seeing that animal. He was fantastic at it."

The Minnesota Zoo on Friday named Kevin Willis, its vice president for biological programs, as interim head as it searches for a permanent leader. Willis starts in the job Aug. 11.

In a statement, the zoo said it is on track to have a balanced budget at the end of its fiscal year, June 30.