WNC Nature Center has new director

Jason Sandford

Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.

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Press release here:

The City of Asheville Parks, Recreation and Cultural Arts Department welcomes Chris Gentile as the new Director of the WNC Nature Center.  Mr. Gentile began his new assignment on October 5, 2009. 

Prior to coming to the WNC Nature Center, Chris was the Director of the Oatland Island Wildlife Center in Savannah, Georgia and the Director of Conservation Education at Riverbanks Zoo and Garden in Columbia, South Carolina.  Chris has spent over fifteen years working in zoos in Boston, Massachusetts, Providence, Rhode Island, and Cincinnati, Ohio. 

Chris has been a member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) and in 2007 received an outstanding service award for his work with the association’s national branding effort and has been the chair of the Association’s Conservation Education Committee from 2004–2006.

The WNC Nature Center is part of the City of Asheville Parks, Recreation and Cultural Arts Department and features 42 acres of animals in their native Southern Appalachian Mountain habitats. The center provides an opportunity for adults and children to learn, to touch and to know the rich natural heritage of Western North Carolina through educational and interactive exhibits and is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.