Shawn Dixon

President & Chief Executive Officer

Shawn Dixon serves as President and Chief Executive Officer for San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, a global nonprofit conservation organization working across six continents, as well as its two world-famous conservation parks, the San Diego Zoo and the San Diego Zoo Safari Park.

Shawn is passionate about wildlife and believes that a critical aspect of conservation is creating emotional connections between wildlife and people. Prior to this position, he served as Chief Operating Officer for San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance for nine years, where he worked to create memorable experiences at the San Diego Zoo and the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. In that role, he oversaw all functions, including architecture, strategic planning, corporate merchandising, and marketing.

Today he continues building deep ties between the conservation field work of San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance and the guest experience at the parks, inspiring over 5 million guests who visit the parks each year.

Dixon draws upon more than two decades of experience with the National Park Service and the hotel industry, where he managed multi-unit restaurants, conference centers, and resorts with a focus on guest experience and conservation practices.

He began his career with Hilton Hotels and then transitioned to Vail Resorts, Inc., where he lived and worked at Grand Teton National Park. As the Corporate Director of Lodging Operations and Capital Planning, Dixon directed the operations of 13 hotels, a state-of-the-art conference center, golf courses, spas, retail stores and restaurants across the Western States and Jamaica.

Dixon is a professional fellow of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, a member of San Diego Rotary Club 33, and serves on the board of directors for the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce. He also served as the immediate past chair of the San Diego Tourism Authority from 2021 to 2024. Dixon holds a bachelor’s degree from California State University, Sacramento.