Advance Your Mission & Reach New Heights with Canopy Strategic Partners
We’re Canopy—a full-service planning and consulting firm dedicated to helping mission-driven organizations, including zoos, aquariums, botanical gardens, conservation organizations, and other public green spaces, create a better future for the planet.
We are champions of leaders, community builders, and collaborative experts.
What We Do
Planning
Strategic Planning and Integrated Planning
We help you imagine the future and create plans for growth. We are partners in laying the foundation for your success: bringing together new voices, uncovering innovative ideas and solutions, and delivering actionable insights to take your organization to new heights.
Economics
Business Planning, Feasibility Study, Market Analysis, Economic Impact Research
We work to balance your mission with your margin. By leveraging proprietary industry data, we develop comprehensive financial models, feasibility studies, and expert operational and market analyses to provide you with the data and direction you need to achieve sustainable, long-term growth.
Leadership
Organizational & Culture Assessments, Interim Staffing
We are expert advisors and compassionate mentors, offering virtual and on-site services to help strengthen your organizational structure, processes, and team dynamics. We are passionate about ensuring that established and emerging leaders alike have the tools and resources to flourish.
Executive Search
We find the ideal leadership fit for your team, your vision, and your path forward. With an unparalleled knowledge of the field and unique insights into the demands of cultural institutions, we have the right expertise and network to place the person best poised for success.
Insights
Moments That Matter: What Four CEO-Board Chair Pairs Told Us About Building Solid Partnerships Under Pressure
At cultural institutions, we make decisions knowing that the public is watching, the stakes are high, and there’s little room for error. So how do you build a partnership with your board that holds, even under pressure? Four CEO-Board Chair pairs from Oakland Zoo, Oregon Coast Aquarium, Woodland Park Zoo, and Alaska SeaLife Center joined our panel at the 2026 AZA Annual Conference for an in-depth conversation on what makes or breaks this type of partnership. Read the full recap here.
Challenges and Solutions to Zoo & Aquarium Veterinarian Retention: An Update on Canopy’s Animal Health Research Project Ahead of the AZA Annual Conference
The animal health workforce is full of talented people who love what they do. When we’re lucky enough to have people who want to build their careers in animal care, it is our collective responsibility to identify the barriers and find solutions to better support our workforce. This summer, as part of Canopy’s Animal Health Research Project, Dr. Lauren Howard interviewed 59 zoo and aquarium veterinarians and surveyed 54 veterinary technicians. Three challenges surfaced repeatedly in these conversations. Ahead of the AZA Annual Conference, we’re sharing a preview of these issues — and potential solutions — which Dr. Howard will dive into more in her conference session on October 1st.
In the Company of Great, and Graceful, Leaders
On kindness, risk-taking, and blending business with passion: With a foreword by Peggy Sloan, Jackie Ogden reflects on her leadership journey and shares her advice to rising women leaders in the zoo and aquarium field.
Case Study
The Central Florida Zoo and Botanical Gardens new CEO desired to conduct an integrated planning process to build on the organization’s 100 year history of success. Despite two damaging hurricanes interrupting the project, we’re pleased to say we delivered a bold vision plus financial sustainability for the Zoo and Gardens, its team, and community.
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