Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium To Tweak Its Name

PITTSBURGH, PA — The Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium soon will lose the PPG in its name. Effective Jan. 1, the zoo will be rechristened the Pittsburgh Zoo And Aquarium.

Instead of a naming rights agreement, the PPG Foundation instead will financially support STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education programming. The new teen-focused STEM initiative will offer local at-risk middle school students learning opportunities at their schools and in the zoo’s teen learning lab, as well as offering on-grounds animal encounters, career shadowing experiences and team project opportunities.

“Since investing in the naming rights sponsorship in 2002, PPG’s business has evolved and its perspective on where the PPG Foundation can provide the strongest value as a community partner has continued to transform,” said Malesia Dunn, Executive Director of PPG Foundation and
Corporate Global Social Responsibility. “We look forward to continuing our relationship with the Pittsburgh Zoo and Aquarium through STEM educational programming.”

Jeremy Goodman, zoo president and CEO, noted that education is a core mission of the zoo and the foundation. "So continuing to partner with PPG with a new focus on inclusive and engaging STEM programing is a positive direction for us and the entire community,” he said.

The current PPG Aquarium naming rights agreement originated in 2002 and included the largest donation in the zoo's history at the time. Naming rights were extended for another 10 year in 2011. The extension expired in April, but both organizations agreed to retain the PPG name through the end of 2022.