Ginna Newton

Ginna joined the National Aquarium in 2021 and is responsible for overseeing the organization's finance-related activities, including business planning, budgeting and forecasting, as well as the Aquarium's people functions, including human resources, organizational development and volunteer engagement. She also leads our operations and capital planning and design teams, under which the Aquarium's guest services, custodial, security and technology/AV departments are organized.

She joins the Aquarium from the Smithsonian's National Zoological Park and Conservation Biology Institute, where she served as associate director responsible for finance, administration, human resources, IT, food service, guest services and business development. Before that, Ginna was the chief operating and financial officer for Friends of the National Zoo (FONZ). During her tenure with FONZ, the senior leadership team worked closely with National Zoo leadership to support their work for saving species, operating as a bridge builder between the two organizations to identify and foster solutions to significant business problems facing the collective National Zoo community. Previously, she also served as both the chief financial officer and director of human resources at Carbon War Room, an NGO founded by Sir Richard Branson focused on harnessing the power of entrepreneurs to implement market-driven solutions to climate change, and as chief financial officer and president of Old Dominion Enterprises, Inc., a multi-location specialty retailer.

Ginna holds a Bachelor of Arts from Saint Louis University and a master's degree in non-profit management from Georgetown University.