Association of Zoos and Aquariums

Association of Zoos and Aquariums

Abbreviation	AZA
Founded	October 1924; 99 years ago (1924-10) (as American Association of Zoological Parks and Aquariums)
Type	Not-for-profit organization
Tax ID no.	55-0526930
Legal status	501(c)(3)
Focus	Accreditation of zoos and aquariums; conservation; advocacy
Headquarters	Silver Spring, Maryland, U.S.
Coordinates	38°59′41″N 77°01′53″W / 38.994820°N 77.031271°W / 38.994820; -77.031271
Area served	International
Method	Accreditation
Chair	Berto Castro
President, Chief Executive Officer	Dan Ashe
Executive Vice President	Craig Hoover
Revenue (2016)	$12,786,124
Expenses (2016)	$10,427,633
Employees (2016)	42
Volunteers (2016)	350
Website	www.aza.org

The Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), originally the American Association of Zoological Parks and Aquariums, is an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1924 and dedicated to the advancement of zoos and public aquariums in the areas of conservation, education, science, and recreation. AZA is headquartered in Silver Spring, Maryland, and accredits zoos. There were 238 accredited facilities as of 2019, primarily in the US, and also a handful in eleven other countries.