Bridget C. Coughlin '94 has been named the president & CEO of Shedd Aquarium, Chicago's most visited cultural attraction and a national leader in animal care, conservation education, and marine research.

"Very few organizations can say that they make a positive impact on their community, and on the sustainability of aquatic animals and the conservation of their diverse global ecosystems," said Coughlin. "It's humbling to be asked to be part of this incredible organization."

Coughlin graduated from Knox with a degree in biochemistry, earned her Ph.D. in biochemistry from the University of Iowa, and received an executive scholar certificate from the Kellogg School of Management. Coughlin has led teams funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute in conducting research projects on infectious disease. She also led a team at Woods Hole Marine Biological Laboratory that completed a research project on genetics.

Coughlin currently serves as vice president of strategic partnerships and programs and adjunct curator at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, where she has worked since 2005. In that role, Coughlin is responsible for education, membership, fundraising, and strategic partnership activities for the 115-year-old institution, which saw 2 million visitors in 2015.

In 2009, Coughlin led the creation of the museum's health exhibit, a recipient of the Association of Science-Technology Center's 2010 Leading Edge Award for Visitor Experience. She also established a National Institutes of Health-funded Genetics of Taste Lab, a community-based laboratory that gives museum guests the opportunity to participate in ongoing scientific research.

In addition to leading the museum's programming and strategic partnerships, Coughlin led a number of fundraising campaigns, resulting in significant improvements to museum space, the construction of a new research and learning center, and the acquisition of rare exhibit collections.

Prior to DMNS, Coughlin spent five years in Washington D.C. working with the National Academy of Sciences, where she served as managing editor of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, one of the world's most-cited and comprehensive multidisciplinary scientific journals.

In 2010, Coughlin was named a Livingston Fellow of the Bonfils-Stanton Foundation, awarded to leaders in Colorado's nonprofit community. She serves on the boards of Share Fair Nation, Clayton Early Learning, and Denver Public Schools Foundation, national and local efforts to provide access to quality education for all and increase the number of young girls in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers.

Coughlin will officially assume her new role in the spring of 2016.