Thursday, December 5, 2024
Virginia Beach, VA – The Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center’s Chief Operating Officer, Caryl Thompson, will retire on December 20, 2024, after a dedicated career in public service. She joined the City of Virginia Beach in 1986 in part-time roles, and has worked full-time since 1992, spending nearly ten years at the Virginia Aquarium.
During her 5 years as Chief Operating Officer, Thompson has coordinated, evaluated, and improved the daily operations of the Virginia Aquarium. Thompson implemented strategies and programs that emphasized the department’s mission while delivering a positive guest experience and accomplishing financial goals. The breadth of her role spans from leading and developing the Aquarium’s employees, to overseeing the daily operations of the Virginia Aquarium, to writing and deploying internal and public communications, including the arrival and death of high-profile animals and weather-related emergencies. Thompson has led major operational projects, most recently, directing the opening of the $28.9M newly renovated and expanded South Building. Thompson is known for fostering positive professional relationships, from Aquarium board members and department leadership to peers and staff, to the media and the public.
“Cultivating positivity with an unwavering work ethic every single day, Caryl has been a trusted, diligent, reliable colleague to all, and her years of work at the Aquarium will have a rippling impact that will last beyond her days in the office,” said Aquarium CEO, Cynthia Whitbred-Spanoulis, “It has been an honor to work alongside her.”
Thompson began her career with the City of Virginia Beach, Department of Parks & Recreation. She served her first for three years as an Aquatic Recreation, where she hired, trained, and supervised full- and part-time staff and taught water safety classes to individuals of all abilities. The majority of her time, almost twenty years, with the Department of Parks & Recreation was spent as a Media and Communications Coordinator where she developed and implemented marketing strategies for the Virginia Beach Recreation Centers and the City’s Youth Opportunities team.
In 2015, Thompson transferred to the Aquarium as the Marketing Director, where she managed a $1M budget in marketing, sales, and public relations. She supervised seven direct reports, the department’s advertising agency, and the food services and catering contractor.
Caryl accepted the interim Museums Operations Coordinator position in 2018, assuming responsibility for daily oversight of the Virginia Aquarium and the Virginia Beach History Museum before moving fully into the Virginia Aquarium’s Chief Operating Officer role.
Additionally, Thompson has served on several key committees and boards including: the National Recreation and Park Association for 10 years, where she represented the Southern Region from 2002 to 2005; the American Park and Recreation Society's communication committee, where she received the Young Professional Fellow award in 2000; and the Virginia Recreation and Park Society for 12 years, where she was the education chair for multiple conference planning committees. During her time with the Virginia Recreation and Park Society, she received the Distinguished Service Award in 2006. Caryl also served on the City of Virginia Beach’s communication network and is a member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA).
Furthermore, throughout her career, Thompson received numerous accolades including the P.E.E.R. Award in 2007, 2003, and 1997; the City Manager’s Creativity, Innovation & Public Service Award in 2001, 1999, and 1997; and the 2017 City of Virginia Beach Employee Hall of Fame Award.
Thompson’s volunteer endeavors included the Leonberger Club of America where she coordinated the efforts of other volunteers to develop a quarterly magazine, later receiving the Heinrich Essig Award, the club’s highest honor, in 2017. Thompson also volunteered with the Virginia Aquarium's Stranding Response team from 1995 to 2012, and with the Dutch East Schutzhund Club from 2003 to 2008.
Thompson’s education includes a Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education, English, from Old Dominion University, and a Master of Arts in Human Resource Organizational Development from The George Washington University.
The Virginia Aquarium extends its heartfelt appreciation and congratulations to Thompson on her well-deserved retirement.
Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center
The Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center’s mission is to connect people to the marine environment, inspiring a more sustainable future. The Aquarium aspires to be a driver in conservation, education, tourism, and sustainability, leading the charge to save wildlife and their ecosystems. Owned by the City of Virginia Beach, the Aquarium operates as a city department in partnership with the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center Foundation. The Aquarium is proud to be an accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, the Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks and Aquariums, and the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
The Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center Foundation , a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, supports the work of the Virginia Aquarium. The Foundation procures and maintains the Aquarium's exhibits, including the animals and habitats. It is also responsible for annual and capital fundraising, administration and funding for the Virginia Aquarium Stranding Response Program, conservation and scientific research efforts, and the Aquarium's mission-related education programs. You can be a part of our mission by making a tax-deductible donation to support our programming.
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