Armstrong on board at Clearwater Marine Aquarium
By WAYNE AYERS
Article published on Thursday, Jan. 25, 2007
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| Photo by NANCY AYERS |
| Redington Shores Mayor Jody Armstrong is the new chief operating officer of the Clearwater Marine Aquarium. |
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ISLAND ESTATES – Big changes are planned for the Clearwater Marine Aquarium, but newly installed Chief Operating Officer Jody Armstrong said the marine animal care and education facility must take care of the little things first.
“The little things are what count,” said Armstrong, detailing plans for a brand-new facility that includes an IMAX theater – while making sure the weeds had been pulled along the front drive.
The new building is still several years off and dependent on financing commitments, while volunteers are plowing ahead with a clean-up of the facility and other pressing little things.
Armstrong began her job as the CMA’s chief operating officer on Jan. 16, sharing management of the facility with Chief Executive Officer David Yates.
Yates, a former Ironman president, handles marketing and advertising. Armstrong had previously served as a CMA board member and is mayor of Redington Shores. Her career background also includes experience as an airline administrator, and she recently began practicing law after passing the bar in 2004.
Armstrong said her emphasis on taking care of little things has begun with a general sprucing up of the former filtration plant that has been the aquarium’s home since its 1975 opening. The aquarium began as the Clearwater Marine Science Center, an outgrowth of the Sea-Orama mounted fish exhibit at the Clearwater Beach Marina.
The first impression that visitors have when they visit is the building, Armstrong said. The animals have always been the focus, often to the detriment of building upkeep and maintenance, she said.
“The building has come second. Now I’ve got to bring that forward, get it cleaned up … keep it standing and looking good until we get the new facility,” she said.
Armstrong’s agenda also includes training volunteers at the front desk to explain the facility’s mission and activities to visitors, and providing a greater mix of products at the gift shop.
She has given what she terms “a 15-minute challenge” to staff members and volunteers to make improvements.
“I tell them, ‘You’ve got to spend 15 minutes a day on something you don’t ordinarily do, like organizing or straightening up,’” Armstrong said.
Carving out the extra time gets the little things accomplished, while keeping the focus on the CMA’s mission, which is education and the rescue, rehabilitation and release of sick and injured marine animals.
While addressing the needs, Armstrong is quick to point out the excellence of CMA’s staff and programs and their success in carrying out its mission. Education is the focus.
“No one can match the education piece,” Armstrong said, backing that claim with mention of the marine animal shows that demonstrate the animals’ learned behaviors, daily eco-tours of local waters, and a new kayak adventure.
Excellent veterinarians care for sick and injured animals, including a number of ailing sea turtles victimized by the area’s red tide outbreaks.
The CMA staff continues to grow in knowledge and experience, Armstrong said.
“The bar is being raised,” she said. “Every day we’re stepping it up.”
Armstrong said the aquarium’s mission blends with her personal mission and life goals.
When the CMA job offer came through, she was going through a period of transition and soul searching.
“I was asking, ‘Why am I on the beach and what am I supposed to be doing?’” she said.
Armstrong decided she was a beach steward, and she determined to do what she could to make things better. Her new position is challenging her to realize that goal, she said.
Armstrong speaks of the Clearwater Marine Aquarium as a jewel.
“Now we have to polish it and proactively take care of it,” she said.
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Article published on Thursday, Jan. 25, 2007
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