The chief executive officer of Omaha’s famed Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium has announced he will retire effective next year.

Dennis Pate will step down as CEO in 2023 after 14 years at the attraction’s helm, the zoo said in a news release.

Pate took over in 2009 when longtime CEO Dr. Lee Simmons stepped down, coming to Omaha from the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens in Florida — part of a career at zoos that spans 47 years.

“Working at Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium has been the highlight of my professional life,” Pate said in a written statement. “I feel very lucky to have landed in this community and zoo with such an incredible staff and board.”

Pate has overseen a multi-million-dollar expansion of the Omaha zoo during his tenure and was instrumental in elephants returning to the zoo in 2016. The zoo announced the births of two African elephant calves last month — the first in the zoo’s history.