SUAMICO, Wis. (WFRV) – Change can be difficult, especially after having Neil Anderson at the head of the NEW Zoo & Adventure Park for the last 30 years.

However, after Anderson retired last July, Carmen Murach was promoted to interim director, and after leading the family-friendly environment in the right direction for the past several months, officials have promoted her to full-time director.

Local 5 News was at the NEW Zoo & Adventure Park on Tuesday and caught up with Murach during a celebration party, where she told us she’s been grateful for the experience thus far.

“It’s an honor to be part of this facility,” explained Murach. “There’s such good teamwork in this part of the world, and people do such a good job of banding together to meet goals.”

Murach has worked under Anderson at the NEW Zoo & Adventure Park for the last 30 years, previously working as the Curator of Animals before being promoted to interim director.

“We’re not looking at drastic changes,” said Murach. “We’ve got a master plan that we’ve been working with, and I’ve been part of developing that plan all along, we’re close to bringing those plans forward.”

Murach continued to tell Local 5 News that she’s enjoyed getting more staff members involved in some of the decisions at the NEW Zoo & Adventure Park.

“It’s great to see all these people who have a lot of expertise in their fields and a lot to offer, being able to be part of the decision-making,” added Murach.