Alumna’s Wild Designs Make the North Carolina Zoo Stand Out
For someone with “interior” in her degree, Crista McGee ’91 spends a lot of time outdoors.
Like her fellow alumni from UNC Greensboro’s acclaimed interior architecture (IARc) department, she creates living spaces centered around safety and comfort. But her clients need room to sharpen claws, chase tails, or stretch trunks.
“How unique is it to be a part of designing animal habitats that so many people in North Carolina and beyond love to come to?” she says.
Those habitats are spread across the North Carolina Zoo. McGee, who began as a student intern, now oversees the creation and upkeep of all the exhibits as Deputy Director and Chief Facilities Management Officer. She manages about 75 employees from Planning & Construction, Exhibits, Horticulture, and Maintenance, all committed to ensuring that the animals and their human guests are equally satisfied with their stay.
