Most people who visit Brookfield Zoo come for the animals. Some might even know the veterinarians. Fewer know the person who has already pulled the supplies, trained the team, and kept the day moving when a call comes over the radio.
At Brookfield Zoo Chicago, that person is Mary Ann Duda, veterinary clinical support manager. This year, she became one of just 10 people nationwide to receive the American Veterinary Medical Association’s Unsung Hero Award.
The AVMA created the award in 2023 to honor the people who make veterinary care possible behind the scenes: technicians, assistants, customer service staff, and others whose work often goes unseen. Duda, nominated by Senior Veterinarian Dr. Copper Aitken-Palmer, is among this year’s honorees.
When Aitken-Palmer returned to Brookfield Zoo last year after time away, she said she immediately noticed how strong the technician team had become.
“I was actually having a hard time keeping up with them,” she said. “I’ve worked with teams all over the world, and this one is the best, and that’s because of what Mary Ann sets in place.”
For Duda, that foundation starts with listening. “If you’re listening to your team and you’re hearing them versus just telling them what they need to do, it makes for a better environment because everybody feels heard,” she said.
Her job touches nearly every part of the zoo. “We work with everything from tiny frogs and tarantulas to rhinos,” said Duda, who grew up in Palos Hills and graduated from Stagg High School. “I’m still learning every single day.”
When Aitken-Palmer decided to nominate her, Duda had no idea. “I was extremely flattered and humbled, and I cried,” she said. “I do work really hard and care so much for both the animals and the team. Sometimes you don’t always hear ‘thank you,’ so it meant a lot. When Copper told me, I thought, ‘Oh my God, you must have said some really good stuff about me.’”
The nomination itself, Aitken-Palmer said, practically wrote itself. “I just listed the things she does,” she said. “Halfway through I realized I might hit the word limit. Even then, it wasn’t half of what she does.”
Duda’s work, she explained, reaches every corner of the zoo’s medical operations: scheduling, training, safety, supplies, and all the small details that make high-risk procedures possible. “We work with animals that can be dangerous,” Aitken-Palmer said. “Sometimes, we rely on each other for our safety and the animals. It never crosses my mind to worry about the tech team because Mary Ann has it all in place.”
That trust runs deep between them. “For me, it’s ultimate trust,” Aitken-Palmer said. “She’s prepared, calm, and always thinking ahead.” Duda smiled at that. “We just have a vibe,” she said. “I can look at her across the room and know what she’s thinking.”
That kind of understanding shows up in the field. One recent case involved vaccinating critically endangered Amur leopard cubs, a two-person job done quietly behind the scenes. “These little leopard babies were mad because they didn’t like their vaccines,” Aitken-Palmer said, laughing.
“They’re screaming and hissing, trying to be big and bad, but they’re so little and cute. It worked because of the trust and efficiency Mary Ann brings.”
When the award announcement came, Duda was mid-shift. “I was walking by when Copper called over the radio,” she said. “She goes, ‘Is Mary in there?’ and then told me. I just stood there like, ‘Stop, what? No way.’”
Later, the email came through, and with it, dozens of messages from across the zoo. “People were emailing me saying, ‘Oh my God, Mary Ann, this is so cool. You deserve it,’” she said. “It just really touched me.”
Duda’s work even appeared recently in a New York Times video about Brookfield Zoo’s animal blood bank, where she’s seen carefully handling a clouded leopard under anesthesia. It’s a significant moment that illustrates what the Unsung Hero Award is meant to celebrate, the people whose skill and care keep everything running.
The award just made that clear to everyone else.
Great story! I love to hear them about our local citizens! Hers is a job of love and passion! Congratulations on receiving this award@