PROVIDENCE (AP) — The executive director of Providence's Roger Williams Park Zoo is leaving for a job in Pittsburgh, the zoo announced Thursday.

Jeremy Goodman will be stepping down next month to become president and CEO of the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium. He has led the Providence zoo since 2013.

Goodman called it an "incredibly difficult decision" and said he has deep respect for his colleagues.

"I am incredibly proud to have led the organization to financial stability, and animal and educational programming excellence,” he said in a statement.

During his eight years at the zoo, Goodman oversaw a period of growth that included nearly $27 million in capital improvements, zoo officials said. The expansion included a new rainforest exhibit, a commissary building and a new veterinary quarantine building.

Patrick LeBeau, chairman of the zoo’s board of trustees, said he will miss Goodman's leadership.

“Jeremy leaves us with an impressive legacy on which we will continue to build," LeBeau said in a statement. “He will be greatly missed.”

Before joining the Roger Williams Park Zoo, Goodman worked at Turtle Back Zoo in New Jersey and the Indiana Potawatomi Zoo.

Officials at the Providence zoo plan to conduct a national search for the next executive director.