Ron Forman (born Leon Ronald Forman, c. 1947) is the head of the Audubon Nature Institute and was one of the leading candidates in the New Orleans mayoral election, 2006.A past president of the American Zoo and Aquarium Association, Ron Forman began his tenure with Audubon Park and Zoological Garden in 1972 as City Hall liaison. Made Deputy Director in 1973 and Executive Director in 1977, the major transformation of Audubon Zoo from an "urban ghetto" to an "urban Eden" was underway.