Tuesday, March 28, 2023
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SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment Names Dan Brown New COO


ORLANDO — SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment today promoted Daniel B. Brown, President of the company’s three Orlando parks – SeaWorld Orlando, Discovery Cove and Aquatica — to Chief Operating Officer, SeaWorld Parks.

Brown, 56, will oversee the operations of SeaWorld parks in Florida, Texas, and California, as well as Discovery Cove and Aquatica. He will assume his new responsibilities in October 2010. The company’s remaining five parks – Busch Gardens Tampa, Busch Gardens Williamsburg, Adventure Island, Water Country USA and Sesame Place – are under the corporate supervision of Donnie Mills, Chief Operating Officer, Busch Gardens and Sesame Place.

“Dan is among the most respected and experienced executives in the theme park industry,” said Jim Atchison, SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment President and Chief Executive Officer. “His contributions to SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment span more than three decades and have benefitted every park and virtually every aspect of our business.”

Brown started his career at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay in 1975. He has occupied a variety of progressively responsible corporate and park roles. Brown was tapped to manage the company’s Tampa water park, Adventure Island, in 1984. He relocated to St. Louis, Mo. in 1990 to oversee the company’s business analysis program and serve as Executive Assistant to then-President John B. Roberts.

Brown later was promoted to Corporate Vice President Operations and in 1999 to Park President of Busch Gardens and Water Country USA in Williamsburg, Va. He moved to Tampa in 2003 to lead Busch Gardens and Adventure Island and to Orlando in 2007 to head the company’s flagship park, SeaWorld Orlando.

Brown’s replacement will be named later this week.


SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment operates 10 parks across the U.S.: SeaWorld Florida in Orlando, SeaWorld California in San Diego, SeaWorld Texas in San Antonio, Busch Gardens Tampa, Busch Gardens Williamsburg, Adventure Island in Tampa, Water Country USA in Williamsburg, Aquatica and Discovery Cove in Orlando, and Sesame Place in Langhorne, Pa. near Philadelphia. SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment employs more than 20,000 people. SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment is a portfolio company of The Blackstone Group.

Photo: PRNewsFoto/SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment

Judith Rubin
Judith Rubin
Judith Rubin ([email protected]) is a leading journalist, publicist, strategist, blogger, content marketing specialist and connector in the international attractions industry. She excels at writing about all aspects of design and technical design, production and project management. Areas of special interest include AV integration and show control, lighting design and acoustics, specialty cinema, digital video and world’s fairs. Judith has ties to numerous industry organizations. From 2005-2020 she ran communications, publications and social media for the Themed Entertainment Association (TEA). In 2013, she was honored with the TEA Service Award. She was development director of IMERSA, and co-chair of the 2014 IMERSA Summit. She was publicist for the Large Format Cinema Association in the 1990s, now part of the Giant Screen Cinema Association (GSCA) and has also contributed to the publications of PLASA, IAAPA and the International Planetarium Society. Already making her mark as a magazine and book editor, Judith joined World’s Fair magazine in 1987, which introduced her to the attractions industry. Launching as a freelancer in the mid 1990s she has contributed to dozens of publications and media outlets including Funworld, Lighting&Sound America, Sound & Communications, Urban Land, The Raconteur and The Planetarian. She joined InPark in 2010. Judith earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Pratt Institute. She has lived in New York City and the San Francisco Bay Area, and now makes her home in Saint Louis, where she is active in the local arts and theater community.

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