Neal Thurman, known to many for his work with Six Flags as Park President of Six Flags Fiesta Texas, Six Flags Great Adventure, and most recently Six Flags Magic Mountain, Hurricane Harbor Los Angeles and Hurricane Harbor Phoenix, has left the Six Flags Corporation and is joining SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment (SEAS) as Park President for Busch Gardens Tampa Bay.
Current Busch Gardens & Adventure Island Park President Stewart Clark will be leaving his role for a new position within the company effective September 8, 2020. Neal Thurman will then assume the role of Park President at Busch Gardens on the same date.
Stewart Clark became president of Busch Gardens & Adventure Island on January 16, 2017, having previously served as Vice President of Discovery Cove Orlando. Clark has been part of the company since 1985, serving in a number of different roles as he advanced through his career.
Clark will be moving to a newly created SEAS corporate position – Senior Vice President of Zoological Commercial Operations. This new role will report directly to the company’s CEO (currently Interim CEO Marc Swanson) and work collaboratively with Chief Zoological Officer Christopher Dold and other members of senior leadership.
The new role is part of a renewed focus on zoological operations for the company. According to a communication shared with ambassadors, the “key priority” is to make an even larger positive impact on animals and have that segment of the business contribute more revenue. In turn, that will allow the company to “reinvest and deliver the best possible experiences for our animals and our guests while continuing to be on the cutting edge of animal welfare and educational experience.”
We’re confident that the experience of Neal Thurman at Six Flags’ flagship parks, including the zoological aspects of Six Flags Great Adventure, make him a perfect candidate. We’ve always very much enjoyed seeing what impact Mr. Thurman has made on the Six Flags parks.
A SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment Spokeswoman sent Touring Central Florida the following statement: “To propel Busch Gardens Tampa and Adventure Island into the future, we are thrilled to welcome Neal Thurman to our team. Neal is an experienced theme park industry leader who joins us after 25 years with Six Flags.”
Source: Touring Central Florida
