Jane Cooper now HFE president
Jane Cooper (pictured) has been promoted to president of Herschend Family Entertainment’s (HFE) attractions division, responsible for all regions and properties except those within the Dollywood Company.
Cooper, who joined Herschend in 2006, is long respected in the industry for her strategic instincts and exemplary industry leadership. She served 25 years with Paramount Parks, where she was president for eight of those years, and has also served as chair of the IAAPA board of directors.
The new president of the Dollywood Company, meanwhile, is Ken Bell, who as HFE senior vice-president for the past 18 years has overseen the expansion of the Dollywood theme park and Dollywood’s Splash Country waterpark. He will continue to serve on the board of the Dixie Stampede properties, part of the Dollywood Company.
Brad Thomas, meanwhile, has been named senior vice-president of Silver Dollar City Attractions. He is in his 18th year with HFE, having served as the general manager of the Silver Dollar City theme park for the past five years in Branson, Missouri.
