Roi Ewell Named Industry and Government Affairs Vice President by SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment

ORLANDO, Fla., March 11, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment today promoted Roi Ewell, Human Resources Vice President at SeaWorld San Diego, to Corporate Vice President, Industry and Government Affairs.  

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In his new role, Ewell will serve as the principal liaison between SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment and alliance and trade organizations.  He will be responsible for developing and implementing corporate strategy and alliances with third-parties, including government agencies, industry groups, environmental and conservation organizations, and NGOs.  He will relocate to Washington, D.C. within the next several weeks.

Ewell has held a wide variety of corporate and park positions over a career that spans 21 years.  He leaves SeaWorld San Diego after nearly a decade leading the park's Human Resources function.  In that role, Ewell also had responsibility for statewide government and community affairs.   Prior to assuming that role, he served as Senior Executive Assistant to then Chief Communications Officer of Anheuser-Busch, John Jacob.  SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment was a subsidiary company of A-B until it was acquired by The Blackstone Group in 2009.  Prior to joining Jacob's staff, Ewell served as Senior Group Director in A-B's Corporate Marketing and Communications Group.  He started his career at Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, Va., rising to Human Resources Director before joining the corporate H.R. staff in St. Louis.  

"We are thrilled to have an executive with such broad-ranging skills join our Government Affairs group," said SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment Chief Legal Officer Tony Taylor. "Leveraging his remarkable breadth of experience in public affairs, corporate strategy and personnel management, Roi will excel in developing strategic alliances that will elevate both our own business and those of our partners."

SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, a portfolio company of The Blackstone Group (NYSE: BX), operates 10 parks across the U.S. including SeaWorld parks in Orlando, San Diego and San Antonio; Busch Gardens parks in Tampa, Fla. and Williamsburg, Va.; Discovery Cove and Aquatica in Orlando; Sesame Place near Philadelphia, Pa.; and water parks Adventure Island in Tampa and Water Country USA in Williamsburg.  The 10 parks play host to 23 million guests each year and employ 20,000 people nationwide. For more information, visit SeaWorldParksandEntertainment.com.  

SOURCE SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment