Local control is back in style at Six Flags, and Cedar Point is front and center in the shakeup. The company is reinstating park presidents at 10 of its top properties and has elevated Cedar Point’s top operator, Colleen Brady, to the role of park president. The move restores a layer of on-site decision-making that was stripped out during last year’s corporate reshuffle, which means Sandusky visitors and park staff could see faster responses on day-to-day operations, marketing and staffing.
Six Flags named new presidents at Cedar Point, Six Flags Magic Mountain, Knott’s Berry Farm and several other marquee parks, framing the shift as a way to speed decisions at the ground level. “These changes are about putting leadership, expertise and accountability as close to our guests and team members as possible,” Six Flags president and CEO John Reilly said. The full list of appointments and Reilly’s comments were released alongside the announcement, as reported by Park Rovers.
What This Means for Cedar Point
Cleveland.com reports that Colleen Brady, previously Cedar Point’s park manager, has been promoted to park president, expanding her authority over operations, marketing and capital planning at the Sandusky property. The outlet notes that Brady stepped into a top operations role at the park in 2025 and will now serve as the single executive accountable for Cedar Point’s overall performance.
In practice, that consolidated authority could translate into quicker approvals for ride maintenance, a smoother seasonal hiring process and more nimble, locally tailored promotions, instead of waiting for regional sign-off. For a park that lives and dies by busy summer weekends on Lake Erie, shaving time off those decisions can matter.
Reversal of Last Year’s Cuts
This shift effectively unwinds a major decision from May 2025, when Six Flags eliminated the park-president layer and cut roughly 10% of its full-time workforce as part of a move to a regional operating model. Those cuts and the removal of on-site presidents were widely reported in 2025 after the company’s merger with Cedar Fair and sparked questions about slower local decision-making.
Bringing back park presidents amounts to a partial course correction, with leadership now publicly emphasizing speed and local accountability. Instead of decisions flowing primarily through regional offices, the company is putting more power back in the hands of executives who walk the midway every day.
Where This Fits in a Bigger Portfolio Shift
Earlier this year, Six Flags announced the sale of seven regional parks to EPR Properties on March 5, 2026, a move local outlets described as a portfolio reset that lets the company focus on higher-return parks. Coverage of the deal noted that season passes would remain valid through 2026 while operations transfer to new operators, and industry watchers say the company is prioritizing its largest, most strategic destinations.
That broader pivot has shown up in regional reporting and trade coverage, including Inside The Magic, which has tracked both the park-president reinstatement and the portfolio changes as part of the same refocusing effort.
A Six Flags spokesperson told Cleveland.com that the new structure is explicitly designed to shift control back to individual parks and speed up decision-making, adding that park presidents "will assume responsibility for all areas of their business." For Cedar Point and Sandusky, that could mean quicker fixes when rides go down, promotions that feel more tuned to local crowds and a clearer chain of command as the park barrels into the peak summer season.
Local officials and park watchers will be watching closely over the next several weeks for concrete details on budgets, capital projects and staffing to see how much practical power the restored presidents really wield.
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