Dec. 15, 2011--Hershey Entertainment & Resorts moved Thursday to name a new chairman, Ted J. Kleisner, the company's current CEO, to its board of directors.,

Kleisner will become the company's chairman in 2012, following the retirement of LeRoy Zimmerman.

Kleisner in turn has said he plans to retire from the CEO position at the end of 2012, at which time he will be replaced by William Simpson, currently the company's president and COO.

Simpson is a company insider, who in addition to being president, also spent eight years running HE&Rs entertainment operations. He began his career with HE&R in 1996 as the general manager of the Hershey Lodge and Convention Center.

Hershey Entertainment & Resorts owns and operates Hersheypark, The Hotel Hershey, ZooAmerica and other nearby entertainment properties.

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