Bill Myers
Chief Accounting Officer at PRKS
Executive
About Bill Myers
Bill “William” Myers, age 58, served as Chief Accounting Officer (CAO) of United Parks & Resorts Inc. beginning in September 2024 and stepped down from the CAO role on August 13, 2025, remaining employed through August 31, 2025 for transition support . He holds an MBA from the College of William & Mary, a bachelor’s in business administration from Northwood University, and is a Certified Public Accountant; career highlights include senior finance and technical accounting leadership across travel, industrials, and consumer sectors . As Principal Accounting Officer, Myers signed the company’s Q2 2025 Form 10‑Q, reflecting responsibility for internal controls and financial reporting . Companywide annual incentive design emphasized performance metrics such as Adjusted EBITDA and Revenue, and 2024 results missed key thresholds, constraining payouts; this framed the pay-for-performance environment during his initial tenure .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| MobilityWorks (privately held mobility solutions) | Chief Financial Officer | Aug 2020–Feb 2024 | Led accounting and finance including IT, legal, real estate, treasury, FP&A, and M&A, indicating broad operational finance leadership . |
| TravelCenters of America Inc. (privately held) | EVP, CFO & Treasurer | 2018–2020 | Executive finance leadership at a national operator of travel centers; preceded by CAO role, underscoring public-company reporting and treasury oversight . |
| TravelCenters of America Inc. | SVP & Chief Accounting Officer | 2014–2017 | Directed accounting policy and SEC reporting, strengthening technical compliance capabilities . |
| Eaton Corporation | VP Technical Accounting & Reporting | 2010–2014 | Managed technical accounting/reporting at a global industrials company, enhancing complex accounting proficiency . |
| Whirlpool Corporation | Director of Financial Reporting | 2007–2010 | Led external reporting for a global appliance manufacturer, improving SEC reporting rigor . |
| Delta Air Lines | General Manager – Financial Reporting | 2005–2007 | Managed financial reporting at a major U.S. airline, deepening industry and consolidation reporting experience . |
| KPMG LLP; Cherry Bekaert & Holland LLP | Senior Manager / Manager | 2000–2005 | Public accounting foundation; audit and advisory experience supporting technical standards expertise . |
External Roles
- No public-company board service disclosed (executive biography does not list directorships) .
Fixed Compensation
- Not disclosed for Myers in the 2025 proxy’s Named Executive Officer (NEO) tables; Myers did not appear in the Summary Compensation Table, which covered CEO and other NEOs .
- Company annual incentive program design: at the start of the performance period, 50% of target bonus is cash and 50% is stock (PSUs); stock portion vests based on performance and settles in shares after the performance period .
Performance Compensation
Company 2024 annual incentive structure (representative metrics and outcomes; specific Myers plan details not disclosed):
| Metric | Target | 2024 Actual | Measure Weighting | Payout % | Vesting |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adjusted EBITDA (pre‑bonus) | $902.0M | $700.2M | 45.0% (CEO plan example) | 0.0% | PSU component settles after performance period subject to plan terms . |
| Total Revenues | $2,023.0M | $1,725.3M | 15.0% (CEO plan example) | 0.0% | PSU component settles after performance period . |
| Department Cost Basis | N/A | N/A | 15.0% (CEO plan example) | 0.0% | PSU settle post-period . |
| Guest Satisfaction | N/A | N/A | 15.0% (CEO plan example) | 0.0% | PSU settle post-period . |
| Department Capital Expenditures | N/A | N/A | 10.0% (CEO plan example) | 3.1% | PSU settle post-period . |
| Cost Objectives Adjustment | N/A | N/A | 100.0% applied | −25.0% adjustment | N/A . |
- Design notes: 50% of target bonus is PSUs; metrics and weights vary by role/department; 2024 underperformance on EBITDA and revenue drove zero payouts on those measures .
Equity Ownership & Alignment
| Date | Filing/Source | Non-Derivative Shares Owned | Derivative Holdings | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 7, 2024 (event); filed Oct 31, 2024 | Form 3 | 0 | 0 | Initial statement shows no beneficial ownership at start of tenure; filing was delinquent due to EDGAR access code issues per proxy . |
- Stock ownership guidelines: CEO 6x base salary; other executive officers generally 3x base salary; covered executives 2x–3x; must retain at least 50% of net after‑tax shares from company equity until compliance; no minimum time to reach guideline .
- Hedging/pledging: Hedging prohibited; pledging limited to situations approved by General Counsel under the company’s Securities Trading Policy .
- Equity plan capacity and dilution discipline: 2017 Plan had 548,135 options outstanding at $50.33 weighted-average strike and 6,266,925 shares available as of Dec 31, 2024; three‑year average burn rate 1.45% (1.89% in 2024) .
Employment Terms
| Item | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Start Date & Role | Became Chief Accounting Officer in September 2024 | |
| Departure | Stepped down as CAO on August 13, 2025; remained employed through August 31, 2025 for transition | |
| Pay/Benefits During Transition | Continued base salary, LT/ST incentive participation, benefit plans, and vesting of outstanding equity awards scheduled to vest during continued employment under the 2017 Omnibus Incentive Plan | |
| Severance Plan Framework | Key Employee Severance Plan provides severance multiples for NEOs (e.g., CEO 24 months; CFO and certain execs 18 months; others 12 months), pro‑rated annual bonus based on actual performance, and lump‑sum health expense stipend, subject to release and restrictive covenants; applied to listed NEOs—Myers’ specific severance terms were not disclosed | |
| Change‑of‑Control Mechanics | Double‑trigger acceleration for service‑based awards; accelerated vesting generally upon termination without cause or for good reason within 12 months post‑CIC, per plan agreements | |
| Clawback | All awards under 2025 Omnibus Incentive Plan subject to clawback for fraud, misconduct, mistake, or administrative error and applicable law | |
| SOX Controls Accountability | Signed Q2 2025 10‑Q as Principal Accounting Officer (Section 302/906 certs appear for CFO; signature page lists CAO) |
Investment Implications
- Alignment and ownership: Myers reported zero share ownership at appointment via Form 3, indicating limited immediate “skin in the game”; company policy requires building ownership multiples and retaining net after‑tax shares, which supports long‑term alignment but timing to compliance was not disclosed for Myers .
- Retention risk and transition: The August 2025 step‑down as CAO introduces near‑term transition risk within controllership and reporting; the short transition period with continued vesting of scheduled awards suggests an orderly hand‑off rather than contentious separation, with successor CAO (Connelly) formally appointed and participating in the Severance Plan .
- Compensation-performance linkage: PRKS’s 2024 plan tied half of annual incentives to PSUs with robust financial metrics (Adjusted EBITDA, Revenue), and underperformance drove zero payouts on major metrics—indicative of a stringent pay‑for‑performance construct during Myers’ initial tenure, which likely limited bonus realizations across the organization .
- Governance safeguards: Double‑trigger CIC vesting, prohibition on hedging and restricted pledging, and a formal clawback mitigate adverse incentive behaviors and reduce the risk of misaligned insider trading signals; no Myers‑specific pledging or hedging is reported, and his Section 16 Form 3 delinquency was attributed to EDGAR access issues rather than trading activity .