Jeffrey M. Davis Joins Longwood Gardens as Vice President of Hospitality and Commercial Outlets

Press Release

KENNETT SQUARE, PA--Longwood Gardens today announced the appointment of Jeffrey M. Davis as Vice President of Hospitality and Commercial Outlets. In this key leadership role, Davis will lead Longwood Gardens' hospitality and earned-revenue portfolio across food and beverage, retail, events, and select third-party partnerships.

Davis brings more than three decades of leadership experience across public attractions and operations. Most recently, he served as Park President of SeaWorld San Antonio & Aquatica Waterpark, where he directed strategic planning and long-term growth initiatives, developed new events, and drove efficiency across the two properties.

Davis spent most of his career at Sesame Place in Langhorne, PA, where he advanced from a seasonal employee to Vice President of Operations, leading strategic planning for capital projects that drove both attendance and revenue growth. Davis went on to hold leadership roles at Playland in Rye, NY; Cedar Fair, Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom in Allentown, PA; Palace Entertainment, Lake Compounce in Bristol, CT; and American Dream in East Rutherford, NJ.

“Jeff brings exceptional skills in strategic planning and execution, operations, and event management,” said Nico Dagnino, chief operating officer at Longwood Gardens. “His expertise will be instrumental as Longwood continues to enhance our amenities and further elevate our guest experience.”

“It is an honor to join this world-class garden,” Davis said. “I look forward to creatively enhancing the exceptional guest experience Longwood is known for.”

Davis holds a master's degree in business administration from Holy Family University and a bachelor's degree in operations management from Penn State University.

About Longwood Gardens 

In 1906, industrialist Pierre S. du Pont (1870–1954) purchased a small farm near Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, to protect a collection of historic trees from being cut for timber. Today, Longwood stewards nearly 1,700 acres across two properties: Longwood Gardens, one of the world's great gardens, encompassing more than 1,100 acres in Kennett Square and renowned for its extraordinary beauty and horticultural excellence; and Longwood at Granogue, a 505-acre cultural landscape in Wilmington, Delaware. Guided by its mission to bring joy and inspiration to everyone through the beauty of nature, conservation, and learning, Longwood advances horticulture and conservation through scientific research, global plant exploration, and innovative efforts with partners worldwide to safeguard and propagate rare and endangered plants. Longwood also invests in the future of the profession through tuition-free education programs, which have prepared generations of horticulturists and public garden leaders.

Longwood Gardens features dazzling formal gardens, natural woodlands, meadows, fountains, a 10,010-pipe Aeolian organ, and nearly 3 acres of grand conservatories. Longwood is one of more than 30 gardens in the Philadelphia region known as America's Garden Capital. For more information, visit longwoodgardens.org.