Michael Crawford is the Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer for Hall of Fame Resort & Entertainment Company, a publicly traded company on the NASDAQ:HOFV, and its subsidiaries, including the Hall of Fame Village destination, which he joined in December of 2018, as well as the Company’s Hall of Fame Village Media and Gaming divisions. An Ohio native, Mr. Crawford holds an undergraduate degree from Bowling Green State University and a master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Notre Dame. He brings to the Company demonstrated leadership experience from his development and operation of retail and dining establishments, hotels, theme parks, and entertainment destinations around the world.
Mr. Crawford spent almost 25 years at the Walt Disney Company. He rose to Senior Vice President and General Manager of Shanghai Disney Resort and President of Shanghai’s Walt Disney Holdings Company. Mr. Crawford led the negotiation and multibillion-dollar development of Shanghai Disney Resort from 2007-2014. As General Manager of Shanghai Disney, Mr. Crawford led a talented team throughout the formation of the company and development of the new destination resort. He also managed relationships with the resort’s local business partners, community and government leaders, and industry experts supporting the new venture in Disney’s portfolio.
Prior to leading Hall of Fame Resort & Entertainment Company, Mr. Crawford spent four years with the Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts Company. He started as President of Asia Pacific and went on to become Global President of Portfolio Management. While at Four Seasons, Mr. Crawford led a company repositioning effort in Asia and oversaw all hotel development and operations for the region. As President of Portfolio Management, he held responsibility for business and capital planning, along with the design and construction of all new Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts Worldwide. Mr. Crawford also oversaw the growth of the Four Seasons branded residential business with $10B of forecasted real estate sales over a five-year planning period.
In addition to serving as a member of the Board of Directors for both Texas Roadhouse (NASDAQ: TXRH) and Seaport Entertainment Group (NYSE: SEG), Mr. Crawford authored the bestselling book From the Mouse’s House to the Penthouse and is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Mount Union in Alliance, Ohio. Michael Crawford and his wife, Kim, enjoy traveling, hiking, playing golf, and spending time with Michael’s daughter, Kaitlin, who graduated pre-med from the University of Notre Dame in 2020 and also holds a Master of Public Health from Tulane University.