US college bookstore operator Barnes & Noble Education (BNED) has hired Christopher Neumann as general counsel, filling the seat left vacant by the departure of chief legal officer Michael Miller last year.

Neumann was most recently GC at theme park operator Six Flags. At BNED he will help strengthen the company’s legal framework, business strategy, governance and risk strategy. He will also serve as corporate secretary. At the same time, the company also hired Gary Luster as chief accounting officer.

The Basking Ridge, New Jersey-based company operates on-campus bookstores in colleges across the US. It also owns MBS, which buys and sells used textbooks.

Jonathan Shah, BNED’s chief executive officer, said: “Chris and Gary significantly enhance the depth and capabilities of BNED’s leadership team as we continue to drive operational improvements across our business. Their extensive experience and proven track records in their respective fields will be instrumental in strengthening the company.”

He added: “Their leadership will play a crucial role in optimising our processes, mitigating risk and aligning our strategies with industry best practices – which will position BNED for long-term growth and enhanced shareholder value.”

Neumann spent seven years at Six Flags in New York, having previously spent eight years as deputy GC at education business Kaplan. Prior to that he was a senior counsel at asset management giant BlackRock, his first in-house role.

Before that he worked in private practice as a partner at Kirkland & Ellis and as an associate at legacy firm Fulbright & Jaworski.

Miller, meantime, left the business in September to join sports tech company Sportradar as CLO and chief administrative officer. He was at BNED for more than seven years, having previously been GC at jobs website Monster and senior counsel at mobile device-maker Motorola before that.

He started his legal career at legacy firm Winthrop Stimson Putnam & Roberts, before moving to Sullivan & Cromwell as an M&A associate.

Elsewhere in US education-related moves, last July Harvard University hired former White House lawyer Jennifer O’Connor as GC, replacing Diane Lopez. O’Connor joined from US defence giant Northrop Grumman, having earlier in her career served as deputy White House counsel during the Obama administration.