Walt Disney World is reshuffling leadership at their theme parks again, resulting in a new Vice President at three of the parks and an open position yet to fill.

First up, current Vice President at Magic Kingdom, Jason Kirk, has been promoted to Senior Vice President of Operations. Jim MacPhee currently fills that role, but will be retiring in April after over 40 years with the company.

, Walt Disney World Plays Executive Musical Chairs. . . Again!

Melissa Valiquette, current EPCOT Vice President, is taking over Jason Kirk’s roll as Vice President of Magic Kingdom. This leaves EPCOT without a Vice President at the moment.

It’s probable that Valiquette will be Magic Kingdom’s VP for Walt Disney World’s 50th anniversary coming up later this year. We wish her the best with the additional responsibility of being the host park’s Vice President for such a milestone event.

, Walt Disney World Plays Executive Musical Chairs. . . Again!

And finally, current Vice President of Optimization & Business Transformation, Sara Riles, is moving over to Disney’s Animal Kingdom to be that park’s Vice President, taking over the reigns from Djuan Rivers, who is retiring. Riles has been with the Disney Company for more than 20 years, serving in many operations and engineering positions.

, Walt Disney World Plays Executive Musical Chairs. . . Again!


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, Walt Disney World Plays Executive Musical Chairs. . . Again!
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Let’s Hear From You

Executive shuffling seems to be happening with greater frequency in the Disney Company. What impact, if any, do you think that makes on project planning and continuity of vision? Does frequent shuffling diminish the power and influence a VPs has if they are often gone before any of their pet projects can be completed? And who would you like to see fill the EPCOT role. It’s the park with the most projects and most in need of strong leadership. 

We look forward to hearing from you below!

, Walt Disney World Plays Executive Musical Chairs. . . Again!

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Amy VandenBoogert
Amy is lucky to live in beautiful Tampa Bay, Florida and frequently visits the Busch Gardens theme park in that city. You can find Amy's updates on Busch Gardens and other Central Florida attractions in MiceChat's Orlando Parkhopper columns.