Ed Grier | |
---|---|
Born | [1] | February 15, 1955
Nationality | American |
Education | BA |
Alma mater | Duquesne University |
Occupation(s) | Dean, Santa Clara University Leavey School of Business |
Edward Arthur Grier (born February 15, 1955) is the dean of the Santa Clara University Leavey School of Business. Before coming to SCU, he was the dean at VCU, and before that he was an executive at The Walt Disney Company.
He has a bachelor's degree in accounting from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
A certified public accountant, Grier worked for Ernst & Young.
Before transitioning to higher ed, Grier spent 29 years with the Walt Disney Company. [2] He joined The Walt Disney Company in 1981 as senior auditor at Walt Disney World in Florida. [3]
Grier held executive positions at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida and At the Florida resort, he served as general manager for the operation lines of business at the Epcot and Disney-MGM Studios theme parks.
In the early 1990s, Grier served as a member of an expatriate team that was assigned to Disneyland Resort Paris in France for one year. While there, Grier was establishing the resort's marketing division and developing Pan-European marketing strategies. [4]
Grier served as executive managing director of Walt Disney Attractions Japan, where he supervised Disney operations for the Tokyo Disney Resort and the day-to-day relationship with the Oriental Land Company, which owns the property.
Grier joined Disneyland Resort in July 2006 (replacing Matt Ouimet). He reported to Al Weiss, president of operations for Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. As president of Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California, properties under his purview included: Disneyland and Disney California Adventure Park theme parks, the Disneyland Hotel, Disney's Grand Californian Hotel & Spa, Disney's Paradise Pier Hotel, and the Downtown Disney retail, dining and entertainment district.
Grier announced his retirement from the company on October 5, 2009. [5]
Grier was named dean of the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Business on February 8, 2010. On May 2, 2017, he took on an interim role as university’s "vice president for development and alumni relations.". [6] He would serve in that role until the hiring of the new vice president, which was expected in the Summer of 2017.
On April 6, 2021, Grier announced that he would be leaving VCU in June of 2021 to become the new dean of the business school at Santa Clara University.
The Walt Disney World Resort is an entertainment resort complex located about 20 miles (32 km) southwest of Orlando, Florida, United States. Opened on October 1, 1971, the resort is operated by Disney Experiences, a division of The Walt Disney Company. The property covers nearly 25,000 acres, of which half has been developed. Walt Disney World contains numerous recreational facilities designed to attract visitors for an extended stay, including four theme parks, two water parks, four golf courses, conference centers, a competitive sports complex and a shopping, dining, and entertainment complex. Additionally, there are 19 Disney-owned resort hotels and one camping resort on the property, and many other non-Disney-operated resorts on and near the property.
The Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow, shortened to EPCOT, was an unfinished concept for a planned community, intended to sit on a swath of undeveloped land near Orlando, Florida. It was created by Walt Disney in collaboration with the designers at Walt Disney Imagineering in the 1960s. Based on ideas stemming from modernism and futurism, and inspired by architectural literature about city planning, Disney intended EPCOT to be a utopian autocratic company town. One of the primary stated aims of EPCOT was to replace urban sprawl as the organizing force of community planning in the United States in the 1960s. Disney intended EPCOT to be a real city, and it was planned to feature commercial, residential, industrial, and recreational centers, connected by a mass multimodal transportation system, that would, he said, "Never cease to be a living blueprint of the future".
The Disneyland Resort is an entertainment resort in Anaheim, California, United States. It is owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company through its Experiences division and is home to two theme parks, three hotels, and the Downtown Disney shopping, dining, and entertainment district.
The Walt Disney Travel Company is the company name for the services The Walt Disney Company employ to help guests book tickets and reservations for the Walt Disney Parks and Resorts around the world. Travel agencies currently book their vacation packages through the Walt Disney Travel Company.
Walt Disney Imagineering Research & Development, Inc., commonly referred to as Imagineering, is the research and development arm of The Walt Disney Company, responsible for the creation, design, and construction of Disney theme parks and attractions worldwide. The company also operates Disney Live Entertainment and The Muppets Studio and manages Disney's properties, from Walt Disney Studios in Burbank to New Amsterdam Theatre and Times Square Studios Ltd. in New York City. Founded by Walt Disney to oversee the production of Disneyland, it was originally known as Walt Disney, Inc., then WED Enterprises, from the initials meaning "Walter Elias Disney", the company co-founder's full name. Headquartered in Glendale, California, Imagineering is composed of "Imagineers", who are illustrators, architects, engineers, lighting designers, show writers and graphic designers.
Disney Experiences, commonly known as Disney Parks, is one of the three major divisions of The Walt Disney Company. It was founded on April 1, 1971, exactly six months before the opening of Walt Disney World.
Matthew Anthony Ouimet is a retired tourism industry executive. Over his 40-plus-year career, Ouimet held leadership positions at both The Walt Disney Company and Cedar Fair Entertainment Company.
The Happiest Homecoming on Earth or the Happiest Celebration on Earth was the eighteen-month-long celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Disneyland theme park, which opened on July 17, 1955. It commemorated fifty years of Disney theme parks and celebrated Disneyland's milestone throughout Disney parks all over the globe. The "Homecoming" name was only used for Disneyland Resort; all the other Disney Parks resorts used the "Celebration" name.
Martin A. "Marty" Sklar was a scriptwriter and construction developer. He was The Walt Disney Company's international ambassador for Walt Disney Imagineering, the subsidiary of the company which designs and constructs Disney theme parks and resorts across the world. He was formerly vice president of Concepts and Planning for the company, before being promoted to president, then vice chairman and principal creative executive before his final role. Disney honored him with a Disneyland window dedication ceremony on his date of retirement, July 17, 2009.
WestCOT was a planned second theme park for the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. It was essentially a replica of EPCOT Center at the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, and was dedicated to the celebration of human achievement, namely technological innovation and international culture. The park was represented by SpaceStation Earth, a larger version of the geodesic sphere Spaceship Earth featured at EPCOT Center.
Jack Lindquist was an American business executive who served as president of the Disneyland theme park in Anaheim, California from 1990 until he retired in 1993. He was a Disney employee from 1955 until his retirement, and was a marketing executive in the theme parks division for almost thirty years, including a stint as the first advertising manager for Disneyland. His eventual reach would extend worldwide, having trained and/or greatly influenced others who would become amusement industry leaders, both inside and outside of the Disney attractions. Among the amusement industry, many have credited Lindquist with founding and greatly expanding the arts and sciences of attraction promotion.
Ronald Logan was an American businessman who served as executive vice president of Walt Disney Entertainment. After retiring from the company in 2001, he was formally a professor at the University of Central Florida Rosen College of Hospitality Management in Orlando, Florida, United States.
Joseph Rohde is an American themed entertainment designer and artist, serving as the Experience Architect for Virgin Galactic. Rohde was previously a veteran executive at Walt Disney Imagineering, the division of The Walt Disney Company that designs and builds Disney's theme parks and resort hotels. Rohde's formal title was Executive Designer and Vice President, Creative.
William Ernest is the former CEO of Saudi Entertainment Ventures (SEVEN) Company. He had previously had occupied the role of president and managing director, Asia, for Walt Disney Parks & Resorts. He assumed this role in April 2008 and retired in early 2018 after a nearly 24-year career with Disney. Ernest was formerly the executive vice president and managing director of Hong Kong Disneyland Resort. Ernest was named to the position in January 2006, replacing Disney veteran Don Robinson. Previously, Ernest served as managing director of operations at the Hong Kong resort.
Cynthia Harriss is an American retail and tourism industry executive, notable for her senior roles with Gap Inc. and The Walt Disney Company.
Meg Gilbert Crofton is an American businesswoman, who served as president of Walt Disney Parks & Resorts in the United States and France. She was named to the position on August 7, 2006, replacing Al Weiss, who had been promoted to president of worldwide operations for Walt Disney Parks and Resorts in November 2005.
Disneyland is a theme park at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. It was the first theme park opened by the Walt Disney Company and the only one designed and constructed under the direct supervision of Walt Disney, and opened on July 17, 1955.
George Anthony Kalogridis is an American corporate executive. Kalogridis is the former president of the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. Kalogridis became president of Disney Segment Development and Enrichment for Disney Parks, Experiences and Products in November 2019.
Ahmad Jafari is an architect based in USA whose career began in the 1960s. He was with Disney Imagineering as an Architect and Art Director from 1966 to 2004 and has worked alongside Walt Disney and many Disney Legends. In 2006, he received the NFFC Disney Legend awards.
Josh D'Amaro is an American businessman who has served as Chairman of Disney Experiences since 2022. Prior, D'Amaro was employed with The Walt Disney Company for 22 years in roles specialized in the company's resorts sector.
Before coming to VCU, Grier spent 29 years with the Walt Disney Company.
Disneyland Resort: Started in July 2006. Led 506-acre resort including Disneyland, Disney's California Adventure, Downtown Disney and three hotels Walt Disney Co. career: Began as senior auditor at Walt Disney World in Florida in 1981. Served in other executive positions at Walt Disney World, including Epcot and Disney-MGM Studios, and Disneyland Resort Paris. Worked as executive managing director of Walt Disney Attractions Japan before move to Disneyland Resort
In the early 1990s, Grier served as a member of an expatriate team that was assigned to Paris for one year to increase awareness of the resort in European markets. While there, Grier was responsible for establishing the resort's marketing division and developing Pan-European marketing strategies.
Grier, 51, will report to Al Weiss, President of Operations for Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. He replaces Matt Ouimet,