Meg G. Crofton | |
---|---|
![]() Crofton at the Magic Kingdom in July 2009 | |
Born | 1953 (age 66–67) |
Nationality | American |
Education | B.A., M.B.A. |
Alma mater | Florida State University |
Occupation | President, Walt Disney Parks & Resorts Operations, U.S. and France |
Spouse(s) | Rich Crofton |
Meg Gilbert Crofton (born Mary Elizabeth Gilbert in 1953) is an American businesswoman, who served as president of Walt Disney Parks & Resorts in the United States and France. [1] 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.
Crofton served as a member of the University of Central Florida Board of Trustees, after being appointed by the Florida Board of Governors for a five-year term in 2011. [2] In 2008, The Orlando Sentinel named her among the top 25 most powerful people in Central Florida. [3] [4]
Born in San Diego, California, Crofton moved to Florida with her family as a 6-year-old when her father, Charles "Chuck" Gilbert, was relocated there in his work with the aerospace services division of Pan American, a contractor to NASA. She attended Rollins College before transferring to Florida State University, where she earned a bachelor's degree in marketing and an MBA.
Married to Rich Crofton since 1981, she and her husband have lived in Winter Park, Florida.
Crofton joined Disney in 1977 as a marketing manager with Vista-United Telecommunications, a company subsidiary that provided telecommunication services to the Florida resort. After a brief period away from the organization, she re-joined Vista-United in 1981 as operations manager. In 1984, she became manager of The Golf Resort (later called The Disney Inn), a hotel that is now Shades of Green, a military resort operated by the U.S. Department of Defense at Walt Disney World Resort.
Crofton later became the resort's vice president of human resources and spent five years as senior vice president of human resources and organizational improvement. In 2002 she was promoted to executive vice president of human resources for Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, the division of The Walt Disney Company that operates its theme parks, resort hotels, cruise line and other vacation businesses worldwide.
Crofton was promoted to her last position, which includes oversight of Disneyland and Disneyland Paris, in wake of the retirement of Al Weiss, president of worldwide operations for all of Disney parks and resorts. She is getting part of his duties. Crofton’s promotion was announced on July 5 by the Orlando Sentinel. Previously, she was the president of Walt Disney World. She was succeeded by George Kalogridis.
It was announced January 9, 2013, Crofton would be stepping down from her post to become president of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Operations, U.S. and France. [5]
On December 9, 2014, it was announced that Crofton would be retiring on June 1, 2015. [6]
The Walt Disney World Resort, also called Walt Disney World and Disney World, is an entertainment complex in Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista, Florida, in the United States, near the cities of Orlando and Kissimmee. Opened on October 1, 1971, the resort is owned and operated by Disney Parks, Experiences and Products, a division of The Walt Disney Company. It was first operated by Walt Disney World Company. The property covers nearly 25,000 acres, of which half has been used. The resort comprises four theme parks, two water parks, 27 themed resort hotels, nine non-Disney hotels, several golf courses, a camping resort, and other entertainment venues, including the outdoor shopping center Disney Springs.
The Disneyland Resort, commonly known as Disneyland, is an entertainment resort in Anaheim, California. It is owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company through its Parks, Experiences and Products division and is home to two theme parks, three hotels, and a shopping, dining, and entertainment district known as Downtown Disney.
The PeopleMover, sometimes referred to as the Goodyear PeopleMover and WEDWay PeopleMover, was a transport attraction that opened on July 2, 1967, at Tomorrowland at Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. Guests boarded small trains that ran on elevated tracks for a "grand circle tour" above Tomorrowland. The term "people mover," now in wider use to describe many forms of automated public transport, was first coined as the name for this attraction. PeopleMover was originally only a working title, but became attached to the project over time. The attraction was initially seen as a serious prototype for intercity public transport. The ride closed on August 21, 1995, but its station and track infrastructure—which it shared with its short-lived successor, Rocket Rods—still remain standing as of 2020. A second PeopleMover, the Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover, opened on July 1, 1975 in Tomorrowland at the Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida near Orlando, Florida, and is still operating today.
Disney Parks, Experiences and Products, Inc., formerly Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Worldwide, Inc. and informally known as Disney Parks, is one of The Walt Disney Company's six major business segments and a subsidiary. It was founded on April 1, 1971, exactly six months before the opening of Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida just outside of Orlando, Florida.
Allen R. "Al" Weiss (1954) is an American businessman who served as President of Worldwide Operations for Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, a division of The Walt Disney Company.
Greg Emmer was the senior vice president of operations at the Disneyland Resort, responsible for the daily operation of all aspects of the resort including Park Operations, Food & Beverage, Lodging, Entertainment, Store Operations & Distribution Services, Maintenance and Engineering, Downtown Disney, and Operations Integration.
Ron Logan is a former executive vice president of Walt Disney Entertainment. After retiring from the company in 2001, he is now a professor at the University of Central Florida Rosen College of Hospitality Management in Orlando, Florida, United States.
Ed Grier is the dean of the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Business. Before coming to VCU, he was an executive at The Walt Disney Company.
Fort Wilderness Junction was to be a 600-room hotel at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida between Fort Wilderness and Disney's Wilderness Lodge.
Nick Franklin is the former Executive Vice President of Next Generation Experience at Walt Disney Parks and Resorts worldwide. His duties include the development of new experiences at the Disney parks and resorts worldwide, and monitoring and enhancing user experience. Prior to that, Franklin was Executive Vice President of Global Development and directed operations of Walt Disney Attractions Japan and Disneyland International, supporting Disney's association with The Oriental Land Company, the third-party operator of Tokyo Disney Resort in Japan. Franklin was also responsible for the growth of new and existing Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, in particular Disney resorts in France, Hong Kong and Japan.
Golden Oak at Walt Disney World Resort is an upscale residential community within the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. It was designed by Walt Disney Imagineering and is owned and operated by a newly formed Disney subsidiary, Golden Oak Realty. The first phase of development is located southeast of the Magic Kingdom Park in Bay Lake. The area was named to pay homage to Walt Disney's Golden Oak Ranch in California. The first few home sites were available for purchase in late 2010 and completed in late 2011. Later on, a Four Seasons resort opened due north of the property with the company purchasing several properties to serve in its "private residences" initiative on the WDW property.
Djuan Rivers is the Vice President of Disney's Animal Kingdom at Walt Disney World. He previously served as Vice President for Hotels and Business Solutions at Disneyland Paris after having been General Manager of the Disney Aulani Resort & Spa in Hawaii. He is one of the most senior African Americans in the Walt Disney Company.
The Disney College Program (DCP) is a US national internship program operated by the Disney Internships & Programs division of The Walt Disney Company, located at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando and the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim. The program recruits college students of all majors for a semester-long paid internship program working at either the Orlando or Anaheim resorts, with the option of extending to almost a full year.
George Anthony Kalogridis is an American businessman. 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.
Harris Rosen is an American businessman, investor and philanthropist. He founded Rosen Hotels & Resorts in 1974, and serves as the company's president and chief operating officer.
Karl L. Holz is a former executive for Walt Disney Parks and Resorts.
Disney Skyliner is a gondola lift system at Walt Disney World in Bay Lake, Florida. It opened on September 29, 2019, with five stations located at resorts and theme parks.