About

Dan attended Boston University, graduating in 1991, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science.  An avid rugby player, he was selected for the 1990 and 1991 USA Collegiate All-American Rugby team and was Captain for the 1991 team.

Upon graduation from Boston University in 1991, Dan moved to Florida and worked as a parking attendant at Disney’s Epcot Center. Subsequently, he joined the Disneyland Paris Management Trainee Program, as part of the opening team.

While in France, he held various management positions in Park Operations. He and his wife Valerie, who was also with Disneyland Paris, were married in France and spent five years there before moving back to Orlando in 1997.

Since that time, Dan has held various executive operations roles at the Walt Disney World Resort, both in the theme parks and resort hotels, and retired as the Vice President of the Magic Kingdom where he led 12,000 cast members and entertained over 20 million guests annually.

He earned his MBA in 2001 at the Crummer School of Business at Rollins College. In addition to his operational responsibilities, Dan was a keynote speaker for the world-renowned Disney Institute for 18 years.   He has addressed open-enrollment participants as well as attendees in customized programs including the USAA Bank, General Motors, the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Army, the Southern Methodist University Business School, Porsche A.G., and United Airlines.

He also participated in the Sodexo Quality Life Worldwide Conference Panel, moderated by Arianna Huffington, in 2015. He served on the board of Junior Achievement of Central Florida from 2004 to 2018, and was Chairman in 2010.

After a fulfilling and exciting 26-year career with the Walt Disney Company, Dan and Valerie made the decision to set out on a new venture and start their own consulting and speaking business.

Dan provides customized, authentic presentations, insightful workshops and one on one coaching, focusing on leadership and management practices drawing upon his extensive Disney career with relevant examples and inspiring storytelling.

2015-2018 Vice President, Magic Kingdom Park

2011-2015 Vice President, Disney’s Hollywood Studios

2009-2011 Vice President, Epcot Park

2007-2009 General Manager, Magic Kingdom Operations

2006-2007 General Manager, Magic Kingdom Merchandise

2004-2006 General Manager, Disney’s All-Star Resort

2002-2004 General Manager, Disney’s Wilderness Lodge, Fort Wilderness Campground & Resort

2001-2002 Rooms Manager, Disney’s All Star Movies Resort

1996-2001 Operations Manager, Epcot Park

1991-1996 Assistant Manager, Disneyland Paris Resort

1989 Walt Disney World College Program

Valerie was born and raised in France where she graduated from Institut Pitiot-Lyon II with a degree in Business hospitality. She participated in the World Showcase Fellowship program at Epcot from Sept. 1987 to Sept 1988. After working in a bank in France as an investment advisor, she eventually joined Disneyland Paris in 1991 as a retail manager and ran multiple merchandise locations in the Resort division. She eventually joined the Merchandise Buying Office and oversaw the assortment planning for all Resort merchandise locations at Disneyland Paris.

Upon moving to Florida in 1997, Valerie worked as the Assortment Planning Manager at Downtown Disney and Epcot Center. She eventually moved to Merchandise Brand Management for both Epcot and the Disney Cruise Line. Valerie left the company and started consulting for outside organizations in the retail world. She returned to Disney in 2013 to become a contract facilitator for Disney Institute. She facilitated professional development classes and custom programs in both French and English. She drew from her international management experience in retail and operations to teach Disney’s approach to Leadership Excellence and Customer Service.

Since May 2019, Valerie facilitates workshops with her husband Dan and shares her expertise in building great culture in organizations.

2013-2019 Contract Facilitator, Disney Institute

2002-2007 Retail Consultant, Steiner Entertainment

1999-2000 Merchandise Brand Manager, Epcot Center, Disney Cruise Line

1997-1999 Assortment Planning Manager, Epcot Center

1997-1997 Assortment Planning Manager, Downtown Disney

1995-1996 Assortment Planning Manager, Disneyland Paris Resort

1992-1995 Merchandise Area Manager, Disneyland Paris Resort, Festival Disney

1991-1992 Disneyland Paris Training Program

BUSINESS EXPERIENCE:

2013-2019 Disney Institute Contract Facilitator, WDW

2001-2007 Retail Operations and Strategy consultant

1998-2001 Retail Assortment Planning Manager, Epcot Center, WDW & Disney Cruise Line

1991-1997 Merchandise Area Manager, Disneyland Paris

1989-1991 Investment advisor, CCBP, France

1987-1988 World Showcase Fellowship Program, Epcot Center WDW