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10 Disney operations leaders
These ten people hold or have held director-level or higher operations roles in Disney's parks business, at Walt Disney World, Disneyland Resort and Disney's international park operations. A reader can learn how Disney runs theme parks, hotels, transportation and facilities, and how it plans operations for new attractions.
Professionals to explore
01—10Alison Armor
LinkedInExperience: Vice President Resort Operations · Walt Disney World
Vice President Resort Operations at Walt Disney World since March 2021, and Vice President, Transportation Operations at Walt Disney World from 2018 to 2021. The profile headline reads Senior Vice President-Operations, leading resorts, transportation, premium services and Beyond Parks Entertainment.
David Dunwoodie
LinkedInExperience: Senior Vice President, Facilities and Operations Services · Walt Disney World
Senior Vice President, Facilities and Operations Services at Walt Disney World since March 2023, serving, per the profile, as the Walt Disney World Resort site leader for facilities and operations services. David Dunwoodie was also Vice President, Facilities and Operations Services at Disneyland Paris (2021–2023) and Vice President, Portfolio Project Executive, Pacific at Walt Disney Imagineering (2017–2021).
Jason Smith
LinkedInExperience: Vice President, Hotel Operations & Downtown Disney · Disneyland Resort
Vice President, Hotel Operations & Downtown Disney at Disneyland Resort since January 2025, and Executive Director, Downtown Disney & Arrival Experiences at Disneyland Resort from 2022 to 2025. Jason Smith was also Director, Planning & Industrial Engineering at Disneyland Resort (2015–2022) and Operations Manager at Walt Disney World (2012–2015).
Jim Doyle
LinkedInExperience: Vice President Operations Tokyo Disney Resort · The Walt Disney Company
Vice President Operations Tokyo Disney Resort at The Walt Disney Company since September 2023, a vice-president-level operations role. Jim Doyle was also General Manager Park Operations at Disneyland Resort (2015–2023) and Operations Manager Store Ops at Disneyland Resort (2011–2015).
Jim MacPhee
LinkedInExperience: Chief Operating Officer Senior Vice President - Walt Disney World (Retired 4 1 21) · The Walt Disney Company
Former Chief Operating Officer and Senior Vice President of Walt Disney World at The Walt Disney Company, a role the profile says ended with retirement in April 2021. Jim MacPhee was also Senior Vice President - Next Generation Experience and Walt Disney World Parks (2010–2018) and Vice President - Park Operations Walt Disney World (2003–2007), and has been a leadership, culture and experience transformation advisor and consultant at Jim MacPhee LLC since 2021.
Maribeth Bisienere
LinkedInExperience: Senior Vice President - Resorts, Transportation, Premium Services, Food & Beverage, and Merchandise · Walt Disney World
Senior Vice President - Resorts, Transportation, Premium Services, Food & Beverage, and Merchandise at Walt Disney World since May 2020; the profile headline describes the role as senior vice president of operations. Maribeth Bisienere was also Senior Vice President - Theme Parks, Animal Programs, & Security at Walt Disney World (2018–2020) and Vice President - Food & Beverage and Merchandise Line of Business at The Walt Disney Company (2009–2014).
Melissa Valiquette
LinkedInExperience: Vice President, Park Operations, Development & Industrial Engineering · The Walt Disney Company
Former Vice President, Park Operations, Development & Industrial Engineering at The Walt Disney Company (2023–2026). The profile headline reads Senior Vice President, Operations at Disneyland Paris, a role it says leads the theme parks, hotels and Disney Village, and Melissa Valiquette was also Vice President, Magic Kingdom Park (2021–2023) and Vice President, EPCOT (2015–2021) at The Walt Disney Company.
Mike Westmoreland
LinkedInExperience: Director, Park Operations Project Development · Walt Disney World
Director, Park Operations Project Development at Walt Disney World since February 2023, accountable, per the profile, for the operations development of theme park projects from planning through delivery. Mike Westmoreland was also Director, Park Operations Development, Optimization, & Standardization at Walt Disney World (2019–2023) and Director, Operations at Walt Disney Attractions Japan (2013–2019).
Patrick Finnegan
LinkedInExperience: Senior Vice President Operations · Disneyland Resort
Senior Vice President Operations at Disneyland Resort since September 2021, with Vice President, Disney California Adventure & Downtown Disney (since 2016) also listed as a current Disneyland Resort role. Patrick Finnegan was also Vice President, Experience Integration at Disneyland Resort (2016), Vice President of Finance at Quiksilver (2012–2016) and Director, Finance - Disney Parks & Resorts at The Walt Disney Company (2001–2012).
Sean Noble
LinkedInExperience: Executive Director, Operations Development · Disney Experiences
Executive Director, Operations Development at Disney Experiences since May 2024, a director-level operations role. Sean Noble was also Director, Operations Development - Disney Parks International (2018–2022) and Director, Planning & Industrial Engineering - Asia (2016–2018) at Disney Experiences, and worked in Operations Live Experiences at Netflix (2022–2024).
Choose the right perspective
Match the person's scope to your question, since resort and hotel operations, park operations, facilities and operations development for new projects are run by different teams. Check whether the person's role is current and which resort it covers before relying on it for how Disney operates today.
Questions to take into the conversation
- 01How does a large theme park resort balance guest capacity, staffing and wait times during peak periods?
- 02How are operations for a new attraction or land planned and tested before it opens to guests?
- 03How do theme park operators coordinate hotels, transportation and facilities across a multi-park resort?
About this directory
This is a professional research starting point based on business profile data retrieved on . Titles and companies reflect that source snapshot and may describe past or present roles. Check the linked profiles for current details. Inclusion does not imply Instant Expert membership or availability.
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