Overview
- Jeff Vahle officially retired Friday after a 36-year career that began as an engineer at Magic Kingdom and included serving as Walt Disney World president since 2020.
- Joe Schott is set to succeed Vahle in early August, with multiple outlets reporting an August 3 start date and at least one reporting August 6.
- During Vahle’s tenure the resort opened major attractions such as Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, TRON Lightcycle/Run, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, and Journey of Water while billions of dollars in expansion work continues.
- Schott inherits responsibility for roughly 80,000 cast members, more than 25 hotels and four theme parks, and Disney says he will focus on supporting cast members and sustaining guest-facing investments.
- Schott assumes the role immediately before the 2026 D23 Expo, an early test for how he will present and prioritize the resort’s ongoing projects and public announcements.