Cynthia Harris resigns

[wheelieman]

OH my gosh! Al Lutz' wet dream just came true!

http://biz.yahoo.com/djus/031014/1707001019_1.html

According to this article, Cynthia Harris just resigned. They are bringing in the president of the Disney Cruise Lines to replace her. I hope to high heaven that it wasnt because of idiots like Lutz!

Dave

[coffeegirl9]

Interesting...who is Al Lutz?

[CujoSR]

I am Moving this to the front page. Only one other post has had that honor!!!

coffeegirl... Click here to read Al's Website (http://www.miceage.com)

[tabacco]

Interesting...who is Al Lutz?

I'm not sure you're allowed to work for Disney and not know who Al is ;)

[GapToothed]

Interesting...who is Al Lutz?

I'm not sure you're allowed to work for Disney and not know who Al is ;)

Anyone here actually cross Lutz' path?

[tabacco]

Nah. I've seen his AP file, but that's about it.

[tourbunny]

you can recognize al by the look of a reporter. loose pants, poloshirt, tall, big, and always scibbeling notes down.
he never talkes to anyone in guest relations though because he knows we all know what he looks like and would never ever talk to him.
al is scary!

[Polar33]

Message From Jay Rasulo:

I am very pleased to announce that Matt Ouimet, president of the Disney Cruise Line, has been promoted, effective immediately, to president of the Disneyland Resort, reporting to me.

Matt will replace Cynthia Harriss who has resigned for personal reasons after six years as president of the Disneyland Resort and 11 years of dedicated service to The Walt Disney Company.

Those of you who have worked with Matt know that he brings many outstanding qualities to this important and challenging new position, including the exceptional leadership skills, operational expertise and brand knowledge that have made Disney Cruise Line one of our strongest businesses.

Matt joined The Walt Disney Company in 1989 and has since excelled in a series of executive positions in finance and business development. In the past 14 years, Matt has served not only as president of Disney Cruise Line, but also as senior vice president and chief financial officer at the Disney Development Company; senior vice president of Finance and Business Development at the Walt Disney World Resort; and executive general manager of Disney Vacation Club and Disney's Wide World of Sports.

Matt has built Disney Cruise Line (DCL) into the country's premier family cruise operator and one of our most promising new businesses. His continued focus on the quality of the guest experience at DCL has resulted in the highest guest satisfaction ratings of any line of business in the Walt Disney Parks and Resorts portfolio.

Active in Florida's business community, Matt serves as the chairman of the Florida Chamber of Commerce and on the Board of Directors for the International Council of Cruise Lines and the Floridian Caribbean Cruise Association. Matt is a graduate of Binghamton University and a native of upstate New York.

Matt will be succeeded by Karl Holz, senior vice president for Walt Disney World Operations, who is promoted, effective immediately, to president of the Disney Cruise Line, reporting to Al Weiss.

Like Matt, Karl brings a diverse background and unique combination of leadership abilities, and operational expertise to his new role.

Karl began his career at the Walt Disney World Resort in 1996 as vice president, Downtown Disney, where he oversaw the successful expansion and renovation of this popular retail, dining and entertainment district. In 2000, he became vice president of Epcot, and in 2001, was promoted to senior vice president of operations for the Walt Disney World Resort. Most recently, Karl worked closely with Alice Norsworthy to guide the development of the new Magical Gatherings business at the Walt Disney World Resort, which was launched publicly just last week.

Prior to joining the Walt Disney World Resort, Karl was president and COO of Sky Chefs/Concession Air from 1989-1992 and vice president, theme parks for Knott's Berry Farm from 1992-1996. Karl earned a B.S. in Business Administration from The State University of New York, Fredonia.

One of our company's greatest strengths is the incredible depth of our leadership. Matt and Karl epitomize the record of accomplishment, commitment to excellence and broad range of talents at every level of our world-class management team.

I am delighted that Matt and Karl will be contributing in new ways to the success of our business, as we continue positioning all of our assets to seize the recovery when the economy rebounds and consumer confidence returns.

I hope you will join me in wishing both of them every success as they begin their new roles.

Message From Cynthia Harris:

Dear Fellow Cast Members:

Over the past few years, we've done some incredible things together with the Disneyland Resort expansion, and we are on the threshold of our most exciting milestone, the 50th anniversary of Disneyland.

The next three years will be teeming with energy and enthusiasm, requiring the undivided commitment and attention of our team. With that in mind, it's the right time for someone else to dedicate their time and efforts to leading the Resort to this historic celebration.

After an extraordinary 11 years with The Walt Disney Company -- six of them at the Happiest Place on Earth - I have made the decision to leave the Company. The times we live in today remind us that every day counts and I recognize that there is a small window of time to put my family and loved ones first. For me, that time is now.

It has been an honor and privilege to work at the Disneyland Resort and I'm proud of being a part of this team. Dear to me are the memories of our Cast Member family and the smiling faces of our Guests. Your love, care and compassion for this magical place, each other and our Guests is the legacy I'll hold in my heart.

Matt Ouimet is a superb leader and someone I respect tremendously. He is the perfect person to carry Walt's values and traditions forward during the exciting time ahead.

Warmly,

Cynthia

Meet Matt Ouimet

Matt Ouimet was named president of the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California on October 14, 2003. He is responsible for the overall management and long-term growth of the Disneyland Resort, including the operation of Disneyland® park; Disney's California Adventure™ park; the premium Disney's Grand Californian Hotel; Disneyland® Hotel; Disney's Paradise Pier Hotel; and Downtown Disney® District, a retail, dining and entertainment center.

Most recently, as president, Disney Cruise Line, Matt was responsible for the entire Disney Cruise Line operation, which includes the Disney Magic and Disney Wonder cruise ships, Castaway Cay (Disney's private Bahamian island) and Disney's Port Canaveral cruise terminal. Ouimet's focus on the quality of the guest experience on the Disney Magic and Disney Wonder resulted in some of the highest guest satisfaction ratings of any Walt Disney Parks and Resorts vacation experience.

Ouimet's responsibilities also included the role of executive vice president of New Business Initiatives for Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. In this role, Ouimet was charged with developing new business opportunities that target the core Disney vacation audience.

Ouimet is active in Florida's business community. He is the Chairman of the Florida Chamber of Commerce and serves on the Board of Directors for the International Council of Cruise Lines, the Floridian Caribbean Cruise Association and is a member of The Florida's Council of 100. In addition, Ouimet also serves on The Walt Disney World Resort Diversity Leadership Advisory Board.

Ouimet joined The Walt Disney Company in 1989, with experience in strategic planning, finance and business development. He has held a series of executive positions that include senior vice president of finance and chief financial officer at Walt Disney Imagineering and senior vice president of finance and business development at the Walt Disney World Resort. During his career, he has overseen the financial management of Walt Disney World theme park and resort development, served as the executive general manager of Disney Vacation Club and Disney's Wide World of Sports and was part of the team responsible for the integrated strategic growth plan that supported consistent record performance at the Walt Disney World Resort.

A native of upstate New York, Ouimet is a graduate of Binghamton University. He and his family reside in Orlando, Fla.

Matt Ouimet:
http://www.stupidguesttricks.com/images/ouimet.jpg

[Polar33]

Personally, I will miss Cynthia a bit. She is just about the only person who ever roamed the halls of TDA that I would give the time of day to. She didn't have that aura of pure evil that most others with fancy offices carry. I was always impressed that on top of actually spending time in the park to see how things are going she also took the time to talk to people (guests and CMs alike) and ask their opinions on things. Every time I saw her do a press event she would always stick around and talk with people whereas the other high-ranking types ran away before the ropes came down.

I hope that Matt will be as personable as Cynthia. I also hope that he can get accustomed to his new role soon and provide us with a kick-butt 50th.

[coffeegirl9]

Thanks for the info on Al Lutz...I'll be sure to look up his AP file next time I go into work. It is kind of sad about Cynthia...she always came out for the Cast Blast events and the Holiday parties, and made a point to talk to as many people as she could...and not just fakey small talk, either. It just seems kind of abrupt, and makes me wonder if there is some other kind of motivation for her resignation.

[Boy1nterrupted]

I bet you Cynthia follows suit and goes to the Gap just like Pressler. With regards to the new president of Disneyland, I think this turns the tide to a now dimishing park. With his success with the cruise lines let's hope that he can do the same with Disneyland. From my own experience with the cruise lines they seemed to offer what Disneyland used to offer, special personalized guest moments. Let's see what happens.

And what's up with Space Mountain? Why's the top white? Primer?

[Tink797]

I am personally glad Cynthia has left. Although I think she did great things for merchandise and so forth I think she had no concept of the entire Disneyland resort itself. Like what about the ATTRACTIONS! Isn't that the main reason people come to the park(s)?? From what I have read about this new guy his whole thing is about guest experience so I have good hope for the lack of good and freash attractions we have now but lets just wait and see. Please help this dying treasure Mr. Ouimet!

P.S. The top of the mounatin is white because that is what color it will be when it re-opens but for now it could possibly be just primer. :D

[Boy1nterrupted]

P.S. The top of the mounatin is white because that is what color it will be when it re-opens but for now it could possibly be just primer. :D

[Boy1nterrupted]

I meant to say "Excellent, Smithers!"

[Guest Relations King]

Wow... A huge shock that Cynthia has stepped down... Even more amazing, I saw her yesterday (the 14th) as she passed through Security at TDA. Even though I've only met her a few times, the way she walked up, seemed out of the ordinary.

She seemed to announce her arrival to security and shout out a "Hello" or "Good Morning" loud enough to where I could hear it clearly, standing 30 feet away. She was wearing very large dark glasses. She also didn't show security her Disneyland ID; she showed them her "All Access" badge, which I thought was a little strange. They didn't ask to see her photo or anything.

Best of luck to her, and to her replacement! I hope he does as good as job as Cynthia.

- GRK

[tabacco]

She seemed to announce her arrival to security and shout out a "Hello" or "Good Morning" loud enough to where I could hear it clearly, standing 30 feet away. She was wearing very large dark glasses. She also didn't show security her Disneyland ID; she showed them her "All Access" badge, which I thought was a little strange. They didn't ask to see her photo or anything.

Well, the same security people always seem to be at TDA, so I guess they know her on sight. Besides, they probably know it's not wise to hassle the Queso Grande about her ID for the sake of equal enforcement ;)