George Anthony Kalogridis (born November 19, 1953) is an American corporate executive. Kalogridis is the former president of the

Walt Disney World Resort The Walt Disney World Resort is an entertainment resort complex located about southwest of Orlando, Florida, United States. Opened on October 1, 1971, the resort is operated by Disney Experiences, a division of the Walt Disney Company. ...

in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. Kalogridis became president of Disney Segment Development and Enrichment for

Disney Parks, Experiences and Products Disney Experiences, commonly known as Disney Parks, is one of the three major divisions of the Walt Disney Company. It was founded on April 1, 1971, exactly six months before the opening of the Walt Disney World, Walt Disney World Resort. Led ...

in November 2019.

Early life and education

Kalogridis was raised in Winter Haven, and is of

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

ancestry; the Greek spelling of his name is Γιώργος Καλογρίδης. He attended the

University of Central Florida The University of Central Florida (UCF) is a public university, public research university with its main campus in unincorporated area, unincorporated Orange County, Florida, United States. It is part of the State University System of Florida. ...

and graduated with a degree in

sociology Sociology is the scientific study of human society that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of Interpersonal ties, social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. The term sociol ...

in 1976.

Career

Kalogridis has a long history with

The Walt Disney Company The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was founded on October 16 ...

. He has worked with the company almost exclusively for 40 years. Kalogridis first started working for Disney while he was in college. He bussed tables at

Disney's Contemporary Resort Disney's Contemporary Resort, originally to be named Tempo Bay Hotel and previously the Contemporary Resort Hotel, is a resort located at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida. Opened on October 1, 1971, the hotel is one of two ori ...

when the Walt Disney World Resort first opened in 1971. Kalogridis quickly moved up the ladder in

, becoming vice president of operations at Epcot, senior vice president at the Disneyland Resort from 2000 to 2002, vice president at the Disney Reservation Center in Orlando from 2002 to 2006,

chief operating officer A chief operating officer (COO), also called chief operations officer, is an executive in charge of the daily operations of an organization (i.e. personnel, resources, and logistics). COOs are usually second-in-command immediately after the C ...

(COO) at

Disneyland Paris Disneyland Paris is an entertainment resort in Marne-la-Vallée, France, located about east of Paris. It encompasses two theme parks, seven Disney-owned hotels, two convention centers, a golf course, an arena, and a shopping, dining and entert ...

from 2006 to 2009, and president of the Disneyland Resort from 2009 to 2013. Kalogridis was named president of The Walt Disney World Resort on January 9, 2013. In 2019, he was promoted to president, Disney Segment Development and Enrichment. In this new position, he is responsible for developing strategic and operational business initiatives while developing and scaling best practices across sites and lines of business. He also leads the Disney Institute, and serves as strategic advisor to park operators. In September of 2021, Kalogridis was honored with a window on

Main Street, U.S.A. Main Street, USA is the first "themed land" inside the main entrance of the many theme parks operated or licensed by The Walt Disney Company around the world. Main Street, USA is themed to resemble American small towns during the early 20th centu ...

at the Magic Kingdom, one of the top honors for Disney Parks cast members.

Reception

In 1999, a customer wrote a letter to Kalogridis, then vice president of Epcot, voicing his dissatisfaction with a rehab of a ride. Kalogridis personally called him at home. "I was floored," the customer said. "He must have been hearing from hundreds of people. For him to make the rounds, I was really impressed by that." While working as the manager of

Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa is a Victorian themed hotel and spa located at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. The property opened on June 28, 1988, as the ''Grand Floridian Beach Resort''. The name changed to ''Disney's Grand ...

, a hostess stated that she wished that the grass was dry, since the hotel was going to host a convention on the lawn soon. Kalogridis took some employees and towels with him and dried the lawn off with towels. "That’s the attention to detail – and how he’ll do everything possible for guests – that George is famous for,"

Meg 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. She was named to the position on August 7, 2006, replacing Al Weiss, ...

, then president of Walt Disney Parks & Resorts, said.Tully, Sarah
"New Disneyland Resort president gives inside look"
, ''

The Orange County Register ''The Orange County Register'' is a paid daily List of newspapers in California, newspaper published in California. The ''Register'', published in Orange County, California, is owned by the private equity firm Alden Global Capital via its Digit ...

'', 15 March 2010. Retrieved 10 April 2012.

Personal life

Kalogridis lives with his partner Andy Hardy who also works at Disney. His favorite character is Eeyore, and his favorite movie is ''

Mary Poppins Mary Poppins may refer to: * Mary Poppins (character), a nanny with magical powers * Mary Poppins (franchise), based on the fictional nanny ** Mary Poppins (book series), ''Mary Poppins'' (book series), the original 1934–1988 children's fanta ...

''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kalogridis, George A. Living people American chief operating officers American people of Greek descent American LGBTQ businesspeople People from Winter Haven, Florida Walt Disney Parks and Resorts people Disney executives University of Central Florida alumni 1953 births