Meg Gilbert Crofton (born
Mary Elizabeth Gilbert in 1953) is president of
Walt Disney World ResortWalt Disney World Resort is the largest and most visited recreational resort in the world, containing four theme parks; two water parks; 23 themed hotels; and numerous shopping, dining, entertainment and recreation venues. Owned and operated by the Walt Disney Parks and Resorts segment of The Walt...
in
FloridaFlorida is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the north. It was the 27th state admitted to the United States...
. She was named to the position on August 7, 2006, replacing Al Weiss, who had been promoted to president of worldwide operations for
Walt Disney Parks and ResortsWalt Disney Parks and Resorts is the segment of The Walt Disney Company that conceives, builds, and manages the company's theme parks and holiday resorts, as well as a variety of additional family-oriented leisure enterprises...
in November 2005. Crofton reports to Weiss. The Orlando Sentinel named her the among the top 25 most powerful people in Central Florida.
Born in
San Diego, CaliforniaSan Diego , named after Saint Didacus , is the second-largest city in California and the ninth largest city in the United States, located along the Pacific Ocean on the west coast of the United States. The US Census Bureau estimates the city's population at 1,279,329 as of 2008...
, Crofton moved to Florida with her family as a 6-year-old when her father, Charles "Chuck" Gilbert, was relocated there in his work with the aerospace services division of Pan American, a contractor to
NASAThe National Aeronautics and Space Administration is an agency of the United States government, responsible for the nation's public space program. NASA was established by the National Aeronautics and Space Act on July 29, 1958, replacing its predecessor, the National Advisory Committee for...
.
Meg Gilbert Crofton (born
Mary Elizabeth Gilbert in 1953) is president of
Walt Disney World ResortWalt Disney World Resort is the largest and most visited recreational resort in the world, containing four theme parks; two water parks; 23 themed hotels; and numerous shopping, dining, entertainment and recreation venues. Owned and operated by the Walt Disney Parks and Resorts segment of The Walt...
in
FloridaFlorida is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the north. It was the 27th state admitted to the United States...
. She was named to the position on August 7, 2006, replacing Al Weiss, who had been promoted to president of worldwide operations for
Walt Disney Parks and ResortsWalt Disney Parks and Resorts is the segment of The Walt Disney Company that conceives, builds, and manages the company's theme parks and holiday resorts, as well as a variety of additional family-oriented leisure enterprises...
in November 2005. Crofton reports to Weiss. The Orlando Sentinel named her the among the top 25 most powerful people in Central Florida.
Born in
San Diego, CaliforniaSan Diego , named after Saint Didacus , is the second-largest city in California and the ninth largest city in the United States, located along the Pacific Ocean on the west coast of the United States. The US Census Bureau estimates the city's population at 1,279,329 as of 2008...
, Crofton moved to Florida with her family as a 6-year-old when her father, Charles "Chuck" Gilbert, was relocated there in his work with the aerospace services division of Pan American, a contractor to
NASAThe National Aeronautics and Space Administration is an agency of the United States government, responsible for the nation's public space program. NASA was established by the National Aeronautics and Space Act on July 29, 1958, replacing its predecessor, the National Advisory Committee for...
. She attended
Rollins CollegeRollins College is a liberal arts college located in Winter Park, Florida, United States, a suburb of Orlando, Florida. Its current president is Lewis Duncan...
before transferring to
Florida State UniversityFlorida State University is a space-grant and sea-grant public university located in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a comprehensive doctoral research university with medical programs and significant research activity as determined by the Carnegie Foundation...
, where she earned a bachelor's degree in marketing and an MBA.
Crofton joined Disney in 1977 as a marketing manager with
Vista-United TelecommunicationsVista-United Telecommunications was the telecommunications company created to service all Disney resorts in Florida and Disney-planned communities such as Celebration, Florida and the Disney Vacation Clubs in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina and Vero Beach, Florida.Disney created Vista-United as...
, a company subsidiary that provided telecommunication services to the Florida resort. After a brief period away from the organization, she re-joined Vista-United in 1981 as operations manager. In 1984, she became manager of The Golf Resort (later called The Disney Inn), a hotel that is now
Shades of GreenShades of Green is a United States Department of Defense-owned resort located at Walt Disney World. It is an Armed Forces Recreation Center resort and therefore a part of the military's Morale, Welfare, and Recreation program . The newly expanded resort is one of two AFRC's located in the United...
, a military resort operated by the
U.S. Department of DefenseThe United States Department of Defense is the federal department charged with coordinating and supervising all agencies and functions of the government relating directly to national security and the military...
at
Walt Disney World ResortWalt Disney World Resort is the largest and most visited recreational resort in the world, containing four theme parks; two water parks; 23 themed hotels; and numerous shopping, dining, entertainment and recreation venues. Owned and operated by the Walt Disney Parks and Resorts segment of The Walt...
.
Crofton later became the resort's vice president of human resources and spent five years as senior vice president of human resources and organizational improvement. In 2002 she was promoted to executive vice president of human resources for
Walt Disney Parks and ResortsWalt Disney Parks and Resorts is the segment of The Walt Disney Company that conceives, builds, and manages the company's theme parks and holiday resorts, as well as a variety of additional family-oriented leisure enterprises...
, the division of
The Walt Disney CompanyThe Walt Disney Company , often simply known as Disney, is the largest media and entertainment conglomerate in the world, known for its family-friendly products...
that operates its theme parks, resort hotels, cruise line and other vacation businesses worldwide.
Married to Rich Crofton since 1981, she and her husband live in
Winter Park, FloridaWinter Park is a city in Orange County, Florida, United States. The population was 24,090 at the 2000 census. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2006 estimates, the city had a population of 28,083. It is part of the Orlando–Kissimmee Metropolitan Statistical Area...
.