Dan Cockerell
Dan was born in Chicago in 1969. His father was an executive with the Marriott Corporation and as a result, Dan moved frequently across the United States while growing up.
He attended Boston University, graduating in 1991, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science. An avid rugby player, he was selected for the 1990 and 1991 USA Collegiate All-American Rugby team, and was Captain for the 1991 team.
Dan's first experience working for Disney was as a participant in the Walt Disney World College Program in Orlando in the summer of 1989, when he worked as a front desk host at the Contemporary Resort.
Upon graduation from Boston University in 1991, Dan moved to Florida and participated in the Disneyland Paris Management Trainee Program. In January of 1992, three months before the opening of Disneyland Paris, he was transferred to France, where he remained for five years in various management roles. He and his wife Valerie, who was also with Disneyland Paris, were married in France and spent five years there before moving back to Orlando in 1997. Since that time they have raised three children – Jullian, Margot and Tristan.
Dan has held various management and executive operations roles at the Walt Disney World Resort, both in the theme parks and resort hotels, and was the sixth executive to hold the position of Vice President, Magic Kingdom since the park opened in 1971. He earned his MBA in 2001 at the Crummer School of Business at Rollins College.
Dan puts great value on spending time in the operation and frequently spent time in the park, assisting cast members and interacting with guests. He believes that building relationships is critical for leadership success, and his approachability in the workplace is a testament to his people-first philosophy.
In addition to his operational responsibilities, Dan has been a keynote speaker for the world-renowned Disney Institute for 18 years. He has addressed open-enrollment participants as well as attendees in customized programs including the USAA Bank, General Motors, the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Army, the Southern Methodist University Business School, Porsche A.G., and United Airlines. He also participated in the Sodexo Quality Life Worldwide Conference Panel, moderated by Arianna Huffington, in 2015.
He served on the board of Junior Achievement of Central Florida from 2004-2018, and was Chairman in 2010.
After a fulfilling and exciting 26-year career with the Walt Disney Company, and upon becoming empty nesters, Dan and Valerie made the decision to set out on a new adventure, balancing their time between Orlando and Boulder, Colorado. Valerie continues to facilitate Disney Institute programs in Orlando, as well as programs in French-speaking Quebec.
Dan provides customized, authentic presentations, focusing on leadership and management practices, drawing upon his extensive Disney career with relevant examples and inspiring storytelling.
Dan was born in Chicago in 1969. His father was an executive with the Marriott Corporation and as a result, Dan moved frequently across the United States while growing up.
He attended Boston University, graduating in 1991, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science. An avid rugby player, he was selected for the 1990 and 1991 USA Collegiate All-American Rugby team, and was Captain for the 1991 team.
Dan's first experience working for Disney was as a participant in the Walt Disney World College Program in Orlando in the summer of 1989, when he worked as a front desk host at the Contemporary Resort.
Upon graduation from Boston University in 1991, Dan moved to Florida and participated in the Disneyland Paris Management Trainee Program. In January of 1992, three months before the opening of Disneyland Paris, he was transferred to France, where he remained for five years in various management roles. He and his wife Valerie, who was also with Disneyland Paris, were married in France and spent five years there before moving back to Orlando in 1997. Since that time they have raised three children – Jullian, Margot and Tristan.
Dan has held various management and executive operations roles at the Walt Disney World Resort, both in the theme parks and resort hotels, and was the sixth executive to hold the position of Vice President, Magic Kingdom since the park opened in 1971. He earned his MBA in 2001 at the Crummer School of Business at Rollins College.
Dan puts great value on spending time in the operation and frequently spent time in the park, assisting cast members and interacting with guests. He believes that building relationships is critical for leadership success, and his approachability in the workplace is a testament to his people-first philosophy.
In addition to his operational responsibilities, Dan has been a keynote speaker for the world-renowned Disney Institute for 18 years. He has addressed open-enrollment participants as well as attendees in customized programs including the USAA Bank, General Motors, the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Army, the Southern Methodist University Business School, Porsche A.G., and United Airlines. He also participated in the Sodexo Quality Life Worldwide Conference Panel, moderated by Arianna Huffington, in 2015.
He served on the board of Junior Achievement of Central Florida from 2004-2018, and was Chairman in 2010.
After a fulfilling and exciting 26-year career with the Walt Disney Company, and upon becoming empty nesters, Dan and Valerie made the decision to set out on a new adventure, balancing their time between Orlando and Boulder, Colorado. Valerie continues to facilitate Disney Institute programs in Orlando, as well as programs in French-speaking Quebec.
Dan provides customized, authentic presentations, focusing on leadership and management practices, drawing upon his extensive Disney career with relevant examples and inspiring storytelling.
Culture is like the Weather
The weather is the environment that Mother
Nature influences, and culture is the environ-
ment that leaders influence. If you want the
best chance for success in your organization,
focus on your culture. When your employees
feel confident, respected, and valued, great
things happen. Dan will talk about how he
approached influencing the culture of the
Magic Kingdom, and the 12,000 Cast Mem-
bers that he led.
Lead Yourself First
Before you can lead your people or your organ-
ization, you need to learn how to lead yourself.
This is counter intuitive, but the reality is that
in order to compete at the highest levels, you
need to feel good, think clearly, and bring the
energy that others will respond to. Dan will
share his approach on how he prepared
himself to effectively lead his Magic Kingdom
team.
I Am Inspired, Now What?
Passion, Dedication, Commitment are all
powerful words. However without specific
behaviors and specific actions, they are
only words. Dan will share specific tactics
and behaviors that he used to lead his
team throughout his 27 year Disney career
The Customer Does Not Come First
In order to create a sustained excellent
experience for your customer, you first
need to create a sustained excellent experi-
ence for your employees. Dan will talk
about the value chain, and how putting
your leadership focus on your employees
will lead to great service and positive
business results.
