A new set of official ambassadors for Walt Disney World was introduced Friday morning. Cast members Serena Arvizu and Shannon Smith-Conrad will serve in the roles in 2024 and 2025.
Smith-Conrad currently works with the professional recruitment team of the resort, and Arvizu comes from the supplier diversity program. Both have roots in the Disney College Program: Smith-Conrad started with parking-lot duties at Disneyland Resort in California followed by a second stint at Epcot’s Mission: Space, and Arvizu was a seater at the Crystal Palace restaurant inside Magic Kingdom.
“When I was real little itty-bitty I knew I wanted to work at Disney. I went on Google and Googled ‘Disney jobs’ and found the Disney College Program,” said Arvizu, who grew up in Arizona, after Friday’s announcement.
Ambassadors serve as the public face of Disney World and represent and support the resort’s 75,000 employees. The program has roots with Walt Disney, who instituted the program ahead of Disneyland’s 10th anniversary in 1965.
Arvizu and Smith-Conrad, who is from California, are the 81st and 82nd ambassadors for WDW. Dozens of their predecessors were at Friday’s ceremony at Epcot’s World ShowPlace before the park opened to the public.
In attendance was Debby Dane Browne, the first ambassador, who worked solo. Since then, the number of ambassadors has fluctuated, expanding to a “team” concept in 1995. Next year will be the first time since 2008 that two women have held the role at the same time.
“Shining the light back on all the cast members here at Walt Disney World is a sincere privilege, and, I think, making sure that they feel seen and valued and appreciated and they know they contribute to the magic,” Arvizu said.
“I have met so many incredible cast members, and just hearing their own stories and their own backgrounds is what motivated me” to apply for the ambassador role, said Smith-Conrad. “I want to showcase their stories and highlight their stories and share with the world what amazing characteristics our cast members carry with them.”
About 300 Disney employees applied for the positions. The field was narrowed through a series of panel interviews and experiences.
The new ambassadors will replace Ali Manion and Raevon Redding, whose terms are up at the end of the year. They have presided over landmark occasions such as the 50th anniversary of Walt Disney World and the 25th anniversary of Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park.
Redding said one highlight — a “pinch-me moment” — was meeting Walt Disney Co. CEO Bob Iger.
“It was during the 50th anniversary. We were at Epcot for ‘Harmonious.’ It just concluded, and we were a wreck. “We were pulled immediately, with them saying, ‘We have someone we want you to meet,’” Redding said.
“That was a moment of, wow, it’s not every day that our cast members get to meet the CEO, and we had the privilege of doing that,” he said.
Manion recalled interacting with all of Disney Parks’ international ambassadors at D23 Expo.
“For the first time, our entire team was together. And even though we’ve only been in person just a few times we have such a special bond with that team, that we all are serving the same roles in our respective properties,” she said. “It’s so cool to think that I have friends all around the world.”
dbevil@orlandosentinel.com
