The former president of the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim has landed a new gig as dean of the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Business in Richmond, Va.
Former Walt Disney Co. executive Ed Grier left in October as president of the Disneyland Resort.
He ran operations and management for Disney’s two Anaheim theme parks, three hotels and Downtown Disney shopping center.
Grier, who took over after former president Matt Ouimet, oversaw the park during a difficult economic downturn that saw fewer visitors and no major marketing push to draw crowds to the parks.
He was replaced by George Kalogridis, the former chief operating officer for Disneyland Resort Paris.
In his career at Disney, Grier served as the manager of marketing development at Disneyland Paris, general manager of operations at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Orlando, Fla., and vice president and representative of Walt Disney Attractions Japan in Tokyo.
Grier, who grew up in Atlanta, was among half a dozen finalists in Virginia Commonwealth’s search for a successor to Michael Sesnowitz, who retired as business dean last year.
Grier hopes to bring national recognition to the business school as well as making sure the technical skills students learn will translate into the real world of business when he starts in March.
