The Walt Disney Company appointed George A. Kalogridis as president
of Walt Disney World on Friday, making him the first openly gay man to
hold that position.

Kalogridis, Walt Disney World’s fifth president, has been with the
Walt Disney Company since 1971 and served as president of California’s
Disneyland Resort since 2009. The 59-year-old Kalogridis’ first job with
the company was bussing tables at Disney’s Contemporary Resort on the
Orlando property, according to South Florida Gay News. The Orlando
Sentinel reported that friends and colleagues describe him as “breathing
Disney.”

“I am excited to return to my roots and have the opportunity to lead
our talented Walt Disney World Resort cast,” Kalogridis said in a
prepared statement distributed by Disney. “I look forward to again
working with my Florida-based colleagues and reconnecting with Central
Florida’s community and business leaders.”

The Orlando Business Journal reports that Kalogridis will oversee
more than 66,000 employees, which is three times the amount of people
that he managed in California’s Disneyland Resort. Kalogridis has
replaced Meg Crofton, who recently assumed the role as president of Walt
Disney Parks and Resorts Operations in the United States and France.