April 11 | 1:30 PM ET
There’s no better example of balancing tradition and experiences with innovation than our host location, Walt Disney World®. Dan Cockerell spent most of his professional career ensuring those who visited the Magic Kingdom had the experiences they had come to rely upon as well as new opportunities to learn and explore.
Walt Disney World must meet guest expectations and brand promises but constantly innovate and create new experiences, much like institutions of higher education must innovate and create new opportunities for learners. The lessons learned during Walt Disney World’s 50 years in operation can inform higher education, specifically a 60-year curriculum. Join us as Dan unlocks some of the secrets that make Disney properties lifetime destinations, causing people to return time and again.
Dan Cockerell, Former Vice-President of the Magic Kingdom, Walt Disney WorldDan is the former Vice-President of the Magic Kingdom, Walt Disney World, Florida. He attended Boston University, graduating in 1991, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science.
Upon graduation from Boston University in 1991, Dan moved to Florida and worked as a parking attendant at Disney’s Epcot Center. Subsequently, he joined the Disneyland Paris Management Trainee Program as part of the opening team and moved to France in 1992. While working in Paris, Dan held various management positions in Parking, Ticketing, Guest Relations, Food & Beverages and Human Resources.
After spending 5 years in France, Dan relocated to Florida and held a variety of executive roles at the Walt Disney World Resort, both in the theme parks and resort hotels. His last 9 years with the company, he was successively Vice President of Epcot, Vice president of Disney’s Hollywood Studios and eventually Vice President of the Magic Kingdom where he led 12,000 cast members and entertained over 20 million guests annually.
He earned his MBA in 2001 at the Crummer School of Business at Rollins College. In addition to his operational responsibilities, Dan was a keynote speaker for the world-renowned Disney Institute for 18 years. He has addressed open-enrollment participants from all over the world as well as attendees in custom 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 served on the board of Junior Achievement of Central Florida from 2004 to 2018, and was Chairman in 2010. After a fulfilling and exciting 26-year career with the Walt Disney Company, Dan and his wife Valerie made the decision to set out on a new venture and start their own consulting and speaking business. Dan provides customized, authentic presentations, insightful workshops and one on one coaching, focusing on leadership and management practices drawing upon his extensive Disney career with relevant examples and inspiring storytelling.
April 12 | 8:00 AM ET
While distance education is certainly not new in the landscape of postsecondary education, the global pandemic is shining a spotlight on the importance of quality distance education. Could we leverage these quality discussions to address instruction at the institutional level, inclusive of other modalities? Rather than relying solely on faculty and academic leadership to be the arbiters of quality, can and should online leaders be involved in overall instructional quality discussions? Can our current bifurcated and distributed approach to quality survive? Join our panelists for a provocative discussion focused on bringing online quality frameworks (UPCEA’s Hallmarks of Excellence in Online Leadership, QM's quality assurance system for teaching and learning, and the accreditors’ 21st Century Guidelines for Distance Learning) to institutional campus instructional quality discussions.
Heather Perfetti, President, Middle States Commission on Higher Education
Moderator:
Roxanne Gonzales, Vice President of Academic Affairs, New Mexico Highlands UniversityFor more information on other UPCEA events, click here.