JEFF VAHLE

PRESIDENT, WALT DISNEY WORLD, ORLANDO

In the five years since taking on this role, Vahle and his team have opened Tiana’s Bayou Adventure; the new Country Bear Musical Jamboree; Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure; a number of other rides and new nighttime spectaculars at the Magic Kingdom and EPCOT theme parks. He also has overseen new cabins at Fort Wilderness Resort and the expansion of Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort. Now in his 35th year with Disney, Vahle oversees a workforce of about 80,000 at four major theme parks, more than 25 hotels, two water parks, a sports complex and the Disney Springs shopping and dining district. He serves on Rollins College’s Board of Trustees and is a member of the Florida Council of 100. “You have to respect the big swing Universal is doing with Epic Universe,” he said at a public event this year. “Our focus is to remain the No. 1 reason people visit Central Florida.”