Walt Disney Imagineering President Barbara Bouza Is Leaving Disney
Barbara Bouza joined Walt Disney Imagineering back in June 2020.
Barbara Bouza joined Walt Disney Imagineering in June 2020 as President of Business Operations, Design & Delivery. In November 2021, Bouza was named President of Walt Disney Imagineering.
Today Bouza announced on social media that she will be wrapping up her work as President of Walt Disney Imagineering. Bouza’s departure means Walt Disney Imagineering Chief Creative Officer Bruce Vaughn will be the sole creative lead of WDI.
“As a licensed architect I was recruited by The Walt Disney Company to challenge the norm and bring broader global industry perspective and expertise. Joining Walt Disney Imagineering in June of 2020, I truly believed humanity needed Disney more than ever,” wrote Bouza. “The world was trying to understand the impact of a global pandemic, business disruption, stay at home orders, a reckoning on race, and the growing political divide. From there Imagineers endured the pressures of talent reductions, unprecedented hyper-escalation on projects, political crosshairs, and the need to make life changing decisions with their families around the relocation from California to Florida.”
“Through all of this, Imagineers relentlessly created and delivered some of the most impactful projects in the history of The Walt Disney Company,” Bouza wrote in her post. “This success has fueled the turbocharged growth of Disney Experiences through $60 billion in investment over the next 10 years that Bob Iger and Josh D’Amaro speak of. So I want to take this moment to personally thank all Imagineers, past, present and future for making the impossible possible.”
Bouza then wrapped up her message by saying it is bittersweet to wrap up her work with Walt Disney Imagineering this month. Then like all good posts about career moves, she ended the post with a quote from Walt himself.
“There’s really no secret about our approach. We keep moving forward, opening new doors and doing new things, because we’re curious.”
Walt Disney
Bouza has been with Walt Disney Imagineering since 2020 and like she said in her post they went through a lot in these four short years. Bouza and the Imagineers dealt with a pandemic, a race reckoning, an intense political divide, layoffs, and of course the infamous California to Lake Nona, Florida move that never came to be.
During her tenure, Imagineers brought a number of experiences to life including Avengers Campus at Disneyland Paris and Disney California Adventure, the Disney Wish ship for Disney Cruise Line, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, and TRON: Lightcycle / Run at Walt Disney World Resort, World of Frozen at Hong Kong Disneyland, and Zootopia at Shanghai Disney Resort.
Before her time at WDI, Bouza served as co-managing director, principal, for Gensler Los Angeles. During her time at Gensler Los Angeles she served clients such as Netflix and NASA.
Here is Barbara Bouza’s full post announcing her departure from Walt Disney Imagineering:
Proudly building upon our extraordinary legacy, Imagineers are shaping a future that inspires humanity. As one global team of innovative creators and storytellers, we immerse our guests in experiences that make memories of a lifetime.
As a licensed architect I was recruited by The Walt Disney Company to challenge the norm and bring broader global industry perspective and expertise. Joining Walt Disney Imagineering in June of 2020, I truly believed humanity needed Disney more than ever. The world was trying to understand the impact of a global pandemic, business disruption, stay at home orders, a reckoning on race, and the growing political divide. From there Imagineers endured the pressures of talent reductions, unprecedented hyper-escalation on projects, political crosshairs, and the need to make life changing decisions with their families around the relocation from California to Florida.
Through all of this, Imagineers relentlessly created and delivered some of the most impactful projects in the history of The Walt Disney Company. This success has fueled the turbocharged growth of Disney Experiences through $60 billion in investment over the next 10 years that Bob Iger and Josh D’Amaro speak of. So I want to take this moment to personally thank all Imagineers, past, present and future for making the impossible possible.
It is bittersweet as I wrap up my work as President of Walt Disney Imagineering this month before I create an even bigger impact for world. Stay tuned! WDI will be in excellent hands with my partner, Bruce Vaughn, Chief Creative Officer, who is an exceptional creative leader.
“There’s really no secret about our approach. We keep moving forward, opening new doors and doing new things, because we’re curious.”
Walt Disney
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Zach Perilstein is the Editor-in-Chief of the Boardwalk Times
