- Djuan Rivers
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Djuan Rivers Born 1965
Orlando, FloridaResidence Hawaii Nationality American Education BA in Economics Alma mater Emory University Occupation Vice President, Aulani Resort & Spa Djuan Rivers is the Vice President and General Manager of the forthcoming Disney Aulani Resort & Spa in Hawaii.
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Background
Djuan Rivers (born 1965) is an Orlando native and attended Emory University where he earned his Bachelor of Arts in Economics in 1987.
Career with the Walt Disney Company
He is a 20 year veteran of the Walt Disney Company. Having started at an entry level managerial position, he worked his way up to become the General Manager of Disney's Wilderness Lodge. Rivers held a number of positions and helped lead the opening of six resorts in Florida and three resorts at Disneyland Paris. In 2005, he was named Vice President of Downtown Disney (Florida). In 2007, he was named the Vice President for New Business Development for Disney’s Parks and Resorts division.[1]
In 2008, he was made the Vice President of Disney’s forthcoming Aulani Resort and Spa, making him one of the most senior African-Americans in the Walt Disney Company. In addition to overseeing the $800,000,000 construction project, Rivers is also charged with building ties with local communities and government officials along with learning about the native Hawaiian culture, in order to authentically integrate it into the resort.[2][3][4] Rivers is committed to incorporating environmentally friendly initiatives into the resort's design and construction.[5] He is also one of the Executive Champions of the Disney VoluntEARS program.
Personal
Rivers serves on the Board of Directors of the Child & Family Service charity of Hawaii and the Boys & Girls Club of Hawaii.[6] He is known for being an avid sportsman, as he is attempting to climb the Seven Summits, the highest mountains on each continent.[7] In October 2008, Rivers was one of the first people to participate in a HALO skydive over Mount Everest, incidentally making him the first African-American to do so.[8]
References
- ^ Orlando Sentinel: Disney Names Exec to Lead Hawaii Resort
- ^ Hotel Online: Disney Resort Takes Shape on Oahu, Expects to Invest $800 million, Employ 1,000
- ^ Disney Press Release on Aulani
- ^ http://www.yesterland.com/disneykoolina3.html
- ^ Traveling Mom: Disney's Aulani for a Hawaiian Experience
- ^ Child & Family Services of Hawaii: Board of Directors
- ^ Urban Land Institute: Djuan Rivers Biography
- ^ http://www.everest-skydive.com/blog/first-skydive-2008-updates-7th-october/
External links
Categories:- 1965 births
- Living people
- African-American businesspeople
- Walt Disney World Resort
- Disney people
- Emory University alumni
- People from Orlando, Florida
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