Mario Trujillo: Disney Experience Coming to New York City
Given the “Be Our Guest” mindset of The Walt Disney Company, I have often wondered when government agencies and municipalities might take a chance on a Disney Executive; using their experience to change an “off-property” customer service situation for the better. Enter New York City; make that, inject former Disney exec Mario Trujillo into NYC.
On Saturday, June 15, The New York Post reported:
- Schools chancellor Richard Carranza has hired a longtime Walt Disney World executive as the Dept. of Education’s first-ever “chief experience officer,” the Post has learned.
- Trujillo, 45, has held various jobs for Walt Disney World since 2008, most recently as communications manager for Disney Cruise Line and Adventures by Disney.
- He previously was communications manager for Disney Parks & Resorts, and an entertainment manager for Disney theme parks.
Carranza and Trujillo have music in common: “[Trujillo] performed for 10 years as lead violinist and vocalist with [Disney’s] Mariachi Cobre band. Carranza also sings and plays guitar with mariachi groups.”
While it is not unusual for companies to hire customer service experts, the move by the NYC schools chancellor was not university lauded:
The Post added:
- “I am not averse to hires from the private sector, but [Trujillo’s Disney] job history does not equate to anything I’m familiar with in education,” said Eric Nadelstern, a retired Columbia University professor and DOE deputy chancellor under Mayor Bloomberg.
- “The DOE is not in the entertainment business,” said veteran teacher Peter Goodman. “The system should be producing kids who can read, write, and do math.”