LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — The newest pair of Walt Disney World ambassadors have been announced.
What You Need To Know
- Disney World has named its next set of ambassadors: Serena Arvizu and Shannon Smith-Conrad
- The pair, who were introduced at a ceremony Friday, will serve 2024-25
- They will replace outgoing Disney World ambassadors Ali Manion and Raevon Redding
At a ceremony at EPCOT on Friday, Disney named Serena Arvizu and Shannon Smith-Conrad as the ambassadors who will represent the resort in 2024 and 2025.
Arvizu has been with the company for four years and has a background in supplier diversity. Smith-Conrad, who comes from the recruitment side, has been with the company for eight years.
In their ambassador roles, they will represent the resort and its tens of thousands of cast members at special events, corporate functions and community events at Disney World and around Central Florida.
Smith-Conrad said one of the things she’s most looking forward to is spending time with more cast members.
“I’m looking forward to learning more about their experience and highlighting and showcasing their stories, and sharing their stories with the world,” she said.
Arivzu said she’s also excited to share more stories about cast members and the community.
“I think the beautiful thing is that Shannon and I bring our own very unique perspectives to the ambassador program,” Arivzu said. “But one thing that I was able to share with people we meet throughout the process…I’m excited to shine a light on the communities and the people that resonate with me, but I don’t only want to cast a light on things that are familiar to me. I want to use this opportunity to hear stories outside of that.”
To be selected, cast members have to apply. Arvizu and Smith-Conrad were selected from a pool of about 300 applicants, which was whittled down after a rigorous interview process.
The pair will replace outgoing ambassadors Raevon Redding and Ali Manion, who have served during several milestones at the resort, including the 50th anniversary celebration and EPCOT’s 40th.
“It’s truly been incredible,” Manion said. “It’s truly been a dream come true these past two and a half years…getting to see our cast shine. It’s been amazing. It’s definitely bittersweet.”
Many past ambassadors were at the ceremony on Friday, including Steven Miller who served as a Disney World ambassador 2001-02.
They are part of a tradition that goes back all the way to 1964, when the program was launched at Disneyland. At the time, only one cast member at a time would fill the role, but over the years, as the program expanded, it became a two-person team.
“All the experiences that ambassadors share and all the stories they share, I think is that thing that kind of binds us all,” Miller said. “I’ve been here for 25 years now and continue to do it.”
When Arvizu and Smith-Conrad officially take on their new roles, it will mark the first time since 2008 that the Disney World ambassadors have both been women. And for Arvizu and Smith-Conrad, this next chapter in that long legacy is something can’t wait to carry on.