Two Cast Members have been announced as the resort’s newest Ambassadors for the 2024-2025 year. 

The newest Walt Disney World Ambassadors have been chosen, and they’re ready to embark on a special mission as the Walt Disney Company celebrates its 100th anniversary! On September 22, 2023, two Disney Cast Members – Serena Arvizu and Shannon Smith-Conrad – were announced as the 2024-2025 Walt Disney World Ambassadors.

Arvizu began working with Disney back in 2016 as a hostess at The Crystal Palace in Magic Kingdom Park through the Disney College Program. She’ll join the Ambassador Team from Disney Supplier Diversity, where she’s worked as a Sourcing Specialist since December 2020. Smith-Conrad has been with Disney since 2012, when she also joined as part of the Disney College Program at Disneyland Resort. She’ll join the Ambassador Team from Professional Recruitment, where she’s worked as a Coordinator since November 2021.

The announcement took place during a special ceremony at EPCOT, with their families, hundreds of coworkers, and former Disney Ambassadors present. It’s the first milestone in what will be an exciting Ambassador term for Arvizu and Smith-Conrad, who have the special honor of helping to celebrate the big Disney100 anniversary and all of the Cast Members, fans, and storytellers who’ve made Disney magic over the last century. And of course, there’s plenty more in store, since more projects are underway in the next decade than at any other point in Disney Parks, Experiences and Products history!

While Arvizu and Smith-Conrad serve as 2024-2025 Disney Ambassadors, they’ll see Walt Disney World Resort achieve significant milestones. The opening of Journey of Water, Inspired by Moana, the opening of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure at Magic Kingdom Park, a new nighttime spectacular at EPCOT, and the groundbreaking of a new Central Florida affordable housing development are all planned for their term. 

About the Disney Ambassador Program

The Disney Ambassador Program is a longstanding tradition within The Walt Disney Company, one that dates back to 1965. Walt Disney himself named the first-ever Disney Ambassador – and now, almost 60 years later, there’s a whole global team of Ambassadors who represent the thousands of Cast Members across Disney theme parks, resorts, and experiences. 

Ambassadors play an important role in bringing Disney magic to life and into communities. Walt Disney World Ambassadors are chosen every two years. Only 82 Walt Disney World Cast Members have ever been chosen for this special position since the resort’s opening back in 1971. As Arvizu and Smith-Conrad step into their roles, the outgoing Ambassadors – Ali Manion and Raevon Redding – will continue to serve in their roles until the end of 2023.