There is undoubtedly something special about working at Disneyland Resort that makes former cast members return, sometimes more than once. Take Cast Program Manager Chelsey McConnell, for example, who managed to find her way back to Disneyland Resort twice.
Chelsey at a table for the cast member preview of Oogie Boogie Bash. She welcomed cast members by distributing a special event map created by the Cast Activities team.
Chelsey’s Introduction to Disney
Chelsey’s path to Disney began as a college student when she interned for the Orange County and Inland Empire chapter of Make-A-Wish. After learning about Disney’s longstanding relationship with Make-A-Wish, Chelsey set her sights on working at Disneyland Resort, so she could help make wishes come true at The Happiest Place on Earth.
Make-A-Wish is a nonprofit organization that makes dreams, or “wishes” come true for children battling critical illnesses. Disneyland Resort has collaborated with Make-A-Wish since 1981, and together, they have made over 155,000 wishes come true.
After graduating, she began working at the now-revamped Pixar Place Hotel while continuing to volunteer with Make-A-Wish.
Finally, Chelsey’s big break came when she learned of an opening at Disneyland Resort on the team that grants wish visits through Make-A-Wish and other wish-granting organizations. This eventually led to Chelsey earning her dream role as a corporate citizenship assistant.
New opportunities
After a couple of years, Chelsey wanted to expand the horizons in her career. She gained experience in other roles on the corporate social responsibility team, including supporting Disney VoluntEARS efforts in the community. During her time in this role, she worked on the 60th anniversary celebration of Disneyland and even helped create free community movie events for Anaheim neighbors and families.
After leaving the company for a brief period, she soon landed a role within Disney’s Enterprise Social Responsibility team, working as a strategic philanthropy program manager. She later transferred back to Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, where she helped launch the childcare program at Disneyland Resort.
Chelsey’s big return
Two years and one child later, Chelsey decided finding a part-time job was the best decision for her and her growing family. She reconnected with old friends in the Cast Activities department at Disneyland Resort. Cast Activities is responsible for organizing fun and unique events for cast members, including the summertime Canoe Races, an in-park scavenger hunt called Minnie’s Moonlit Madness, exclusive previews of new attractions and many more.
These kinds of events have been a key component of the workplace culture at Disneyland Resort for decades, beginning with the first Canoe Races in 1963. Participating in these events allows cast members to come together for team building, camaraderie and mingling with coworkers or cast members from different departments.
Eventually, an opportunity opened on the team which allowed Chelsey to work part-time and tend to her two young children; Chelsey and her husband, Matt, welcomed their second child last year.
However, Chelsey’s work schedule isn’t the only reason she enjoys her current role. “I love getting to work with partners across the resort to put together fun events for cast members,” she said. “I remember attending Cast Activities events when I was first starting my career with Disney, and it’s such a fun, surreal experience to get to be on this side of it.”
After all the back-and-forth, Chelsey says that returning to Disney was “like I’ve been coming home both times.”
The McConnell family in front of Pixar Pal-A-Round at Disney California Adventure park. Chelsey’s husband, Matt, is a revenue management and analytics manager at Disneyland Resort.
Any child would be happy to have one parent work at Disneyland Resort, let alone both parents. Chelsey happily shared that her oldest child “thinks it’s so exciting that her mom and dad both work for Disney. She thinks we just play in the park all day.”
Having experiences beyond the company, Chelsey is grateful that Disney is “just part of who I am, and I’m proud of the work that Disney does.”