Geoff Morrell, the company’s head of corporate affairs, is leaving, Disney CEO Bob Chapek said in a statement to staff on Friday. “I am writing to share the news that Geoff Morrell, our Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, is leaving the company to pursue other opportunities,” he wrote in a note to Deadline. Chapek said his company has no shortage of talent since Morrell’s resignation. The company is also reshaping its leadership in public affairs and government relations. Kristina Schake, a former Biden government aide who served as head of the White House vaccine campaign for COVID-19, has been named executive vice president for global communications. Schake will lead the company’s communications efforts and will report to Chapek. Disney has also hired its chief executive, Horacio Gutierrez, to lead government relations and global politics. Morrell reportedly admitted that the job did not suit him. “After three months in this new role, it became clear to me that for various reasons it did not fit right,” he wrote in a separate note seen by the Financial Times. The Epoch Times contacted Disney for comment. Protesters protest Walt Disney Company stand against a law recently passed in Florida outside the company’s headquarters in Burbank, California on April 6, 2022. (Jill McLaughlin / The Epoch Times) The outgoing communications officer was appointed to the post less than four months ago. His departure came as no surprise to many as the company experienced a chaotic confrontation with the governor of Florida. Disney has embarked on a saga with Florida after the state passed the Parental Education Bill, which bans teachers from giving instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity to children in the third grade. Proponents of her case have been working to make the actual transcript of this statement available online. The House of Mouse criticized the bill, saying it “should never have been passed and should never have been signed into law.” The company also claimed that it had a “goal” to repeal or repeal the law. The dispute sparked a confrontation between Disney and DeSantis management. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis unveils Parental Education Bill signed by elementary school students during a March 28, 2022, press conference at the Classical Preparatory School in Shady Hills, Florida. (Douglas R. Clifford / Tampa Times via AP) DeSantis signed a bill April 22 to dissolve Disney’s self-governing status in central Florida after the state House and Senate passed the bill. The law will eliminate the 55-year-old Reedy Creek Improvement District and many similar areas by June 2023. The measure allows the restoration of these areas under certain conditions. It could have significant tax implications for Disney, which manages a number of theme parks in the 25,000-acre area. “Unbelievably,” they say, “we will work to abolish parental rights in Florida,” DeSantis said, referring to Disney’s corporate leadership. “And I just think to myself, you’re a company based in Burbank, California, and you’re going to use your financial strength to attack my state’s parents. We consider it a challenge and we will counterattack “. Read Chapek’s note to staff, taken from Deadline: Club- I am writing to share the news that Geoff Morrell, our Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, is leaving the company to seek other opportunities. Fortunately, the strength and experience of our existing leadership team — including relatively new all-star recruits — means that there is no shortage of talent to guide our reputation-leading functions. With the departure of Geoff, I am pleased to share the following changes: First, Kristina Schake will lead the communication efforts of The Walt Disney Company, serving as our Executive Vice President, Global Communications reporting directly to me. In this expanded role, Kristina will oversee corporate and departmental communications and will continue to be our principal representative. Potential communications clients of our business and content division will continue to provide dual reference to both department leadership and corporate communications, now headed by Kristina. We are incredibly lucky to have Kristina with us at this important time. Her more than 30 years of experience include leading roles in President Biden’s COVID-19 vaccine training program, Instagram communications and political campaign leadership, and in the Obama White House. Kristina has a strategic approach and collaborative style, as well as relentless optimism and a strong appreciation of our brand and its place in the world. These traits will be invaluable as she works to protect and enhance our reputation, and I’m excited to work with her more closely. Then Government Relations and Global Public Policy will be led by our Adviser General, Horacio Gutierrez. Ever since joining the company earlier this year, Horacio has seamlessly integrated into the Disney family and quickly become a valuable advisor to me and the leadership team on a wide range of topics. His extensive experience in guiding these areas will be incredibly useful in boosting our efforts. In addition to his current direct reports, Susan Fox, Senior Vice President for Government Relations, and Yvonne Pei, Senior Vice President for External Relations, Greater China, will participate with Dorothy Attwood, Senior Vice President, Global Public Relations, Horace. Finally, Jenny Cohen, Executive Vice President, Corporate Social Responsibility, will now refer exclusively to me as the lead in our CSR and ESG efforts. Jenny is a strong leader and has done an incredible job of modernizing our approach to key areas such as environmental sustainability, community investment and philanthropy. I’m incredibly confident about this team and look forward to working with them and all of our leadership to chart Disney for the next 100 years of great entertainment and experience. Jack Phillips contributed to this report. Follow Allen Zhong is a longtime writer and reporter for The Epoch Times. He joined the Epoch Media Group in 2012. His main focus is on US politics.
