George Kalogridis, a 38-year Disney veteran and former Disneyland executive, has been named president of the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California.

Kalogridis, 55, most recently served as chief operating officer for Disneyland Resort Paris, where he was responsible for leading the operations team and overseeing the 15th anniversary celebration of the resort. He will report to Al Weiss, president of Worldwide Operations for Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, and replaces Ed Grier, who is retiring from the company.

From 2000 to 2002, Kalogridis served as senior vice president of Resort Operations for the Disneyland Resort, where he played a significant role in the opening of Disney's California Adventure park and Downtown Disney. In addition, he was responsible for the daily operations of both theme parks and three hotels, as well as Downtown Disney.

During his tenure with Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, Kalogridis has held numerous executive positions. In addition to his leadership roles in both Paris and Anaheim, he served as vice president of Travel Operations at Walt Disney World in Orlando. He also served as vice president of Walt Disney World's EPCOT park, where - in addition to overseeing park operations - he led the Millennium Celebration for The Walt Disney Company.

Kalogridis started his career with the company in 1971 as a busboy at the opening of the Contemporary Resort at Walt Disney World. For more than five years, he served as general manager of the Grand Floridian Beach Resort. He has held executive roles in Human Resources at Walt Disney World and served as one of the original Cast Members on the Disneyland Resort Paris development team in 1988.