Follow Us On
Website
Free Subscription!
Click here to
learn more!
Free Subscription!
Click here to
learn more!
|
| Yvonne Chang Director of Operations Integration Disney Vacation Club |
| Recipient of the ARDA Circle of Excellence (ACE) Women on Their Way Award |
| |
by Sharon B. Drechsler, RRP
owner/operator
Drechsler Communications
|
| |
The scene is akin to an evening at the Emmy’s, with men in their tuxes and women in elegant gowns and jewels. The spotlight at American Resort Development Association (ARDA)’s Awards Gala Extravaganza falls on an attractive young woman as she steps onto the stage to stand before hundreds of men and women who represent the most successful and accomplished in the resort development industry, today. Yvonne Chang, Disney Vacation Club’s Director of Operations Integration, is there to collect recognition that came hard-earned. “The ACE Women on Their Way Award recognizes the outstanding achievements of women who continue to excel and advance in the industry,” is the description according to ARDA. “Yvonne Chang personifies this award with her development in system solutions, opening the first timeshare sales center in a retail mall and her inspiring dedication to her fellow colleagues of the Disney Vacation Club.”
The following morning, attendees at ARDA’s 2010 Convention and Exhibition gather to hear more of her story as she sits on the dais during an interactive workshop entitled, “The Secret Differentiator: What it Takes to be a Market Leader in Today’s Dynamic Global Marketplace.” During an illuminating session on the role diversity and inclusiveness can play in promoting success within an organization, Chang confesses that despite parents who encouraged her to celebrate a multicultural heritage, the last thing she wanted as a child, was to stand out. She speaks about being a very shy young girl.
Kendall Wright of Pope & Associates, facilitated the session and helped clarify how and why an atmosphere that encourages independent thought and, even, permission to be wrong on occasion, promotes creativity. “It is hard to get a new idea from an echo,” he says. As Wright concludes, “If we don’t get this right, we lose.”
“Diversity is not an option if you want to be successful,” Chang adds. There was no trace of her girlhood shyness as she contributed throughout the workshop.
“I was born in Havana, Cuba, but immigrated to the United States with my Mom and Dad and sister at a very young age,” she writes later. “I consider the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area my home town, because that is where I spent the majority of my childhood and young adult years.
“I have a multicultural background, my mother is Cuban and my father is Chinese. I was raised in a home where our Hispanic, Asian, and American culture were equally celebrated and am blessed to have been encouraged to be multilingual (some of my parents’ friends encouraged their children speak English only). My parents always believed in the value of having a diversity of language skills; I am fluent in Spanish (my first language) and English (my second language), and speak some French and Cantonese (my third and fourth languages).”
As the workshop concludes, Chang adds, “The key for leaders in a well-rounded organization is to become the role models, themselves, to encourage others.”
Her parents provided themselves as rich role models for her. “My mom and dad have a unique story of love, devotion, and perseverance that continues to inspire me to this day. My parents, who continue to be my greatest role models, have taught me many wonderful life lessons: true love, loyalty, faith and family first, following your dreams even against all odds, hard work, passion for what you do, and always giving 150 percent to anything you decide to do. These lessons have served me well in both my personal and professional life.”
She has been happily married for 14 years to her husband, Bill Wahl. Together, the two are now the role models to many nieces and nephews. Plus, they are able to take care of Chang’s parents, who live ten minutes from their home in Windermere, Florida.
Chang acquired a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from George Mason University and, later, a Master of Business Administration at Stetson University.
She describes her career leading her to the timeshare industry as a winding road. “I started my professional life as an electrical engineer with Value Systems Engineering (VSE), a U.S. Department of Defense contracting firm in Alexandria, Virginia,” she says. While there, she worked on the design and production of military/DOD systems and technologies, some of which were used in the first Gulf war. “Not exactly the leisure or hospitality industry!” she grins.
“When I entered the engineering world I was among few women in the industry. I found the best way to address any biases is to work hard and be a team player. This is true for any bias someone can face. You can work through issues when your reputation is one of integrity and dedication.”
She left the contracting firm after a couple of years to join AT&T, later continuing with its spinoff, Lucent Technologies. “There, my experience broadened from engineering, research and development and information technology; to sales and marketing, international business planning and development, product development, public relations/media relations/government relations, customer care/call centers; to diversity and human resources, to name a few.”
The epitome of most vacationers going to Orlando is the Walt Disney World theme park, just as The Walt Disney Company is considered the top employer in town. Chang had a personal passion for the Disney brand since early childhood. As an adult, this passion matured into an appreciation for the excellence of The Walt Disney Company.
“I was thrilled when I was offered the opportunity to join Disney in 1998,” she says. “During my eleven-plus years with Disney, I have been fortunate to hold a variety of roles that I have been very passionate about, including communications, multi-market business development, diversity and for the past three and half years, leading operations integration for Disney Vacation Club (DVC).
“DVC was always a business that I had admired from afar for its innovative and entrepreneurial culture. I also greatly admired the vision and strong leadership qualities of its president, Jim Lewis, for whom I had the opportunity to work in my previous Disney roles.”
Joining the DVC team to lead Operations Integration, gave her the chance to leverage the diversity of experiences she has acquired both while working at Disney and prior to joining the company. She is responsible for developing and launching new business channels globally, leading the DVC member services call center, providing business intelligence solutions to all business areas, integrating new technologies, establishing and managing vendor/partner relationships and supporting the function of business and operations integration.
“I am passionate about the DVC product, the work that I do and, very importantly, I love the people (my fellow cast members) with whom I work,” Chang observes enthusiastically.
She has a keen appreciation for the difference made in her own life by her mentors. “What strength of character I might have comes from my parents. They taught me, and continue to teach me, the importance of values such as integrity, working hard and perseverance, and loyalty and caring for others.
“In my professional life, Jim Lewis has been my greatest mentor and an inspirational leader. He is a leader that lives the values he imparts to his team. By example, he has taught me the lessons of great leadership, including having clear vision, setting the path for success, knowing how to remove obstacles, never settling, always holding yourself and others accountable for delivering excellence, inspiring others to achieve what is not thought to be possible and giving credit where credit is due, thus enabling those you lead to shine. Jim continues to raise the bar for all of us and we never want to let him down. Therefore, we always do our best to rise to the occasion and, as a result, we have become better leaders.”
And, what does she like the most about her job? “If you talk with people at Disney, you will get the answer: the people at Disney. This is a nearly unanimous response. We have a dedicated group of cast members who do their best every day to make magical moments for our guests. It is a pleasure to work alongside of people who enjoy what they do and who pursue excellence in all that they do.”
While she has participated with her fellow cast members in a number of exciting initiatives, she is particularly proud of DVC’s launch for their off-premises centers. The Disney Doorway to Dreams stores were the first timeshare sales centers to operate in traditional retail malls.
“Our groundbreaking center exceeded all expectations when it debuted in suburban Chicago in 2007 and paved the way for a second ‘doorway’ to open on New York’s Long Island in 2009,” she remarks.
“Leading this initiative, I leveraged all the great lessons and experiences I have gained over the years in a variety of areas of business development, sales and marketing, government relations, public relations and especially the importance of great team work and partnership. What makes me especially proud is that these projects were successfully launched because of the amazing contributions and team work from the many cast members across every functional area across our business, including sales, marketing, compliance, finance, Walt Disney Imagineering and many more.”
Chang clearly enjoys the excitement of having no two days alike as she works to build DVC’s business, both domestically and internationally. Her energy is almost boundless, as can be seen from her curricula vitae:
- Chair of Leadership Orlando Class 70, 2006-2007 (Graduate of Leadership Orlando Class 62, 2003-2004)
- Executive Board Member, Disney/SBA National Entrepreneur Center 2003-2007
- Executive Board Member, Hispanic Business Initiatives Fund 2003-2006
- Board Member, Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Central Florida 2003-2006
- Trustee Board Member, African American Chamber of Commerce of Central Florida 2003-2004
- Board Member, Metro Orlando International Affairs Commission 2000-2004
- Executive Mentor, Women Unlimited, Inc.
- Volunteer, Central Florida Coalition for the Homeless
- Community Board Member, Orlando Magic Youth Foundation 2008-Present
- Advisory Board Member, Stetson University School of Business 2009 – Present
- Advisory Council Member, Stetson University Executive MBA Program 2009 – Present
“Disney Vacation Club is a dynamic place to be,” adds Chang. “I’m excited about what the future holds. We have a new resort opening in fall 2011 on O‘ahu and that opens many new possibilities for us.
“The industry, too, is in a period of change. Change can be intimidating or positive and exciting, depending on how you choose to shape it. At Disney Vacation Club we are choosing to view the future brightly with new market opportunities and innovative ways of offering vacation ownership options to audiences around the world, all of course in the unique magical, Disney way.”
|
|
|
|
Print this page
