Kartika Rodriguez Shares Why Inclusion, Education And Technology Are Important At Disney Parks

Running a theme park takes strong leadership skills, dedication, and a bit of luck. Kartika Rodriguez, Vice President of EPCOT at Walt Disney World, has all three of those qualities, even in the midst of change at the park and in her own work over the years.

“I have an undergrad in industrial engineering and my master’s in manufacturing engineering with a concentration in engineering management. So when I started with this company, I actually started out in the industrial engineering group which is more like an internal consultant group with the company,” she says.

Over her 23 years of working for The Walt Disney Company, she’s had about 10 different roles within the company. She’s worked in the call center, as a back-of-house support managing project dollars, what she calls a “chief-of-staff” role at Magic Kingdom where she assisted in opening the wildly popular New Fantasyland area of the park, then moved to EPCOT as a general manager. After working in that role for about five years, Rodriguez was promoted to vice president of EPCOT, where her focus has been the transformation of the park.

Technology at the Disney Parks as an inspirational tool

Disney Parks around the world rely on technology daily, from how people enter the theme parks to how attractions continuously run every day. “Technology is here to stay, and it’s up to us to continue to try different ways to improve our guest’s experience in general,” says Rodriguez.

A few new attractions and restaurants have opened at EPCOT over the past few years including Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind and Space 220, respectively, in the new World Discovery area of the park. Rodriguez believes that these new additions to EPCOT not only allow people to be exposed to new technology but inspire future generations.

When Space 220 — a restaurant themed around dining 220 miles above earth — opened, Rodriguez was on hand to ask families what they thought of the experience. “A little boy, he was probably about eight years old, he’s like, ‘I know what I want to be now, I want to be an astronaut or an engineer.’ And you think about this technology and just inspiring and opening up people’s eyes and daring them to dream,” Rodriguez explains.

Educating people about different cultures is the heart of EPCOT

EPCOT is also known for its World Showcase, which is a circular pathway around a lagoon where 11 different countries from around the world are shown through interactive pavilions. Within each pavilion, the cast members that work there are from the respective country, allowing guests to interact with people from various cultures. These cultural representatives are a vital part to educating guests.

“The ability to educate people based on different cultures, they get a chance to experience different foods, they get to see architecture, [and] our culture reps talk about their culture,” explains Rodriguez.

To Rodriguez, the idea that everyone can work, play, and learn from each other is important. “It’s the heart of what I think Epcot represents and does so well,” she says.

It’s important for Disney fans to see themselves in the parks

Like Disney movies leaning into more diverse characters, the Disney Parks are continuing to bring more diversity and inclusion into the theme parks. In fact, in 2020, it was announced that “Inclusion” would be an added “key” to Disney’s training program. The other four keys are safety, courtesy, show and efficiency. Of the new key, Josh D’Amaro, chairman of Disney Parks, Experiences and Products said in a Disney Parks Blog story, “Inclusion is essential to our culture and leads us forward as we continue to realize our rich legacy of engaging storytelling, exceptional service, and Disney magic.”

One diversity and inclusion champion that Rodriguez highlights is Carmen Smith, who is the Senior Vice President and Executive Creative Development Product/Content and Inclusive Strategies for Disney Parks, Experiences, and Products. “I was [recently] speaking with Carmen Smith, who does a lot of our diversity content. And what I love about the women within the organization [is] this ability to lean in to tell different stories and their ability to be empathetic, to walk in someone else’s shoes and to have the desire to really understand and what to know someone else’s story,” says Rodriguez.

In a recent interview with Forbes, Smith said, “Our world is always in motion, and I think we’re always evolving, growing, and for us to be relevant, we have to look at the stories we’re telling. We have to make sure that we are being inclusive, that we’re not perpetuating misconceptions or stereotypes.”

Inclusion is a pillar of what EPCOT stands for. “Understanding that there’s a multitude of stories out there, then bringing that together to be able to tell our guest’s and people’s stories from around the world so that people can connect and see themselves, and hopefully be inspired by our stories,” explains Rodriguez.