Sean Sanner is the Global Emergency Preparedness and Response Manager for the East
Coast at The Walt Disney Company. Sean's journey in crisis and emergency management
began with a strong desire to share knowledge and expand skills in this critical field. Over
the years, Sean has had the privilege of working with some of the most dedicated
professionals and organizations, honing his expertise and making a meaningful impact.
Sean started a career at The Walt Disney Company in 2011, holding various roles that
contributed to growth and understanding of emergency preparedness and response.
Currently, he serves as the Emergency Preparedness and Response Manager for the East
Coast, Global Emergency Preparedness and Response Department. In this role, Sean has
successfully built justification and gained approval to expand life safety training programs
such as CPR/AED/First Aid training, Fire Extinguisher training, and CERT to properties in
Florida. He facilitates training in all three areas and is also a certified Human Services
Response/Care Team trainer and responder. The role involves managing building
emergency response plans for offices in the southeast United States and overseeing the
department's global Awards and Recognition Program. One of Sean's proudest
achievements is managing the Disney Heroes program, where he reviews nominations,
presents them to a committee, revises and justifies nominations for the Chief Security
Officer, orders and ships awards, maintains the Disney Heroes Website, and organizes the
publication of milestone achievements.
Additionally, Sean maintains oversight and collaboration on southeast Hurricane Planning,
manages the enterprise satellite technology program, and has experience overseeing
vendor management, deployment, tracking of devices, and general support for all satellite
phone technology. Sean assists in the operations of The Walt Disney Company corporate
EOC, maintaining and managing global org charts, Outlook distribution lists, and crisis
tools management and distribution.
In 11 years as an Emergency/Crisis Manager, he has collaborated with partners to develop
on-demand employee training for Security Systems and created disaster-specific
checklists for employees, including information for individuals with access and functional
needs, to utilize in preparation for natural disasters. He developed and maintained multiple
online crisis management training classes focusing on natural disaster preparedness.
Sean worked as a Business Continuity Planner, supporting long-term needs and strategy for
various lines of business by developing and practicing business continuity plans per
corporate standards and controls, conducting risk assessments, and testing new data
collection tools for business continuity plans.
Sean has had the opportunity to evaluate annual multi-agency, mass casualty exercises
with Orlando Health and Florida Hospital and a mass casualty family reunification exercise
at Tampa International Airport. Sean reviewed, revised, and improved the Walt Disney
World Resort comprehensive emergency management plan to align with the TWDC
corporate crisis management plan. He gathered and disseminated information pertinent to
developing operational security strategies for Executive Leadership and external partners
for multiple events including marathons, the Invictus Games, Dignitary visits, and movie
premiers. Sean facilitated incident command center, active shooter awareness, and
emergency evacuation training courses, facilitating over 200 exercises ranging from small
tabletops to large full-scale exercises.
Sean holds a Master of Science in Human Security and Resilience (2017) and a Bachelor of
Science in Homeland Security (2013) from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University. He also
holds various licenses, certifications, and training, including FEMA Certifications, CERT
Trainer, American Red Cross Instructor, FEMA Professional Development Series, and more.
Throughout his career, he has had a commitment to promoting fun, efficient, safe, clean,
and friendly work environments for Leaders and Cast Members. Sean's journey has been
marked by continuous learning, collaboration, and a dedication to making a positive
impact in the field of crisis and emergency management.