Senior Vice President, Creative Development - Walt Disney Imagineering

Tony Baxter has played a key role in the design and creation of many Disney attractions and theme parks of the last 30 years, including Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Splash Mountain, the Indiana JonesTM Adventure, and the overall creative role for Disneyland and Disneyland Paris. Now a senior vice president of Creative Development and creative executive in charge of the Disneyland Park portfolio, Baxter is responsible for providing creative ideas and input for Walt Disney's original theme park. Recently, he was a creative executive on Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage, which opened at Disneyland in June 2007.

Baxter began his Disney career in 1965 at Disneyland while completing his education at California State University, Long Beach, graduating in 1969 with a bachelor's degree in theater design. As part of his portfolio, he presented a precisely engineered model of a "Marble Maze" to executives at Walt Disney Imagineering, and was hired in l970 as a dimensional designer. He was sent to Florida to work on the Walt Disney World Resort, which opened in 1971. In the mid-70's he developed the concept for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, which opened at Disneyland in l979 and is now featured at every Disneyland-style park throughout the world.

In 1989, he was appointed senior vice president responsible for the concept development, design and creation of Disneyland Paris (1992). He continued to provide creative direction for new shows and enhancements at Disneyland in California, including the Indiana JonesTM Adventure, which opened in l995, and the major redevelopment of Tomorrowland that opened in May 1998. Born in Los Angeles, Baxter resides in Anaheim, California, in an imaginative home he designed. In 1988 he received the "Distinguished Alumni Award" in fine arts from California State University, Long Beach, the "Over the Years Award" by the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA), and most recently the "Lifetime Achievement Award" from the Themed Entertainment Association (TEA).

Walt Disney Imagineering is the unique innovative organization that creates - from concept through construction – all Disney theme parks, resorts, attractions, cruise ships, real estate developments, and regional entertainment venues worldwide. Imagineering's unique strength comes from the teamwork and syntheses of creative and technical professionals representing more than 140 diverse disciplines.