Ed is a 20-year veteran the Walt Disney Company; and he served in a variety of roles, from senior auditor at Walt Disney World to the executive managing director of Walt Disney Attractions in Japan. But for the last 3 years, we have been lucky enough to have him in Anaheim.

His hard work has continued to make Disneyland one of our Nation's top tourist attractions. In fact, in 2008, while most attractions were hurting, Disneyland hosted 14.7 million visitors and generated substantial revenue for our local businesses and for our cities. In addition, Disney is Orange County's largest private employer, with about 20,000 employees.

During Ed's tenure, the resort began a $1 billion expansion of Disney's California Adventure and constructed the company's first west coast timeshare units at the Grand Californian Hotel, which opened last month.

In addition Ed joined the Orange County community by serving as a board member for the Children's Hospital of Orange County. Ed's skill and leadership will be missed, and I wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors.