Kristina Schake, who served as the head of the Biden Administration’s COVID-19 vaccine education campaign, has been named by Disney as its new executive vice president of global communications.
Last year, Schake was appointed by President Biden as counselor to the Secretary for Strategic Communications at the U.S. Dept of Health and Human Services, overseeing the campaign to educate the public about the COVID-19 vaccine and how to receive it. She has also served as global communications director for Instagram.
Her history in politics also includes work as the deputy communications director for Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign as well as special assistant to President Barack Obama and communications director for First Lady Michelle Obama.
Schake will report to Disney’s chief corporate affairs officer Geoff Morrell.
“I could not be more pleased to welcome Kristina to Disney and to have her leading communications for the company,” Morrell said in a statement. “Her experience in the public and private sectors, in political and corporate campaigns, make her ideally suited for this important role and to help me integrate communications with government relations, public policy, and corporate social responsibility into a new Corporate Affairs team. Together with the exceptional professionals at Disney, we will help the world’s greatest storytelling company engage even more effectively with our many stakeholders around the world.”
“As Disney approaches its 100th anniversary, I’m excited to lead the company’s global communications work at this pivotal moment of growth and transformation,” Schake said. “The magical stories and experiences Disney creates enrich the lives of countless people around the world and it’s an honor for me to be a part of that, helping Bob Chapek, Geoff Morrell, and the talented teams throughout the company tell the story of Disney as it begins its second century.”