Former Walt Disney Imagineer Joe Rohde Joins Virgin Galactic

Virgin Galactic announced today that former Walt Disney Imagineer Joe Rohde will be joining their team as their first Experience Architect, bringing more than 40 years’ experience from Walt Disney Imagineering where he led projects that transformed the image of Disney’s iconic experiences and attractions.

Joe said during an interview that “I spent 40 years with Walt Disney Imagineering and that word, ‘Imagineering,’ refers to the fusion of imagination and engineering. This means I’ve come from a tradition where if you are imagining something, you are imagining that thing is going to be made real. That’s also been going on here at Virgin Galactic, and I’m delighted to be joining at this incredible moment in time when it is about to blossom into public awareness.”

Virgin Galactic CEO Michael Colglazier, who is a former Disneyland President, mentions that “Joe has a methodology that is unique, inspired, and truly effective,” Colglazier said. “His track record for keeping authenticity central to the design and creating deeply transformative experiences aligns perfectly with our mission.”

Joe left his imprint on Disney with some incredible creations, from Pandora to Guardians of the Galaxy Mission Breakout, there’s no telling what he’s going to do for the future of Virgin Galactic, but we can surely say it’ll be beyond infinity.

Clint Gamache

Clint Gamache is the owner of ThrillGeek. He started ThrillGeek to share his love of theme/amusement parks and pop culture with the world. You can find him at Halloween Horror Nights. Also, be sure to follow him on Twitter/X, Instagram @iamcg83