Ed Grier serves on WittKieffer’s board of directors, a role he has held since 2016. A leader in the corporate and academic worlds, Ed has served as dean of the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Business since 2010. He oversees programs supporting more than 3,000 undergraduate and 700 graduate students. Ed’s accomplishments at VCU include spearheading a strategic planning process for the school, revitalizing the business school development office, and identifying and pursuing alternate revenue streams with a focus on international partnerships and executive master’s programs. Ed’s leadership within the university includes an assignment as interim vice president for development and alumni relations from March to September 2017 and serving on the steering committee for the university budget redesign.
Previously, Ed served as a top executive for the Walt Disney Company, most notably as president of the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California, which comprises the Disneyland and Disney California Adventure Park theme parks and other related properties, accounting for nearly $2 billion in revenue and 20,000 employees.
Ed is a certified public accountant and worked for Ernst & Young early in his career, conducting financial audits with an emphasis on manufacturing and energy companies. He is a board member for NVR, Inc. and Middleburg Investment Group, and is also active in civic and nonprofit activities, including current service as a board member for the Greater Richmond Chamber of Commerce, The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, and Child Fund International.