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| Keith Smith leads an improv workshop on campus for Nazareth University business students. |
Keith Smith '89 has a simple formula for success: "Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you choose to deal with it."
By that math, Smith has spent three decades mastering the 90% — the part most business schools don't teach. How do you pivot when the sound system fails at a big ceremony and everyone looks to you? How do you help a housekeeper take care of a family member when her manager doesn't know how to navigate family medical leave — and make the employee feel seen and cared for in the process?
These aren't hypotheticals. They're scenes from Smith's 31-year career at Walt Disney World, where he rose from a seasonal Cast Member to senior vice president of human resources, earning recognition as a top 2% performer among 70,000 cast members. His foundation? A Nazareth University theatre arts degree that taught him the skills most leaders spend a lifetime trying to learn: how to read people, pivot when plans collapse, and create experiences that matter.
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| Persistence paid off for Keith Smith in landing full-time work at Disney, including a role as a Walt Disney World Ambassador in 1996. |
“No is not a forever answer”
Smith's path to Disney began with rejection — three times, actually. While cleaning out his parents' attic years later, he discovered a forgotten letter from his college years: “We regret we are unable to offer you employment at this time.” It was from Disney's College Program, February 1986.
After graduating from Naz, he performed in a show with Brighton Theatre Guild, where he met Marc, his future husband, who had a dream of working at Walt Disney World. Smith also wanted to get into the business of entertainment, so he went to a Disney audition in Cincinnati for performer roles. Smith said he isn’t a stellar singer or a technically skilled dancer, but went as "a singer who moves well." The Disney choreographer taught a routine to the packed room. Everyone did it and Smith watched. "He was going so fast, I had no clue," Smith recalls. "Groups of three were called up. I tripped the guy next to me. He fell down. Needless to say, I didn't get hired."
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| Keith Smith framed his 1986 College Program rejection letter: “We regret that we are unable to offer you employment at this time.” |
He tried again in New York City. Another rejection: "We do not have an opening suitable for your qualifications."
Finally, in 1991, the couple packed a U-Haul and drove from Rochester to Florida with no jobs waiting. At Disney-MGM Studios, Smith auditioned for roles in attractions that had substantial scripts. Rejected again. But he didn't leave. He talked to a manager and told her the whole sad story. Her unexpected feedback: "We thought you were good but that you would be bored. You might be better positioned to audition on the entertainment side."
A few weeks later, the call came: a seasonal, part-time position at SuperStar Television stage show at Disney MGM Studios, where Smith would warm up audiences and work with audience members selected to act out classic TV show scenes — leveraging all his theatre skills. "It was super fun and I loved it."
It took 18 months to land a full-time role, but Smith kept asking leaders what it would take. The answer: cross-training in character entertainment. At 6'1", he was perfect for tall character roles — Prince Eric from The Little Mermaid, parade characters, and a puppeteer. He became a trainer in character entertainment, then discovered the HR side of Disney through the company’s internal training arm — the Disney University and also the Disney Institute, where he taught external business leaders about Disney's operations.
Smith eventually framed that first rejection letter and hung it in his Disney office. "Don't give up," he'd tell everyone who stared at it. "No is not a forever answer."
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| Performing in Aladdin’s Royal Caravan Parade at Disney/MGM Studios at Disney World in the early 1990’s. |
Finding home at Nazareth
Threads of creativity and entrepreneurial success run through Smith's life. Growing up in West Irondequoit, New York, back in the day of cassette tapes, he built a stage in his parents' garage and charged a nickel for marionette puppet shows. He performed magic at church bazaars, clowned at kids' birthday parties, and played Johnny Appleseed in fourth grade, wearing one of his mother's pots on his head. In college, he co-owned a catering business with two friends. It started after a dinner they cooked for their parents went so well, they decided to turn it into a business, complete with marketing materials and custom menus.
Multiple experiences helped develop his business instincts. He was treasurer of his church youth group. He earned his Eagle Scout badge by refurbishing and organizing a church resource room that was in disarray. He worked at Wegmans throughout high school and college, earning a Wegmans scholarship and eventually moving into a personnel manager role at the Pittsford store.
When choosing a college, Nazareth quickly stood out. "I fell in love with Nazareth when I came on campus," he remembers. "It was the small classes, individualized attention, the opportunity to build relationships, and the support of the college in giving back to the community."
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| Keith Smith graduates from Nazareth, 1989. |
He connected deeply with David Farrell, chair of the theatre department at the time. "I remember hanging out in his office with other students. He nurtured students. He was highly entertaining and very funny." The relationship continued long after graduation — lunch meetings, Christmas cards, and mentorship.
Smith performed in multiple productions, stage-managed, and directed his senior project. He started as a theatre major with a minor in English, thinking he'd become an English teacher who directed plays, but switched to a business management minor. He had no idea how well those disciplines would align.
Creating happiness: Disney's (teachable) advantage
Over his 31-year career, Smith held about 20 different roles at Disney — from guest facilitator at the Disney Institute, facilitator for traditions (Disney's day-one orientation), Walt Disney World Ambassador, head of HR at Disney's Animal Kingdom, and ultimately a senior vice president of HR.
When people ask about Disney's magic — how the company gets everyone so aligned — Smith's answer is the clear mission. "Everybody has a job, and our jobs are all different, but we all have the same purpose: to create happiness," he explains. "Whether you're in an office or dancing down the street or working in the merchandise shops, we all align to that."
When a housekeeper had a sick family member in Puerto Rico and wanted to go provide care, her manager didn't know what resources were available. Smith told the employee about family medical leave and helped her navigate the process. When she returned, she brought him a gift — a 3D plaque that looks like a traditional Puerto Rican home. "I was doing my job," Smith reflects. "But to her I was someone who cared, who helped her, who allowed her to go see her family members."
Illuminating the shadows
When Smith retired from Disney in 2023, he pursued his plan to launch a consulting practice focused on change management — helping "creative, mission-driven leaders" who have big visions but struggle with execution.
His specialty? "Illuminating the shadows" — uncovering what people aren't saying. "70% of all change initiatives fail because organizations fail to pay attention to the people side of things," he notes. "Every change starts with an ending. What are people holding onto? What are they afraid of?"
Smith has brought this people-centered approach to diverse industries: entertainment, hospitality, call centers, finance, zoos and aquariums, credit unions, and nonprofit arts organizations. "Organizations are people," he observes. "They all have different cultures, but what we know about people and change is very consistent."
His consulting logo is a ghost light — the single bare bulb left burning on a dark stage. For Smith, it represents a full connection to his theatre background and his HR work: illuminating what's hidden, creating safety, and helping leaders see obstacles and pitfalls they might be missing.
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| Trust is key in improv — and in business relationships — Keith Smith said in a workshop for business students at Nazareth. |
Full circle: lighting the way forward
In fall 2025, Smith returned to Nazareth to lead an "Improv Your Impact" workshop for business students and speak with theatre seniors about his career path. The workshop is a passion project that he created, blending his unique background in theatre and HR. "Coming back has been fantastic," Smith says. "It just reminds me of what an amazing institution Nazareth is."
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| Keith Smith, who completed a minor in business management, talks to Nazareth business students about how incorporating the principles of improv and creativity can help their careers. |
Keith Smith, who completed a minor in business management, talks to Nazareth business students about how incorporating the principles of improv and creativity can help their careers.
He's particularly enthusiastic about how the university now integrates business and the arts. "If you're an artist, your business is you. And in business, how do you build in the creative? I love that the organizational structure at Nazareth is focused more on integrating the arts and business."
When Smith addressed theatre seniors facing the uncertainty of life after graduation, his message was clear: "You have gained skills that most people don't get" — communication and storytelling, collaboration and ensemble thinking, creative problem-solving, resilience and grit, and presence. "What does theatre teach you from the audition process?" he asked them. "Resilience. How to deal with rejection, to try something else."
Smith's commitment to students extends beyond workshops. He has created an endowed scholarship in his family name — a permanent and meaningful investment in future students. "My college years provided me with the foundation for my career and my success. My Nazareth experience was one that emphasized community, connection, and commitment to the individual, set in a small liberal arts institution," he explains. "All of these are hallmarks of what makes Naz great and why I want to support the university." He’s also providing input on a new advisory council for the College of Visual, Performing Arts, and Design at Nazareth.
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| Nazareth theatre students react with applause, snaps, and appreciative laughter during a career talk by Keith Smith. |
He's secured a contract with Disney to create a version of his improv workshop specifically for Disney audiences.
For 17 years, Smith volunteered as a board member with the Garden Theatre in Central Florida, helping grow it into one of the region's largest arts organizations. His advice? "Volunteer for opportunities because they conceal other opportunities." His Garden Theatre involvement began when someone asked him to facilitate a board work session. By the end of the session, he was on the board.
Standing on the same stage where he directed his senior project in Nazareth's Arts Center last fall, Smith shared a favorite campus memory: "Walking down the Arts Center hallway and you smell the makeup, the grease paint. The excitement of a performance night and then turning that hallway corner to enter the dressing rooms. I will always take that with me."
That sensory memory links the past to the present, the magician to the college student to the senior vice president, the garage theater to the theme park to the consulting practice. It's all been the same show: creating experiences for people and helping them see what's possible.
Career advice from Keith Smith
- On patience: "Nothing happens on your timeline. Whatever you do, do a brilliant job. Tomorrow will take care of itself."
- On building advocates: "Ask leaders: 'What would it take for you to be my advocate?' It gives you exactly what you need to do."
- On volunteering: "Sometimes the jobs no one wants conceal big opportunities. It opens doors you don't know exist."
- On discomfort: "When you're uncomfortable, it means you're learning."
