Connie Latulippe and Disney Moms Inspire Kids to Work in the Parks

Disney is spotlighting two multigenerational cast member families for Mother’s Day, sharing how careers at Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort helped inspire the next generation to work in the parks.

The company shared the stories of Connie Latulippe at Walt Disney World and Jenny Sweetman at Disneyland Resort in an official Disney Parks Blog article provided through Disney Communications. Both stories focus on working mothers whose children eventually built Disney careers of their own.

Connie Latulippe with Matthew and Aiyana at Disney's Port Orleans Resort — Connie Latulippe with Matthew and Aiyana at Disney’s Port Orleans Resort. Photo courtesy of Disney Parks Blog.

Latulippe, who is from Kissimmee, started working at Walt Disney World when she was 16 years old. What began as a part-time weekend job grew into a career of more than 35 years, including roles across parks and resorts before she moved into Workforce Management.

While building that career, Latulippe also raised two children on her own. Disney said both of her children now work at Disney’s Port Orleans Resort. Her son Matthew works in food and beverage while pursuing pastry and culinary arts at Valencia College through Disney Aspire. Her daughter Aiyana has also joined Walt Disney World and is studying business administration through Disney Aspire.

“One of my proudest moments has been seeing my kids find their own paths here,” Latulippe said in the Disney article. “Disney has supported me through every stage of my life, and now I get to see that same support extended to my children.”

Disney also highlighted the Sweetman family at Disneyland Resort. Jenny Sweetman joined Disneyland Resort in 1983 as a hostess in New Orleans Square and went on to build a career of more than four decades across the resort.

Jenny Sweetman and Jessica in New Orleans Square at Disneyland. Photo courtesy of Disney Parks Blog.

Sweetman’s three daughters, Kellie, Andie and Jessica, all later joined Disneyland Resort in different roles. Disney said Kellie began at the resort in 2011 and advanced through leadership and safety-focused roles. Andie started in retail while working toward a degree in Hospitality Management. Jessica began nearly 30 years after her mother’s first role, starting in the same land where Jenny’s Disney career began, then later earned an MBA with help from Disney Aspire and moved into Communications.

“I just wanted them to know they could do anything,” Sweetman said in the Disney article. “Disney gave me the space to grow, and I wanted them to feel that same kind of possibilities for themselves.”

Jessica, Jenny, Andie and Kellie just inside the gates at Disneyland. Photo courtesy of Disney Parks Blog.

The Mother’s Day feature also points to Disney Aspire and Disney’s broader education programs as part of the company’s focus on career growth. Disney said cast members have an average tenure of 12 years, and the email from Disney Communications noted that Walt Disney World’s retention rate is above 80 percent with attrition at a 20-year low.

For both families, the throughline is the same: a Disney job became a long-term career, then became a model for the next generation.

Source: Disney Parks Blog via Disney Communications