UPDATE: Brad Rex recently accepted a new leadership position, and as of May 18, joined Hilton Grand Vacations as the Executive Vice President, Chief Customer Officer. The following story relates experiences before this transition.

Brad Rex began his previous job on September 10, 2001. It was the culmination of years of hard work, smart management, and strategic thinking. After having begun a career at Disney in 1994, he had worked his way up through the ranks to Vice President. His responsibility? No less than overseeing all of Epcot® Theme Park.

September 11th was his second day on the job.

“I had to make the decision to close down the park for the first time in its history,” he says. “A few days later, people would ask ‘How were you so calm in the command center?’ I remind them about my military training. I was an officer on a nuclear submarine before coming to Disney.”

That’s not the only impressive item in Rex’s resume. In fact, to even label his career “impressive” would be something of an understatement. The list of places he has served — and led — would get the attention of just about every high-profile CEO on the planet. Prior to Disney, he had significant roles at British Petroleum Company. That position came on the heels of his career in the United States Navy. Then there’s the MBA from the Harvard Graduate School of Business and a degree from the U.S. Naval Academy.

But that’s only half the story, because a life is more than who you are at work, and Rex’s influence is much broader than what he does at Disney. He’s the father of a 15 year-old son and 13 year-old twin daughters. He’s the former chairman of the Greater Orlando Leadership Foundation, which has now expanded nationwide as Lifework Leadership. And he’s an elder at Discovery Church, a multi-site church that’s one of the fastest-growing congregations in Orlando.

At Discovery Church, Rex has served in a variety of key leadership positions, from hosting a small group in his home to playing a significant role on the long-range planning team that, two years ago, helped plant the church’s thriving southwest campus.

“I have a background in strategic planning and finance, and have been blessed to be able to use those skills in service to my church,” he says. “It takes the best of my business tools, but adds a spiritual dimension to it — seeking God’s will, stepping out in faith, and waiting for God to step in.”

His leadership at Discovery Church isn’t always high-profile, though. You’re as likely to see Rex helping greet visitors and seat latecomers as an usher, or even caring for three-year-olds in the church nursery. He traces his “whatever-it-takes” leadership style to the unique training he received at Disney.

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