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The Southern Star Award may be presented to a person or persons to recognize significant and outstanding contributions to the profession, to society, or to SoACE. The Southern Star Award is a prestigious recognition of service and contributions exceeded only in significance within SoACE by the Founders Award. SoACE was proud to present Kent Phillips, recently retired Educator Relations Manager at Disney World Wide Services, with the 2017 Southern Star Award at the Annual Conference in December. This award was also presented to Sam Ratcliffe, who was featured in February.
When then-Past President Mary Mahoney presented Kent’s award in December, which was accepted by Disney colleague Wayne Hampton, she shared the following statement from Kent’s career-spanning employer:
In our lives we have all been touched by working with very special people and this individual is one of those people.” He has dedicated his life to the Walt Disney Company and specifically to the Disney College Program and we are forever grateful.
There is no one I can think of that has made any greater impact on the Disney College Program than Kent Phillips. From the beginning, Kent knew how critical our relationships with our faculty partners and career centers were in building a “uniquely Disney” intern program. But, Kent didn’t just form these relationships, he embraced each of them, with his heart, and made these individuals “cherished friends”. He has taught so many life-long lessons to every recruiter, coordinator, intern and leader he has worked with. And, so many of these lessons have formed the foundation of what the College Program is today. These are core beliefs that will forever be part of this very special program. We are all so fortunate that Kent has been part of the Disney College Program…and our lives…for all of these years. We are blessed to have had the opportunity to learn and grow from someone that embodies integrity, high values and a respect for all. He has left his imprint on this program and will forever be our legacy. Kent Phillips spent 46 years with Disney and all of his career was spent in human resources. He was there when the Disney College Program was begun in 1981.
Kent’s response when learning that he had received the Southern Star Award:
Thank you very much for this honor. When attending my many SACE and SoACE conferences, I was always in awe of the outstanding individuals receiving this prestigious award. I am so blessed to have been able to work with educational colleagues and students regarding the magical opportunities Disney created. To be considered the face of these programs is really special to me. I tried to always show friendship, honor and integrity in all my actions. SACE offered me my first real opportunity to work educational/internship magic on a global scale. I am so proud of my time with my SACE/SoACE cherished friends and the accomplishments I helped happen in our field. I am sorry I could not attend this year, but hopefully I will see you at a future conference.
To learn more about Kent’s profound contributions during his 46-year career at Disney, check out this great profile on the Disney Internships & Programs blog.
The call for nominations for the 2018 Southern Star Award and all SoACE Awards is open now through October 5, 2018. Please consider nominating a colleague. A list of past award recipients and selection criteria can be found on the Awards and Recognition page of the SoACE website. Please check your email for more information, including the nomination link.
