Dillon Buckland

About Dillon Buckland

My Strengths: WOO (Winning Others Over), Empathy, Positivity, Communication, FuturisticI am an alumnus of Western Michigan University with a Bachelor\'s degree in Organizational Communication and a minor in Event Management. At the beginning of August 2015, I moved from Grand Rapids, Michigan to Sarasota, Florida to enjoy the warmer climate. I joined The Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce to fill the role of Communications Coordinator where I was able to grow and develop a stronger skill set in external communications, event management, and marketing including honing in on strengthening my graphic design skills. In this role, I learned a strong brand and consistent voice are the lifeblood of any organization no matter the size. I was able to develop a fresh voice and consistent visual identity to The Chamber as well as launch a new, user-friendly website. My proudest accomplishment was developing a thorough crisis management plan covering all aspects of the business.After moving to Orlando, to follow my dream of working at the Most Magical Place on Earth, Walt Disney World, my time was cut short due to COVID-19 layoffs.In my role as Customer Care Manager, I learned how to develop and mentor a team while strengthening my internal communication skills and navigating heightened customer and internal employee conversations. I was able to motivate and teach my team new techniques to reduce their Average Handle Time for customer conversations by 25% to exceed investor-set goals.In my next position, I am looking to rejoin the communications/public relations field where I can continue to learn new skills and grow my existing skills. I am open to any business type and am available for on-site or remote work.

Experience

1. Associate Product Manager

   Disney Cruise Line

   Apr 2024 — Present · Celebration, FL, US

   I support delivery of crew‑facing, guest‑facing, and commercial technology products for Disney Cruise Line, with a focus on shipping products that work in live, operational environments- Supported end‑to‑end delivery of Disney Adventure, launching a new ship and enabling booking across five new international markets (Singapore, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines), resulting in the second‑highest booking day to date with 142K add‑to‑carts in a single day- Worked across technology, operations, content, legal, marketing, and shipboard teams to ensure commercial and operational readiness, including large‑scale content publishing and localization for new regions- Helped define and launch Adventure ship‑specific commercial features, including reclassifying an existing stateroom category into Concierge, delivering differentiated benefits without impacting legacy fleet systems- Supported execution of product roadmaps for crew‑facing technology, translating operational needs into user stories, acceptance criteria, and prioritized backlogs in partnership with Engineering and cross‑functional stakeholders- Participated in backlog refinement, sprint planning, testing, and release readiness, escalating risks, dependencies, and tradeoffs to ensure safe, on‑time delivery- Led a cross‑department research cruise for Smart Ship, partnering with 14+ onboard departments to identify operational inefficiencies and uncover opportunities to improve real‑time crew workflows and guest interactions, directly informing product direction and feature prioritization- Supported design, testing, and rollout of Guests Near Me, enabling Guest Services and Concierge to quickly identify nearby guests and improve service efficiency- Embarked on a 23‑night voyage aboard Disney Adventure (Los Angeles → Tokyo → Singapore) to launch Smart Ship, Virtual Guest Services (gen‑AI chatbot), and Arcade experiences, providing onboard testing, training, and live user feedback during launch.

Education

• Western Michigan University

  Organizational Communication, Organizational Communication, General

  2011 — 2015

Skills

• Social Networking
• Social Media Marketing
• Nonprofits
• Non-Profits
• Teamwork
• Indesign
• Photography
• Social Media
• Team Building
• Customer Service
• Marketing
• Advertising
• Public Relations
• Internal Communications
• Event Planning
• Time Management
• Photoshop
• Facebook
• Adobe Illustrator
• Graphic Design
• Public Speaking
• Leadership
• Event Management
• Conflict Management