When D’Yanna Craighead ‘05 walked into her first computer programming class in high school, she was struck by one thing: There was nobody in the cohort she could identify with. As captain of the cheerleading team, she was the only girl and only person of color in the room.
“I tell that story because I am a senior leader in tech now, and you still don’t see a lot of diversity,” she says.
Instead of feeling discouraged, she felt ready to tackle the challenge of learning something new.
“I like to use that as inspiration not to let things stop me from moving forward,” she notes. “If I had let that stop me, I wouldn’t be here now.”
A techie is born
After graduating from high school, she enrolled at the university in her hometown of Pittsburgh where she earned a degree in information science. She landed her first tech job in 1998 at IBM in Atlanta.
“I thought it was my dream role,” she says.
All was going smoothly in her career—until it wasn’t. “In 2001, the technology bubble burst,” she explains.
Craighead was laid off from her position like countless others and left to figure out what to do with her life next. Fortunately, she had a backup plan. In addition to technology, she was passionate about business, so she decided to return to school to earn her MBA from UMGC.
“I wanted to earn a different type of degree to set myself apart,” she says.
Onward and upward
The skills Craighead learned in her MBA program made her even more marketable for leadership positions, and over the next several years, she landed roles with increasing responsibility at companies like Accenture, AT&T and Delta Air Lines.
Although she enjoyed the work she was doing and was progressing in her career, something wasn’t quite right.
“I moved around every two to three years because I was unfulfilled and bored,” she admits.
That is how 15 years into her career, Craighead found herself moving to Orlando to take a position with Disney. This wasn’t the first time she worked for the theme park conglomerate. During her undergraduate degree program, she spent four months working in the parks. It was her first time away from home, and it was a life-changing experience for her.
“That was what opened my eyes to the magic of what Disney does,” she says.
Making career magic in the Enchanted Kingdom
At Disney, Craighead is in her element, and she finds inspiration in the same place she did 28 years ago when her career had yet to unfold. For the past 13 years, she has been working on high-profile technology projects at Disney Experiences.
“I had the opportunity to launch the MyMagic+ project at Walt Disney World and other major technical innovations in our parks,” she explains.
She has played a key role in delivering MaxPass at Disneyland, Digital FastPass at Tokyo Disney and the Virtual Queue for the opening of Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge. In 2021, she pivoted and took a position at Disney Cruise Line where she helped launch the newest ship, the Disney Wish and the island Disney’s Lookout Cay. In her current role, she manages the delivery and sustainment of more than 20 shipboard applications across five ships and two private islands. Her responsibilities will continue to expand as Disney increases the size of its cruise ship fleet over the next several years.
Sparking magic in others
Over the past few decades, Craighead has gone from being the only girl and person of color in her high school technology class to a seasoned technology professional in a coveted position at one of the most recognizable companies around the globe.
“Here I am in, to me, one of the best careers,” she says. “I have one of the best jobs in the world.”
She is so passionate about sharing her transformative journey with others that she launched YARA SKY LLC in 2022. Through this platform, she provides mentoring and consulting for women and members of underrepresented groups to help spark inspiration for their own personal and professional growth. She’s also sharing her life experiences of resilience and self-discovery in her debut book, The Butterfly Code, which publishes this September.
And, in October 2024, UMGC alumni will have the opportunity to hear her share her story when she serves as master of ceremonies at the Homecoming 2024 USA Celebration. Craighead can’t wait.
“I am ecstatic,” she says. “You never know where your journey is going to take you, and I never thought that one day I would be coming back to talk about my journey to my fellow UMGC alumni.”
Sparking personal and professional growth
Over the years, Craighead has learned to lean into the following four areas as her own career evolved.
- Figure out your personal brand. You have to know yourself before you can find your ideal career fit. “I love to inspire people to go after their dreams, so, therefore, I came to work for a company that is all about dreams and making people’s dreams come true,” she says. “I get to blend technology with creating happiness and magic.”
- Trust the process. Craighead learned that it’s OK to be uncomfortable with the process of personal growth. “You may not always have the answers. You might be in space where you’re alone and frustrated and trying to figure out your next step,” she says. “That’s part of the journey, too.”
- Embrace change. You can’t grow if you’re not willing to change. For Craighead, that meant stepping out of her technology comfort zone to earn an MBA, which helped steer her career in a different direction. “You have to be willing to evolve. That means you are growing and learning,” she says.
- Find joy in the journey. Goals are important, but if they’re all you’re paying attention to, you will miss the other blessings life has to offer. “I definitely used to be very goal driven where I would just have my eyes set on the goal instead of the journey,” she says, “but sometimes the view along the way is way more beautiful than the destination.”
Register for the Homecoming 2024 USA Celebration to engage with and learn from Craighead and network with the UMGC community of alumni, students, faculty, and staff. Learn how to participate in Homecoming 2024 activities that are guaranteed to “embrace your imagination” this fall.