Josh absolutely deserves this promotion and IMHO this is excellent news.
As someone that used to visit Disneyland quite a bit up until more recently, Josh’s tenure saw Disneyland at the absolute best that it had ever looked. He oversaw the 60th anniversary, which arguably became a bigger deal than the 50th. Every attraction was well-maintained, smart quality upgrades were implemented around the resort, and he openly expressed his pride and care for the DLR, the CMs and guests. He was highly regarded on the west coast, and has been highly regarded on the east coast. I had hoped that WDW would have gotten him a little while longer, but I think it could be argued that with his new position, WDW will benefit significantly more.
As someone else commented earlier, he seems to just “get” it. He seems to genuinely care about the parks, their history and what makes them special. He has been open and caring with CMs, making them feel respected and heard. And finally, he has been seen about the parks, being generous and friendly with guests.
I would much rather have a Head of Parks, Resorts and (yes) Merchandise that doesn’t have their first instinct to just hide inside a corporate office and be completely separated from the employee and guest experience. He has the right attitude, and a lot of executives could learn something from him.
BTW, I loved that Instagram photo op with him, Mickey and Minnie announcing M&MRR for Toontown.