Staggs was born in Illinois and received a Bachelor of Surgery in business from the University of Minnesota and an Master of Business Administration from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. He began his career as an investment banker for Morgan Stanley & Company before joining Disney in 1990.
Joining Disney in 1990, Staggs rose from his role as a manager of strategic planning to senior vice president of strategic planning and development in 1995. Staggs became executive vice president and chief financial officer in 1998, and became Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer in January, 2000. On November 11, 2009 the Los Angeles Times reported that Staggs and Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Chairman Jay Rasulo were trading places on January 1, 2010.
The article suggests the move is just one step for Staggs on the way to someday becoming president of the Walt Disney Company.
Staggs" new role places him in charge of the company"s theme parks, cruise line, and vacation club Prior to the switch, Staggs was instrumental in the acquisition of Marvel Entertainment.
On February 5, 2015, Staggs was named chief operating officer of The Walt Disney Company.
