Last November, Disney Imagineer, Joe Rohde announced he was retiring after over 40 years of service with Walt Disney Imagineering. Rohde’s last day with Disney was on 4 January 2021.

At the time, many assumed he was retiring to pursue personal passion projects and have more time for himself. However, there were clues in his statement that point to the contrary.

“I’m not that old yet and there are things I want to do that cannot be done here,” said Rohde. ” I have things to do that are different than this. There are things I want to create, there are things I want to do. There’s only so much time in a lifetime to do these things.”

Based on that, it seems that Rohde was not “retiring,” nor did he ever say he was doing so. Rohde left Disney to work some place else.

Today it was announced that Rohde has joined Virgin Galactic (NYSE: SPCE) as their first “experience architect.”

Virgin Galactic said in a statement, “With preparations underway for the first Future Astronauts to arrive at Spaceport America, Virgin Galactic has brought in Joe Rohde as a strategic advisor to help design and guide the overall experience journey for future astronauts, friends and family, and inspired fans alike.

Rohde is truly a transcendent creator whose design work leverages careful detailed composition to create authentic and remarkable experiences. The work he is starting will stimulate curiosity, guide the imagination, and anchor the Virgin Galactic customer experience with purposefulness and meaning.”

In a video recorded at Spaceport America in New Mexico, Rohde said, “This is one of the most profound things that can happen to you. To go beyond the reaches of the earth, to space, and look back down at it. It’s a spectacularly unique opportunity with huge potential for transformational change in a person…What Virgin Galactic is doing, in democratizing space travel, has reached a moment where it is about to enter history. It’s happening right here in New Mexico, and it’s very rare to be a person who gets to be in the place, at the time, that history begins.’’

Rohde also referenced his time as a Disney Imagineer. “I’ve come from a tradition where if you are imagining something, you are imagining that thing is going to be made real,” stated Rohde. “That’s also been going on here at Virgin Galactic, and I’m delighted to be joining at this incredible moment in time when it is about to blossom into public awareness.”

Michael Colglazier, CEO of Virgin Galactic said, “As soon as I joined Virgin Galactic, I knew there was one person we just had to work with to help shape the incredible experience we are developing – and that person was Joe Rohde. Joe has a methodology that is unique, inspired, and truly effective. His track record for keeping authenticity central to the design and creating deeply transformative experiences aligns perfectly with our mission. I couldn’t be more pleased to see Joe choose Virgin Galactic for his first encore!’’

During his tenure with the Walt Disney Company, Rohde oversaw major projects including Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Expedition Everest, Pandora: The World of AVATAR, and Aulani, A Disney Resort & Spa.