Disney Exec to Run Outreach for Getty Trust

John F. Cooke, Walt Disney Co.’s executive vice president for corporate affairs and one of Disney Chairman Michael Eisner’s top advisors, will leave Disney after 15 years to become a top executive at the J. Paul Getty Trust.

Cooke, a former president of the Disney Channel who has recently been responsible for Disney’s worldwide alliances with major corporations and its government and community relations, will handle similar outreach for the Getty Trust, according to Barry Munitz, the trust president and chief executive.

Cooke will relinquish his seat on the Getty’s board of trustees to become the trust’s executive vice president of external affairs.

He will not make the move immediately, however, remaining at Disney for an indeterminate time.

“I see this as Michael Eisner’s gift to artistic and nonprofit Los Angeles,” said Munitz, who added that he was glad to wait for Cooke to complete his duties at Disney. Of the timing for Cooke’s departure, Munitz said, “The call is Michael’s.”

In a statement, Eisner called Cooke a talented executive who was “perfectly suited” to the Getty job.

“Although we hate to lose him under any circumstances, we understand fully that his commitment to education and to the arts makes this a most natural next chapter for his career,” Eisner said.

Eisner has lost a string of top executives during the last five years, which has caused some concern among investors about the management depth at the company.

Before working at Disney, Cooke spent more than 10 years at Times Mirror Co., owner of the Los Angeles Times, as executive vice president of Times Mirror Cable Television and president of Times Mirror Satellite Programming.