Scholastic Announces New Division Leadership For Education And International
Scholastic (NASDAQ: SCHL) has announced key leadership appointments effective January 1, 2021. Beth Polcari transitions to President, International, succeeding Nelson Hitchcock, who retires after 15 years. Rose Else-Mitchell rejoins as President, Education Solutions, leading the merger of two divisions into a single group by June 1, 2021. Current Education President, Greg Worrell, will advise on partnerships until his retirement in December 2021. These changes aim to enhance growth and global impact as Scholastic enters its second century.
- Leadership changes may stimulate growth in international markets.
- Experience of new leaders suggests improved strategic direction for Educational Solutions.
- Retirement of Nelson Hitchcock may lead to transitional challenges.
NEW YORK, Dec. 17, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Scholastic (NASDAQ: SCHL), the global children's publishing, education, and media company, today announced two key leadership appointments. Effective January 1, 2021, Beth Polcari, current Executive Vice President and President, Scholastic Magazines Group, will transition to the role of President, International. She succeeds Nelson Hitchcock who, after a 15-year career at Scholastic, will retire at the end of this year. Rose Else-Mitchell is rejoining Scholastic as President, Education Solutions and over the next six months, will work with current Scholastic Education President Greg Worrell and Ms. Polcari to combine their existing two divisions into a single Education Solutions group, which Ms. Else-Mitchell will lead effective June 1, 2021. After leading his division through this transition, Mr. Worrell will continue to advise on strategic partnerships until his planned retirement after 30 years in December 2021. In these roles, Ms. Polcari, Ms. Else-Mitchell, and Mr. Worrell will report directly to Richard Robinson, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Scholastic.
"Scholastic has remained relevant for 100 years because of our ability to directly meet the needs of educators, students, and families, regardless of circumstance, just as we have during this unprecedented year. It is this drive to reinforce children's learning that keeps our company growing," said Mr. Robinson. "I have worked with Nelson Hitchcock, Greg Worrell, and Beth Polcari on Scholastic's mission for decades and I am proud of their many achievements as we approached our important centennial moment. As Scholastic enters its second century, I'm confident that Rose Else-Mitchell and Beth will further accelerate our business's growth and global impact as they are both proven, visionary leaders with track records of innovation and unmatched knowledge of the global publishing, education and digital learning landscape."
Beth Polcari, President, International
As President, International, Ms. Polcari will lead business operations in the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand, Export, and Asia. With the support of the leaders in each country, she will direct the international business strategies, focusing also on operational improvements and connecting Scholastic U.S. publishing, marketing, finance, and operations talents to the Company's international businesses.
Ms. Polcari started her career at Scholastic in 1984, establishing her career in the U.S. education businesses, where she has excelled in finance, operations, and strategy roles. Her many accomplishments include building the Early Childhood Division, managing the development of the supplementary publishing business, and serving as a Chief Operating Officer of the division during the expansion of the Company's Education Technology business. More recently in her role as Executive Vice President and President, Scholastic Magazines Group, Ms. Polcari improved the profitability and impact of Scholastic Classroom Magazines and Scholastic Teaching Resources, while introducing new digital subscriptions such as Scholastic Literacy Pro®, and Scholastic F.I.R.S.T.®.
Rose Else-Mitchell, President, Education Solutions
In the new role of President, Education Solutions, Ms. Else-Mitchell will lead Scholastic's mission to provide high-quality, diverse reading materials and improve literacy instruction in U.S. schools using technology. The merger of the Company's domestic education businesses will create new opportunities to drive reading access and reading achievement for all students, while maintaining Scholastic's focus on meeting the needs of educators with innovative, equitable, and efficacious products and services for digital and hybrid learning. The strength of the combined product portfolio, alongside deep integrated sales and marketing capabilities, will expand the Company's reach and opportunity across K–12 schools.
Ms. Else-Mitchell first joined Scholastic in 2000, following a career as a teacher, as well as a children's book advocate with the Children's Book Council of Australia. At Scholastic, she designed a new online professional learning solution, reimagined the teacher experience for the adaptive ed-tech literacy program READ 180, and in 2008 became Senior Vice President, Product Development for the EdTech business, which was sold to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH) in 2015. Ms. Else-Mitchell was appointed Chief Learning Officer at HMH, overseeing the largest professional services organization in U.S. K–12, as well as developing the Company's teaching and learning technology platform and learning science capability. Most recently, Ms. Else-Mitchell has served as a teaching fellow at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, as well as Chair of the Industry Council of the EdTech Evidence Exchange.
For more information about Scholastic, visit the Company's media room: http://mediaroom.scholastic.com.
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