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Executive leadership team

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Executive Team

Matthew Kissner CF

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Matthew Kissner

Designation
Interim President & Chief Executive Officer
Description

Matthew is Interim President and Chief Executive Officer of Wiley

Matthew Kissner was named Interim President and CEO of Wiley in October of 2023. He is a former Wiley Group Executive and Board Chair. He also served previously as Interim CEO in 2017 and has since been a consultant for Wiley. He has been with Wiley in a leadership, board, or consulting role for 20 years.

His extensive experience includes several leadership positions with Pitney Bowes, Bankers Trust, Citibank and Morgan Stanley, and he has been a private equity operating partner focusing on business, financial and healthcare services.

Matt is also a member of the Board Executive Committee of the Regional Plan Association, a non-profit urban research and advocacy organization. Matt earned both a Bachelor of Science in Education and Master of Business Administration from New York University.

Christina Van Tassell

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Christina Van Tassell

Designation
Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer
Description

Christina is Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer of Wiley

Christina is a strategic business partner driving excellence in execution to ensure Wiley is positioned for financial success. Christina oversees the company’s corporate and financial functions, including financial planning and analysis, accounting, investor relations, internal audit, treasury and tax. Christina joined Wiley in 2021, bringing a wealth of experience, insight and creativity developed over 30 years leading and innovating in global finance organizations.

Previously, she held positions as Chief Financial Officer with Dow Jones & Company, Inc., owner of the Wall Street Journal, Barron's, and Factiva, from 2017 to 2021, Xaxis, a global advertising technology company owned by WPP Plc, from 2013 to 2017, and Centurion Holdings LLC, and investment and advisory company, from 2004 to 2013. She began her career at PricewaterhouseCoopers, where she held senior roles in global capital markets, M&A, and other corporate finance functions during her 12-year tenure.

Christina serves on the board of the Empire State Realty Trust, ESRT is a REIT that owns and manages office, retail and multifamily assets in Manhattan and greater NY Metro. ESRT owns the iconic Empire State Building. She recently served on the board of the News Literacy Project, a national educational nonprofit that empowers educators to teach students the skills they need to become smart consumers of news and engaged participants in civic life. Ms. Van Tassell previously served on the board of Unruly, a leading provider of video advertising technology.

Christina holds M.B.A.s from Columbia University and London Business School and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Accounting and Business Administration from Muhlenberg College.

Christina brings a wealth of experience, insight, and creativity developed over 30 years of leading and innovating in global finance organizations.

Aref Matin CF

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Aref Matin

Designation
Executive Vice President & Chief Technology Officer
Description

Aref Matin is Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer of Wiley.

Previously, Aref served as Chief Technical Officer and Executive Vice President of Ascend Learning, where he led the development of a highly successful set of customer-centric products and platforms. He was also Chief Technical Officer and Executive Vice President of Pearson Global Education Services. Prior to that, he held leadership positions at TomTom, a pioneer in Mapping and Navigation, and RealNetworks. Aref started his engineering and technology career at AT&T Bell Laboratories.   

He holds a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science in electrical engineering from Northrop University and a certification from the Executive Business Leadership Program at Yale University.

Deirdre Silver CF

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Deirdre Silver

Designation
Executive Vice President & General Counsel
Description

Deirdre is Executive Vice President and General Counsel of Wiley

She serves as a member of the Executive Leadership Team, guiding the company’s active role in several key areas: advocating for the copyright and free expression protections essential to the global publishing industry; advancing authorship, science, and education (in the US and globally); and championing Wiley’s mission to unlock human potential. 

Since joining Wiley in 2002, Deirdre has held many roles, including Associate General Counsel, VP of Legal for Research, member of the Research Leadership Team, Legal Director of Professional and Trade/Professional Development, and Legal Director of Higher Education. Previously, she served as General Counsel and SVP of Legal and Business Affairs at Sekani, Inc., and she started her career as an intellectual property attorney at Proskauer. Deirdre serves on the board of the Copyright Clearance Center and is active in the industry’s trade associations, including serving as a member of the Integrity Hub Governance Board and the Legal Forum of STM and the Copyright Law and Policy Committee and Competition Policy Working Group of the Association of American Publishers. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in government from Cornell University and a Juris Doctor from New York University School of Law..

Danielle McMahan CF

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Danielle McMahan

Designation
Executive Vice President & Chief People Officer
Description

Danielle McMahan is Executive Vice President and Chief People and Business Operations Officer of Wiley.

She leads our People and Business Operations teams, overseeing data-driven and outcomes-focused strategies to ensure that we are fostering both customer and colleague satisfaction. Knowing that people are the heart of Wiley, she is committed to helping colleagues succeed at work and win at life.

Prior to joining Wiley, Danielle served in a wide range of human resources, leadership development, talent management, and employee engagement senior roles at York Risk, American Express, ADP, and Citibank. Danielle holds a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from Barnard College, and she earned a Master of Arts in organizational psychology from Columbia University.

Philip Kisray CF

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Philip Kisray
Designation
Senior Vice President & General Manager, International Education
Description

Philip Kisray is Senior Vice President and General Manager for International Education at Wiley.

As lead of International Education, he introduces our broad and diverse portfolio of products and services to international markets, expanding our leadership position in education. Previously, Philip was President of Global Growth Markets and led international development in Asia with a focus on China and India; before that, he led our international strategy in EMEA and Latin America.

Philip is an accomplished business leader with extensive experience building and scaling global growth. For over 35 years at Wiley, he held leadership positions across sales, operations, and general management. Philip received a Master of Arts (Hons) in French and business administration from the University of Edinburgh and a Master of Business Administration from Henley Business School.

Josh Jarrett CF

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Josh Jarrett

Designation
Senior Vice President, Strategy
Description

Josh Jarrett is an experienced innovator and executer at the intersection of higher education and employment.

He has built products, programs and relationships that have helped hundreds of thousands of people successfully earn degrees and secure meaningful work.

Josh is the Executive Chair of the SkillUp Coalition, a new nonprofit effort to help millions of frontline workers displaced by COVID-19 get re-skilled and re-employed in high-growth industries. Previously, Josh served as Strategic Advisor at RMIT University and co-founded two companies in the education-to-employment space: InStride, a network of universities and corporations providing career-boosting degrees and credentials to employees, and Koru, an industry-leading predictive hiring solution enabling Fortune500 clients like Citigroup, Oracle and Barclays to diversify their campus hiring. 

Josh was also a founder of the higher education program at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. He led the innovation portfolio of investments, including learning analytics, interactive courseware, online/blended learning and competency-based learning. Earlier in his career, Josh served as a consultant at McKinsey & Company, Product Manager at Enkata Technologies and business planning consultant for the National Park Service.

Josh serves on the board of the NROC Project and on the Alumni Advisory Board of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. He is a graduate of Dartmouth College, and he holds a graduate degree in business from the Harvard Business School.

Andrew Weber CF

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Andrew Weber

Designation
Senior Vice President, Operations
Description

Andrew is Senior Vice President for Operations of Wiley

He leads day-to-day global operations and is focused on modernizing Wiley’s operating infrastructure and processes to improve quality, service, cost, and speed. In this role, Andrew continues his career-long passion for driving customer-focused operational excellence in the face of rapidly changing markets.   

Andrew has spent most of his career in publishing at the intersection of Operations and Technology. Prior to joining Wiley, he spent 25 years in Trade Publishing, first at Random House leading Operations and Technology and most recently as Chief Operating Officer for Macmillan, leading all shared service functions.

Andrew holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and a Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School.

Jay Flynn CF

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Jay Flynn

Designation
Executive Vice President & General Manager, Research & Learning
Description

Jay is EVP and General Manager for Research & Learning

In his role, Jay leads Wiley’s go-to-market team responsible for delivering content and solutions that empower the world’s researchers, learners, and professionals to succeed.

With 25 years in the publishing industry, Jay has experience leading teams through the print to digital migration, developing mobile-first platforms, and setting strategic direction across technology, sales, marketing, and editorial. Before joining Wiley in 2010, Jay held leadership roles at Wolters Kluwer and at Cengage Learning, where he led the product management function.

Jay has served on the Board of Directors of the STM Association and acts as Executive Sponsor for Wiley’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Council and Women of Wiley Employee Resource Group.

He holds a B.A. in German Studies from Saint Louis University and an M.A. in Germanic Languages and Literatures from the University of Pennsylvania.

Todd Zipper CF

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Todd Zipper

Designation
Executive Vice President & General Manager, Talent
Description

Todd is Executive Vice President & General Manager, Talent

He’s focused on enabling university growth by delivering education that accelerates career success through our university services and employer partnerships. For more than two decades, Todd has been motivated to become the best version of himself—and he empowers others to do the same. His personal drive and penchant for lifelong learning led him to a career in education while also motivating him to grow an organizational culture based on highly motivated individuals. He leads the organization as a mission-driven business to help universities, students, employees, shareholders, and society—unlock their potential.

Prior to joining Wiley Education Services, Todd served as President and CEO of The Learning House, Inc., which he sold to Wiley in November 2018. He previously served as Managing Director of Marketing and Media Services at Weld North, where he pursued investments in the marketing, media, and education sectors. Before joining Weld North, Todd co-founded and served as COO of Education Connection, and previously worked for Kaplan, Inc. He earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Pennsylvania, a Master of Business Administration from Columbia University, and he holds a chartered financial analyst (CFA) designation.

Corporate Officers

Christina Van Tassell CF

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Christina Van Tassell

Designation
Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer

Deirdre Silver CF

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Deirdre Silver

Designation
Executive Vice President & General Counsel

Kevin Monaco CF

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Kevin Monaco

Designation
Senior Vice President, Treasurer & Tax

Christopher Caridi CF

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Christopher Caridi

Designation
Senior Vice President & Corporate Controller

Marjorie Pierre-Merrit CF

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Marjorie Pierre-Merrit

Designation
Corporate VP, Corporate Secretary & Chief Governance Counsel

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