CEO Monthly Issue 3 2018

26 CEO MONTHLY / ISSUE 3 2018 , The Board of Directors of Chicago-based educational non-profit organisation the Great Books Foundation announced today that Valentina Texera-Parissi will succeed Joseph Coulson as Chief Executive Officer. Great Books Foundation Names Valentina Texera-Parissi New CEO For 20 years, Texera-Parissi has served schools and educational organisations, helping to build ambitious curricular plans and improve learning outcomes. Prior to becoming CEO, Texera-Parissi was Executive Director of K-12 Programs for the Foundation. In this role, she led the rebranding of the Foundation and launched “Great Books Plus,” a new digital platform for Junior Great Books. Early in her career, Texera- Parissi served the Foundation as a Senior Account Manager, a formative experience that led to national and international positions with other educational organisations, including Encyclopædia Britannica, Language Stars and James G. Blaine Elementary School. James Reum, Chairman of the Board, stated, “Dr. Coulson brought incisive and innovative leadership to the Foundation in challenging times, for which we are grateful. Now, we enthusiastically announce the appointment of Ms. Texera- Parissi, a talented professional who understands from direct experience how schools work and what students and teachers need. In both K-12 and lifelong learning programs, she has the vision and the energy to take the Foundation in new and important directions.” As Chief Executive Officer, Texera-Parissi plans to spearhead programming that drives essential conversations among students and adults, and benefits both local and national communities. “I started my career at Great Books in 1999,” said Texera-Parissi, “and now I am thrilled to serve in a new capacity. I am grateful for this opportunity to support students and other lifelong learners through our programs and publications. It is vital that we continue to connect people from all walks of life through the power of learning.” During Dr. Coulson’s four-year tenure at the Great Books Foundation, he creatively led the organisation into new fields of education and publishing. Adapting to changing demands, Great Books published an array of new titles, including Nonfiction Inquiry for Junior Great Books, and for adult readers, Her Own Accord, the first Great Books anthology devoted entirely to women writers, and a trio of anthologies focusing on the influence of popular culture: Sound Bites: Big Ideas in Popular Music; Double Features: Big Ideas in Film; and Tube Talk: Big Ideas in Television. Coulson will now serve as President of Harrison Middleton University, great ideas, great works, great conversations, distance-learning university and an educational partner of the Great Books Foundation. “I’m proud and humbled to have served the Great Books Foundation for the past four years,” Coulson said, “and I have tremendous confidence in Ms. Texera-Parissi as she continues to extend the reach and the impact of the Foundation’s mission.”