EMERYVILLE, CALIF. (August 16, 2004) - LeapFrog Enterprises, Inc. (NYSE: LF), today announced the appointment of Jessie Woolley-Wilson as vice president of marketing for their Education and Training Group, which includes LeapFrog SchoolHouse, the business unit that develops comprehensive classroom solutions for the PreK-8 market. With more than twelve years of experience in education industry sales and marketing, product development, business development and general management, Woolley-Wilson will have responsibility for setting the strategic direction of the marketing division to support the financial and business objectives of the Education & Training Group.
"With Jessie's extensive marketing background and education expertise, she was the ideal choice to lead our marketing division," said Bob Lally, president of LeapFrog SchoolHouse. "The successful marketing programs Jessie led last year contributed significantly to the tremendous 86% net sales growth we experienced in 2003, and they were invaluable in our efforts to increase brand awareness for our comprehensive classroom instructional programs. With Jessie in this leadership role, I am confident we will continue on a path of growth and become the preeminent provider of research-based, technology-empowered curriculum products for the PreK - Grade 8 education market."
As vice president of marketing for the Education and Training Group, Woolley-Wilson will be responsible for setting the division's marketing strategy and will provide leadership in the areas of product marketing, strategic alliances and marketing programs including direct marketing, public relations, events marketing, advertising, creative services, promotions and market research. Additionally, she will direct the brand positioning, brand development and communications strategies to successfully build the school division of LeapFrog Enterprises.
"I was captivated by LeapFrog's innovative approach to learning when I joined the company in 2003, and I am honored to be a part of the division that is dedicated to bringing this award-winning multisensory technology into the classroom to advance student achievement," said Woolley-Wilson. "I share LeapFrog SchoolHouse's strong commitment to enhancing the quality of education for all students. The future is bright for LeapFrog SchoolHouse and I am happy to be part of this dedicated and talented leadership team."
Woolley-Wilson was also honored as a finalist for Quality Education Data's (QED) Education Marketer Excellence Awards in July 2004. She was nominated for the Rising Star Award for outstanding leadership by a new professional in the field of education marketing, as a result of her dedication, leadership and innovative approach to LeapFrog SchoolHouse's marketing programs over the past year.
Previously, Woolley-Wilson was the vice president of marketing and sales at CollegeBoard.com, the interactive division of the College Board. As one of three partners, she launched a start-up Internet company, My Road.com, that delivers education and career planning services to middle school, high school and college students to help them plan for college, graduate school and careers. She began her career in education at Kaplan as executive director of new business development. While at Kaplan, Woolley-Wilson held roles as regional director of Southern California; executive director of Pre-College and Pre-Graduate test preparation programs; and president of Crimson & Brown Associates, a diversity recruiting firm and Kaplan's first acquisition in the careers industry.
Woolley-Wilson received her master's degree in business administration from Harvard Business School and her bachelor of arts degree in English from the University of Virginia. She is a former board member of the Coalition of Essential Schools where she served as the vice president of the Executive Board. She was also a board member of Citibridge and Youth Enrichment Services, educational programs for disadvantaged youth in the Boston Area.
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