“Throughout his career, Jim has demonstrated skill and enthusiasm for conceptualizing product and developing marketing strategies,” said Mike Lavelle, K–12 President, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. “His focus on the convergence of digital and print media and in finding solutions for student and teachers that bridge these two worlds will benefit Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.”

Prior to joining Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, James served as Vice President, Product Development at National Geographic School Publishing from 2008 through 2009, where he led product development efforts for the Secondary Education Publishing Center.

James previously worked for McDougal Littell from 2005 to 2007 as Marketing Director for Social Studies, overseeing all aspects of product line marketing with an emphasis on new product development, new markets, and strategic growth of the market-leading product line. James moved into editorial management as Vice President, Director of Product Development for Social Studies in 2007 and was named Vice President, Program Management Office following the merger of Holt McDougal in 2008.

James began his publishing career at Pearson Prentice Hall in 1996, working across all core discipline areas in leadership roles in product management, field marketing, and sales. James received a Masters of Business Administration from New York University’s Stern School of Business and a Bachelor of Science in Economics and History from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

He will oversee the efforts of the Portfolio Management group and report directly to the President of K–12.