Executive Leadership

CEO and Chairman of the Board

Barry O’Callaghan

Barry O’Callaghan is Chairman and the largest shareholder of Education Media and Publishing Group (EMPG) and also serves as Chief Executive Officer for EMPG’s principal operating company, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Barry began his career as an investment banker with Morgan Stanley. He then joined the Equity Capital Markets division of Credit Suisse as Director, where he was primarily responsible for equity-related financing. Before becoming Chairman of EMPG, Barry was Chief Executive Officer of Riverdeep.

Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Michael Muldowney

Michael Muldowney is Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company and its holding company, Education Media and Publishing Group (EMPG). Michael joined Houghton Mifflin in April of 2007 as Chief Financial Officer. Previously, he served as Chief Operating Officer, Chief Financial Officer, and a member of the board of Nextera Enterprises, a subsidiary of Knowledge Universe, as well as Corporate Controller of Mercer Management Consulting. Michael also held management positions at the Marsh & McLennan Companies.

Executive Vice President and General Counsel

William Bayers

William Bayers is Executive Vice President and General Counsel of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company and its holding company, Education Media and Publishing Group (EMPG). Bill joined Houghton Mifflin in May of 2007 as Senior Vice President and General Counsel. Previously, he served as Vice President and General Counsel of Harcourt Education Group. His expertise includes intellectual property, state adoption and procurement processes, international licensing and distribution, securities, and corporate finance.

Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer

Ciara Smyth

Ciara Smyth is Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer. Before joining Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Ciara was Executive Vice President of Global Business Operations at Riverdeep, where she was a principal contributor and leader in company’s evolution and success. Prior to joining Riverdeep, Ciara was employed by the business office of the McDougal Littell Middle and High School Division of Houghton Mifflin from 1996 to 1999.

President, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Trade and Reference Publishers

Gary Gentel

Gary Gentel is President of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Trade and Reference Publishers. He leads the division’s strategic direction with the support of his Trade and Reference management team. Gary joined Houghton Mifflin in October 2003 as Corporate Vice President, Director of Sales and was named Interim President in August 2007. Gary began his career in bookselling as an Assistant Store Manager at Lauriat’s Books.

President, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt K–12 Publishers

Mike Lavelle

Mike Lavelle is President of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt K–12 Publishers. He joined Harcourt Education as Assistant Controller in 2000, and soon after served as Vice President and Global Controller for the Company. Most recently, Mike was President of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt School Publishers, where he helped promote communication and strengthen the Company’s operations. Previously, Mike was Chief Financial Officer for the John Sink Company, a division of Koch Industries, as well as Chief Financial Officer of Marcegaglia USA.

Executive Vice President of Corporate Development & Operations

Gregory J. DuMont

Gregory J. DuMont is Executive Vice President of Corporate Development and Operations. Greg joined Houghton Mifflin in 2003 as Vice President, Controller and was promoted in 2004 to Vice President of Strategic Financial Analysis. Greg began his career in 1993 as Senior Manager at PricewaterhouseCoopers. In 2001, he became Vice President, Corporate Finance and Audit for Vivendi Universal. Greg earned his B.S. in Accounting from the University of Rhode Island.

Executive Vice President of Content Development & Publishing Operations, K–12 Publishers

Bethlam Forsa

Bethlam Forsa is Executive Vice President of Content Development and Publishing Operations for K–12 Publishers. She previously served as Senior Vice President of Publishing and Operations for School Publishers. In that role she helped to standardize and optimize our print publishing operations. Previously, Bethlam was a partner at Accenture, a leading management consulting firm, where she led programs to improve sales, financial performance, and market capitalization for publishing companies around the world.

Executive Vice President, Digital Products Research & Development, K–12 Publishers

Fiona O’Carroll

Fiona O’Carroll is Executive Vice President of Digital Products Research and Development for K–12 Publishers. She joined Riverdeep in 2002 as the Executive Vice President for Marketing, Product Development, and Services, where she helped it to become a $300 million company prior to its integration with Houghton Mifflin. Previously, Fiona was General Manager at Vivendi Universal, a global leader in entertainment and gaming.

Executive Vice President of Sales & Marketing, K–12 Publishers

Rita Schaefer

Rita Schaefer is Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing for K–12 Publishers. Rita joined McDougal Littell in 1979 and has served as Vice President and National Sales Manager for both open territory and state adoption. From 2000 to 2007, she served as President of McDougal Littell. In February of 2009, Rita rejoined Houghton Mifflin Harcourt to aid in the success of the K–12 organization.

Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, K–12 Publishers

Mark Schumacher

Mark Schumacher is Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for K–12 Publishers. Before joining Houghton Mifflin Harcourt in March 2008, Mark worked for real estate company Archstone-Smith, where he had served as Chief Accounting Officer since 2003. Mark also worked for 17 years as an executive at US WEST, a telecommunications company. Mark has held various accounting and financial planning positions in the corporate, cable, Internet, and yellow pages.

Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, K–12 Publishers

Eric Shuman

Eric Shuman is Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for K–12 Publishers. Eric joined the Company in 2009 from Thomson Lifelong Learning Group, a division of Thomson Corporation, where he most recently served as Chief Executive Officer. Previously, Eric was Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for Thomson Learning and Vice President and Corporate Controller for Thomson Newspapers. In those capacities, he led several business integrations, restructurings, and significant mergers and acquisitions activity.

Senior Vice President of Governmental & Public Affairs

Richard Blake

Richard Blake is Senior Vice President of Governmental and Public Affairs. Rick previously served as Vice President of Communications and Government Relations for Harcourt Education. Before joining Harcourt in 2001, Rick served as Vice President of Marketing for K–12 educational publisher Everyday Learning Corporation. Previously, Rick headed the School Division of the Association of American Publishers, where he led legislative, appropriations, and public relations initiatives on behalf of the K–12 educational publishing industry. Rick began his educational publishing career as an attorney at the publishing and media company SFN Companies, Inc., where he ultimately served as Vice President, Secretary, and Associate General Counsel.

Senior Vice President of Global Supply Chain, K–12 Publishers

Kristen Lavelle

Kristen Lavelle is Senior Vice President of Global Supply Chain for K–12 Publishers. Kristen joined Harcourt in 2003 as a contractor for projects related to inventory management, business analysis, supply chain process, financial planning, and system enhancements. She was named Director of Supply Chain Process Development and Strategic Planning in 2006, and was promoted to Vice President of Procurement upon the formation of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt in 2007. Previously, Kristen served as Vice President of Finance and Administration for GoCo-op, Inc., an eProcurement systems company, and also held positions at PricewaterhouseCoopers and Deloitte and Touche. Kristen earned her B.S. in Business Administration from Penn State University, and she is an accredited Certified Public Accountant.