Spilka to Succeed Wiley as Wiley's SVP, Corporate Communications
(Press Release) Hoboken, NJ, October 4, 2010—William J. Pesce, President and Chief Executive Officer of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. (NYSE: JWa and JWb), announced today that Deborah E. Wiley will retire from her role as Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications, at the end of December. She will continue to serve as Chairman of the Wiley Foundation. Susan Spilka will succeed her as Vice President, Corporate Communications, effective January 1, 2011.
Deborah E. Wiley was the first member of the Wiley family's sixth generation to join the business when she started at Wiley in 1968. During her tenure, Deborah has been instrumental in developing and implementing important initiatives in the publishing industry and in communities around the world. As the former chairman of the National Book Foundation (1996-2007) and current chairman of the Association of American Publishers’ International Copyright Protection Committee, Deborah has served as a strong advocate for the publishing industry, particularly on copyright and piracy issues. Under her direction, the Wiley Foundation was established to bestow an annual Wiley Prize in Biomedical Sciences, first awarded in 2002, to recognize innovative research in the biomedical fields. She has led Wiley’s corporate giving programs for more than 25 years and has been actively engaged in Wiley’s successful tutoring and mentoring program in the Hoboken public schools since 2003.
Mr. Pesce said, “I want to take this opportunity to express my heartfelt gratitude to Deborah and to acknowledge her many contributions during her 42 years at the Company. She has diligently served Wiley in a wide variety of business, corporate, and governance roles, working her way up from a secretarial position to become a member of the Company’s leadership team. Deborah has left an enduring legacy for the Company that bears her family’s name. As a member of the sixth generation of the Wiley family, her unique perspective and deeply rooted altruism have played an essential part in shaping Wiley’s unique culture.”
