Dear Team,
As we continue on our journey to achieve our bold vision of being a modern, innovative, member-centric, and high-growth cooperative, it’s crucial that we ensure every part of our operation is aligned and performing at its best. As we’ve evolved, we’ve made significant changes to our organization. This is particularly true of our Member Engagement and Marketing functions.
Those teams have gotten significantly larger and are planned to grow further. We have created new sub-teams and roles (think Small Market; Business Partner Manager; Business Development Executive; etc.). The “products” they support are growing in number and sophistication. The amount of internal collaboration needed for success is greater than ever. Now is the time to ensure that we dial in the changes we’ve made and actualize the high-impact potential that has been developed.
To accelerate our progress, we have decided to bring in additional leadership. This is why I am excited to announce that we have Kevin Carlsten as our new Chief Revenue Officer. Kevin brings a wealth of experience in driving growth and building high-performance teams in the education sector. He will be instrumental in leading our sales and marketing efforts, ensuring alignment across all revenue generating activities, and fostering a culture of excellence that aligns with our values as a Deliberately Developmental Organization.
Kevin will report to me and will be a key part of our leadership team. James Lampe, SVP, Member Engagement and Sheila Kloefkorn, SVP, Marketing will report to Kevin. As this is a new role within our organization, I have attached a job description that will give you a better sense of this role.
A little more about Kevin….
Kevin holds a BA from the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from Columbia University. He brings over 18 years of executive leadership experience specializing in transforming teams and crafting and implementing sales and marketing strategies. He has successfully managed strategy, operations, and teams, driving organizational growth and efficiency through his passion and ability to empower people, enabling them to be their best.
Kevin’s career in higher education began when he joined Elsevier, a leading global publishing company specializing in research, medical, and technology content. During his tenure, he held various roles focused on the strategic execution of sales and marketing strategies, culminating in his position as Vice President of Strategy & Business Development. Kevin developed and implemented sales strategies that consistently drove year-over-year growth, spearheaded product marketing initiatives, and created a growth strategy that positioned a specific unit as an industry leader in R&D solutions.
After Elsevier Kevin transitioned to Cengage, a company offering educational content, technology, and services across higher education, K–12, professional, and library markets. As Vice President of Channel Strategy & Operations and then Senior Vice President and General Manager for Higher Education Institutional, he was responsible for strategy, marketing, sales, product, and operations. He also had full P&L responsibility. Kevin’s leadership was instrumental in driving 25% year-over-year growth.
Kevin is deeply committed to a result-driven and positive organizational culture. He is passionate about empowering people to perform at their best and make a meaningful impact on the world. His approach to leadership emphasizes building a strong culture, collaborating effectively across all levels of an organization, and developing high-performing teams that consistently exceed objectives.
Outside of work, Kevin loves to spend time with his wife Kate and three kids exploring the world, whether that be traveling (this summer’s trip to Romania), playing outside (skiing, mountain biking, last year’s climb of Mt. Fuji), seeing live music (most recent shows were Bright Lights Social Hour and King Gizzard), or crafting an awesome trident with his youngest. Kevin keeps sane by doing triathlons – like the “Survival of the Shawangunks” this weekend, which he will hopefully survive so he can join us on Monday!
Kevin will join us on September 9th. He will work remotely from his home in Dobbs Ferry, New York.
With Kevin on board, I am confident that we will not only reach our ambitious goals but also create a stronger, more cohesive team that is fully equipped to deliver outstanding results. Please join me in welcoming Kevin to our amazing team!
Best,
Eric
