Our Leadership
The people in our neighborhood.
We need strong, forward-thinking leaders to achieve our mission of helping children everywhere grow smarter, stronger, and kinder.
And we have them — a team of accomplished professionals who are all focused on one thing: helping children.
Founders & Operations
Alison Bryant
Chief Research, Data, and Impact Officer
Diana Lee
Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer
Whit Higgins
Executive Vice President, Head of Global Enterprises
Shadrach Kisten
Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer
Samantha Maltin
Executive Vice President, Chief Marketing & Brand Officer
Valerie Mitchell Johnston
Executive Vice President and General Counsel
Brett Robinson
Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President of Finance, Technology, and Facilities
Hillary Strong
Chief Development Officer
Maureen Trantham
Senior Vice President, Head of Strategy and Social Impact & Philanthropy Operations
Kay Wilson Stallings
Executive Vice President, Chief Creative Development and Production Officer
Wanda Witherspoon
Senior Vice President and Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer
Senior Management
Gabriela Arenas
Senior Vice President, Global Licensing and Product Licensing
Jeanette Betancourt, Ed. D.
Senior Vice President, U.S. Social Impact
Taska Carrigan
Senior Vice President of Production Management, Operations, Business Affairs, and Legal
Michael Preston, Ph.D.
Senior Vice President and Executive Director, Joan Ganz Cooney Center
Shari Rosenfeld
Senior Vice President, International Social Impact
Rosemarie Truglio, Ph.D.
Senior Vice President, Curriculum and Content
International Management
Shah Alam
Managing Director, Sesame Workshop Bangladesh
Alvin Fu
Vice President and General Manager, Greater China
Stefan Kastenmüller
General Manager, Europe
Sonali Khan
Managing Director, India
Manabu Nagaoka
Vice President, General Manager, and Executive Producer, Japan, and Head of Sesame Street English
Innocent Nkata
Managing Director, Sesame Workshop International South Africa
Board of Trustees
Frans Hijkoop
Chair – Board of Trustees, Sesame Workshop, Former Executive Vice President, Chief Human Resources Officer, MetLife, Inc.
Steve Youngwood
Chief Executive Officer
Jeffrey N. Watanabe
Retired Founder, Watanabe Ing LLP, *Former Chairman
Varun Chandra
Managing Partner, Hakluyt & Company
Thasunda Brown Duckett
Chief Executive Officer, TIAA
Lee Eastman
Partner, Eastman & Eastman
Kathleen G. Elsesser
Global Chair Consumer Retail and Healthcare Groups, Investment Banking Division, Goldman Sachs
Carla Harris
Vice Chairman, Global Wealth Management and Senior Client Advisor, Morgan Stanley
Marlene Hess
Former Managing Director, J.P. Morgan Chase & Co., Inc.
Valerie Jarrett
Distinguished Senior Fellow, University of Chicago Law School
Amy Beth Jordan
Professor and Chair of Journalism and Media Studies, School of Communication and Information, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey
Paul Lindley OBE
Founder, Ella’s Kitchen
Jenna Mack
Executive Producer and Host, In the Grey
Michael G. Manasse
President and Chief Operating Officer, Peterson Management LLC
Miriam Rivera
CEO, Co-Founder and Managing Director Ulu Ventures
Gabrielle Sulzberger
General Partner , Rustic Canyon / Fontis Partners LP
Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum
President Emerita, Spelman College
Ann Rubenstein Tisch
Founder and President, The Young Women’s Leadership Network
Jeffrey Weiss
Principal, Five Forty Investments
Global Advisory
Global Advisory
Frans Hijkoop
Chair, Board of Trustees, Sesame Workshop
Former Executive Vice President, Chief Human Resources Officer, MetLife, Inc.
Tom Donilon
Chairman, BlackRock Investment Institute
Former National Security Advisor to President Obama
Hosh Ibrahim
Board Director
Mo Ibrahim Foundation
Deborah Lehr
CEO and Founding Partner
Basilinna
Tsitsi Masiyiwa
Co-Founder
Higherlife Foundation
Luis Alberto Moreno
Managing Director, Allen & Co LLC
Former President, Inter-American Development Bank
Adm. Mike Mullen
17th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Mary Menell Zients
Co-Fouder and Chairman
Urban Alliance Foundation
Leadership Council
Leadership Council
Our Leadership Council is composed of individuals representing a variety of industries, regional perspectives, and professional expertise dedicated to Sesame Workshop’s mission. Members provide thought leadership, serve as ambassadors, and support Sesame Workshop by sharing their time, treasure, knowledge, and networks to engage the broader community.
Jason Graefe, Chair
VP, Strategic Adviser and Chief of Staff for the CEO, Microsoft
Mariam Alsikafi, Chairman of the Board
Citizens Archive
Jenna Arnold, Author & Activist
Erica Blob, Partner and Chief Operating Officer
Brighton Park Capital
Irene Hong Edwards, Principal and Head of Investor Relations
Lovell Minnick Partners
Peter Friedland, Managing Partner
Audax Holdings
Michelle Marra, Consultant
Smartstream RDU
Sarah Richardson, Senior Litigation Counsel
W. L. Gore & Associates
Florence Ann Romano, Founder and CEO
Kindred Content
Anita Tandon, Marketing Advisor and Startup Confidant
Blink Advisory
