
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, Education, 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

Jennifer Ahearn
Senior Vice President, Global Themed, Partnerships, and Canada

Gabriela Arenas
Senior Vice President, Global Licensing and Latin America and Australia/New Zealand and Southeast Asia

Jeanette Betancourt, Ed. D.
Senior Vice President, U.S. Social Impact

Taska Carrigan
Senior Vice President of Production Management, Operations, Business Affairs, and Legal

Akimi Gibson
Senior Vice President, Multiplatform Global Education Planning & Integration

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

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

Gabrielle Sulzberger
Chair – Board of Trustees, Sesame Workshop, Senior Advisor at Two Sigma and Centerbridge Partners

Steve Youngwood
Chief Executive Officer

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

Frans Hijkoop
Former Executive Vice President, Chief Human Resources Officer, MetLife, 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

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
Gabrielle Sulzberger
Chair, Board of Trustees, Sesame Workshop
Senior Advisor at Two Sigma and Centerbridge Partners
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

