School Specialty Announces New Marketing Roles and Appointments

GREENVILLE, Wis., July 17, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- School Specialty, Inc. SCHS, a leading K-12 education company with the broadest array of products in the market, announced today two new senior marketing roles and appointments.

Deborah (Debi) Crimmins has joined School Specialty as Senior Vice President for Learning and Market Strategy and will lead the company's efforts to define new market and product opportunities. Crimmins was most recently the Senior Vice President of Marketing and Sales at Reading Plus, Taylor Associates.

Melissa DeLay was also named Vice President Brand Strategy of School Specialty and will manage the company's corporate branding and communication initiatives. DeLay was most recently a Vice President, Group Account Director at Ogilvy and Mather.

"These new marketing positions will enhance our ability to meet changing customer and market needs," said Kathryn Pepper Miller, Chief Marketing Officer. "In their new roles, Debi and Melissa will be instrumental in helping us identify priority markets, add meaningful product line extensions and strengthen our brands."

"Building our product management capabilities is one of our top priorities, and doing this requires that we have a deep understanding of our markets and a renewed focus on our brands," added Michael P. Lavelle, President and Chief Executive Officer. "We are transforming the organization to one that is more market centric and balanced, and I am pleased to have Debi and Melissa join our team to support these initiatives."

Background on Deborah Crimmins and Melissa DeLay

Deborah Crimmins was most recently the Senior Vice President of Marketing and Sales at Reading Plus, Taylor Associates. She was previously Vice President of Strategic Sales at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, at Cambium Learning, and at Voyager Expanded Learning, as well as Vice President of Product Development at Scholastic. Crimmins holds an Educational Doctoral Degree in Curriculum and Instruction and a Master's Degree in Educational Leadership and Supervision from the University of Central Florida, Orlando.

Melissa DeLay was most recently a Vice President Group Account Director at Ogilvy and Mather. She previously held senior roles at Mullen Advertising, JWT and Lowe Worldwide, and worked with brands such as Levi, Hanes and Domino's Pizza, as well as education companies including Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and Teach for America. DeLay earned an MA in Communications from Michigan State University, Lansing and a BS degree in Marketing from Syracuse University.

About School Specialty, Inc.

School Specialty is a leading education company that provides innovative and proprietary products, programs and services to help educators engage and inspire students of all ages and abilities to learn. The company designs, develops, and provides preK-12 educators with the latest and very best curriculum, supplemental learning resources and school supplies. Working in collaboration with educators, School Specialty reaches beyond the scope of textbooks to help teachers, guidance counselors and school administrators ensure that every student reaches his or her full potential. 

Accelerated Learning's major products include: Wordly Wise 3000®, Premier™ Agenda, Delta Education™, FOSS®, CPO Science™, Frey Scientific®, Educator's Publishing Service, Academy of Reading®, Think Math!™, MCI®, S.P.I.R.E.® and SPARK™ . Educational Resources proprietary brands include: Education Essentials®, Sportime®, Childcraft®, Sax® Arts & Crafts, Califone®, abc®, Abilitations®, School Smart®, Classroom Select™ and Projects by Design®.

For more information about School Specialty, visit www.schoolspecialty.com.