HOBOKEN, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- William J. Pesce, President & CEO, and Stephen M. Smith, EVP & Chief Operating Officer, of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. (NYSE: JWa and JWb) announced today the Company's succession plan for the leadership of its three global businesses, disclosing the retirement dates and successors for Stephen A. Kippur, EVP & President, Professional/Trade (retirement date: July 31, 2010; successor: Mark J. Allin); Eric A. Swanson, SVP, Scientific, Technical, Medical, and Scholarly, (retirement date: October 31, 2010; successor: Steven J. Miron); and Bonnie E. Lieberman, SVP & General Manager, Higher Education (retirement date: April 30, 2011; successor: Joseph S. Heider).

Mr. Pesce stated, "Stephen, Eric, and Bonnie have made enormous contributions as members of one of the longest-serving and most successful leadership teams in the industry. They have built a solid foundation for Wiley's future success in challenging and rapidly changing markets, and we are grateful to them. Their retirements, after decades of service to our Company, and the appointments of Mark, Steve, and Joe, represent important milestones in Wiley's remarkable history. It pleases me greatly that the next generation of leadership, which has embraced and contributed to Wiley's unique culture, is being developed within the Company."

Stephen Kippur will retire on July 31, 2010, after 31 years with the Company. Stephen has led Wiley's P/T business since its inception. "His influence and contributions to the development of P/T stands out as one of the most notable accomplishments in our industry over the last three decades," said Mr. Smith.

Mark Allin will become VP & Chief Operating Officer of Wiley's global P/T business on January 1, 2010, and will report to Stephen Kippur during the period of transition. Mark joined Wiley with the acquisition of Capstone in 2000 and relocated to Asia in April 2003 to lead Wiley's business in that region. He has a distinguished track record in professional, trade, and educational publishing, having held leadership positions at Simon & Schuster and Pearson prior to becoming co-founder of Capstone in 1996. "Mark's role as VP & Managing Director of Wiley Asia provided him with experience across all three Wiley businesses. He is widely respected for his leadership qualities and for his ability to contribute to the success of our global business," said Mr. Smith.

Eric Swanson will retire on October 31, 2010 after 36 years with the Company, including his service at Alan R. Liss, which Wiley acquired in 1989. He was appointed as leader of the global STMS business following the acquisition of Blackwell in February 2007. "Eric is the primary architect of the strategic plans that have resulted in STMS becoming Wiley's largest and most profitable business," said Mr. Smith.

Steve Miron will assume the position of VP & Chief Operating Officer of global STMS on November 1, 2009. He will continue to report to Eric Swanson. Steve joined Wiley in 1993 as Regional Manager for Taiwan and Korea. After serving for eight years as VP & Managing Director of Wiley Asia, he was appointed as leader of global STM book publishing. Following the acquisition of Blackwell in 2007, Steve assumed the role of VP & Managing Director of the global STMS Physical Sciences business. "Steve has a distinguished track record as a performance-driven leader. During his years in Asia, he demonstrated the ability to collaborate effectively across our three businesses and generate impressive organic growth. He is a respected and influential member of the global STMS leadership team," said Mr. Smith.

Bonnie Lieberman plans to retire on April 30, 2011, after 21 years with the Company. Bonnie joined Wiley as a Publisher in HE in 1990. She succeeded Will Pesce as the leader of Wiley's HE business in 1996. "Bonnie contributed significantly to the revitalization of our HE business and is leading the team that established Wiley as a leader in the application of technology in the higher education market, growing the business substantially and providing the foundation for future success," said Mr. Smith.

Joe Heider will be promoted to the role of VP & Chief Operating Officer of global HE effective May 1, 2010. He will continue to report to Bonnie Lieberman. In 1994, Joe joined Wiley as a Publisher from Prentice-Hall. He was promoted to the role of VP & Executive Publisher in 1999 and assumed his current role as VP, Product & eBusiness Development, in October 2000. "Joe has consistently demonstrated the ability to formulate and execute successful product and market development strategies and has collaborated effectively across geographic and organizational boundaries. He is a major contributor to the development of new product models, most notably WileyPLUS," said Mr. Smith.

About Wiley's Core Businesses

Professional/Trade (P/T) serves professionals and consumers alike, with books, subscription content, and information services, in business, technology, architecture, professional culinary, psychology, education, travel, health, religion, consumer reference, pets, and general interest. Our portfolio of global brands includes For Dummies, Frommer's, Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, CliffsNotes, Webster's New World, J.K. Lasser, Jossey-Bass, Pfeiffer, and Sybex.

Scientific, Technical, Medical, and Scholarly (STMS), also known as Wiley-Blackwell, serves the world's research and scholarly communities, with programs encompassing journals, books, major reference works, databases, and laboratory manuals, in print and online. Through Wiley InterScience, we provide online access to a virtual library consisting of three million journal articles, 7,500 books, 100 major reference works, a dozen databases, and the Current Protocols laboratory manuals.

Higher Education (HE) serves undergraduate, graduate, and advanced placement students, and lifelong learners, by publishing educational materials in all media in the sciences, engineering, computer science, mathematics, business and accounting, statistics, geography, hospitality and the culinary arts, education, psychology, and modern languages. WileyPLUS, an integrated teaching and learning system, provides an easy-to-use online workspace for presentations, study, homework, and assessment for more than half a million students in over 16 countries.

About Wiley

Founded in 1807, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. has been a valued source of information and understanding for more than 200 years, helping people around the world meet their needs and fulfill their aspirations. Wiley and its acquired companies have published the works of more than 400 Nobel laureates in all categories: Literature, Economics, Physiology or Medicine, Physics, Chemistry, and Peace.

Our core businesses publish scientific, technical, medical, and scholarly journals, encyclopedias, books, and online products and services; professional/trade books, subscription products, training materials, and online applications and Web sites; and educational materials for undergraduate and graduate students and lifelong learners. Wiley's global headquarters are located in Hoboken, New Jersey, with operations in the U.S., Europe, Asia, Canada, and Australia. The Company's Web site can be accessed at www.wiley.com. The Company is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbols JWa and JWb.

John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Susan Spilka, 201-748-6147

Corporate Communications Director

sspilka@wiley.com

Source: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

<<Business Wire -- 10/13/2009>>