Our Leadership

We need strong, forward-thinking leaders to achieve our mission of helping kids everywhere grow smarter, stronger, and kinder. And we have them—a team of accomplished professionals who are all focused on one thing: helping kids.

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Founders

Joan Ganz Cooney

Co-Founder and Lifetime Honorary Trustee

Lloyd Morrisett

Co-Founder and Lifetime Honorary Trustee (1929-2023)

Operations Team

Steve Youngwood

Chief Executive Officer

Sherrie Westin

President

Alison Bryant

Chief Research, Data, and Impact Officer

Shadrach Kisten

Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer

Diana Lee

Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer

Samantha Maltin

Executive Vice President, Chief Marketing & Brand Officer

Brett Robinson

Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President of Finance, Technology, and Facilities

Joseph P. Salvo

Executive Vice President and General Counsel

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 Production and Creative Development 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

Melanie Grisanti

Senior Vice President, Production Management

Whit Higgins

Senior Vice President, International Media & Education and Global Distribution

Valerie Mitchell Johnston

Senior Vice President and Deputy General Counsel

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

Executive 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
Ex Officio Member of the Board
Sesame Workshop

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

Dr. 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

Vincent Mai

Chairman, Global Advisory Group
Sesame Workshop
Global Chairman and CEO
The Cranemere Group Limited

*Former Chairman

Frans Hijkoop

Chair, Board of Trustees
Sesame Workshop
Former Executive Vice President
Chief Human Resources Officer
MetLife, Inc.

Tom Donilon

Chairman
BlackRock Institute
Former National Security Advisor to President Obama ​

Michele Flournoy

Co-Founder and Managing Partner
WestExec Advisors
Former Undersecretary of State of Defense for Policy under 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

Former Colombia Ambassador to the U.S.
Former President of the 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

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

Drew Collins

Associate Research Scholar
Yale University

Irene Hong Edwards

Principal and Head of Investor Relations
Lovell Minnick Partners

Peter Friedland

Managing Partner
Audax Holdings

Michelle Marra

Consultant
Smartstream RDU

Patrick McGinnis

Founder
Dirigo Advisors

Tai Mendoza

Former Litigator

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