Discovery Education Announces New Staff Appointments
July 29, 2008
(Silver Spring, Md.) Discovery Education recently announced a number of new staff appointments indicative of its commitment to crafting custom solutions that meet the varied needs of educators nationwide.
Those appointments are as follows:
Coni Rechner named Vice President of Digital Sales. Focusing on enhanced customer relations and support, Discovery Education has named Coni Rechner as Vice President of Digital Sales.
Following her successful role as Vice President of Marketing for Discovery Education, Rechner has been charged with overseeing digital sales in the Western, Southwest and Midwest regions. Following her successes as Vice President of Marketing for Discovery Education, Rechner will manage sales of Discovery Education’s digital products in 36 states, including Florida, California, Texas and Illinois. As Vice President of Discovery Education’s Marketing department, Rechner was responsible for the marketing of all Discovery Education products and services and management of the Discovery Educator Network.
After 10 years at United Learning, Rechner joined Discovery in 2003 with United Learning’s acquisition. As Discovery Education Director of Marketing, Rechner continued developing her vision for building a national teacher community by launching the Discovery Educator Network (DEN) in 2005. Since its launch, the DEN has grown to a network of more than 30,000 individuals providing professional development to more than 415,000 educators.
Rechner will continue to operate out of Discovery Education’s Evanston, IL, office.
Kurt Fichtman named Sales Director. Fichtman is a seven year veteran of the education industry whose experience includes successful careers with The Princeton Review and his own education consulting company, Kurt Thomas Group, LLC. Fichtman is based in Discovery Education’s Charlotte, NC, office, and oversees customer relationships in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and West Virginia.
Jeanie Staton named Sales Manager. Staton has over five years experience working in education and 10 years experience in the Information Technology industry. A former Social Studies teacher, Staton has worked as an Implementation Consultant for an educational software company and also worked for a textbook publisher before joining Discovery. Also based in Discovery Education’s Charlotte office, Staton will team with Sales Director Kurt Fichtman in overseeing customer relationships in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and West Virginia.
Lori McFarling appointed to National Education Association (NEA) Foundation Board of Directors. Lori McFarling, Divisional Marketing Officer for Discovery Education & Domestic Distribution, has been appointed to the NEA Foundation Board of Directors. A 20-year Discovery veteran and highly respected industry leader, McFarling is a member of the senior leadership team at Discovery Education, overseeing all partnership, outreach, professional development, marketing, and public affairs activities. Previously, McFarling was Chief Operating Officer for Animal Planet and Discovery Kids Media.
McFarling serves in several cable industry leadership roles as a member of the National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA), the Cable & Telecommunications Association for Marketing (CTAM), Women in Cable & Telecommunications (WICT), and the Association of Cable Communicators (ACC). In 2005, she received the industry's highest honor, the prestigious Vanguard Award for Marketing, and was named to the "Wonder Women" class of television executives in 2006. McFarling is based out of Discovery Education’s Silver Spring, Md., office.
About Discovery Education
Discovery Communications revolutionized television with the Discovery Channel and is now transforming classrooms through Discovery Education. Powered by the #1 non-fiction media company in the world, Discovery Education combines scientifically proven, standards-based digital media and a dynamic user community in order to empower teachers to improve student achievement. Already, more than half of all U.S. schools access Discovery Education digital services. Explore the future of education at www.discoveryeducation.com.