Jonathan Shar
Chief Executive Officer
Jonathan Shar serves as Chief Executive Officer, Barnes & Noble Education. Prior to this role, Mr. Shar served as Executive Vice President, BNED Retail and President, Barnes & Noble College. As Executive Vice President, he was responsible for the growth and profitability of the Company’s Retail segment, including the development and implementation of client-focused solutions that deliver innovation and increased value to the higher education marketplace. As President of Barnes & Noble College, Mr. Shar was responsible for the growth and profitability of Barnes & Noble College, providing strategic direction and operational leadership across the business, which manages physical campus bookstores and e-commerce sites nationwide. Mr. Shar also led strategy and execution for merchandising, marketing and business development, serving the higher education and K-12 markets. Previously, Mr. Shar served as Senior Vice President, Revenue and Product Development for the Company. Prior to joining BNED in 2018, Mr. Shar was Chief Marketing Officer at Akademos, Inc., a disruptive and growing e-commerce and digital marketing company that provides online bookstore services. He previously was the General Manager of NOOK Digital Content at Barnes & Noble, Inc. where he oversaw business development, product development and marketing for the Global NOOK Newsstand, NOOK Video and NOOK Apps digital businesses. Prior to his nearly five years with NOOK, he served as Senior Vice President and General Manager at CNNMoney, responsible for the CNNMoney website and mobile franchise. Prior to that, he was Vice President of Consumer Marketing at Sports Illustrated Group and Director of Consumer Marketing for FORTUNE Magazine Group. Mr. Shar received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Tufts University and has an MBA from the University of Michigan.
Michael C. Miller
Executive Vice President, Corporate Development & Affairs, Chief Legal Officer, Secretary
Michael C. Miller serves as Executive Vice President, Corporate Development & Affairs, Chief Legal Officer, Secretary. In this role, Mr. Miller oversees all legal and compliance matters, including corporate, litigation, privacy, labor and employment matters and strategic transactions, as well as the Company’s corporate strategy, corporate communications, public and government affairs program and initiatives. As Corporate Secretary, Mr. Miller is responsible for providing guidance to the company and its Board of Directors on corporate governance and Securities and Exchange Commission matters, including public disclosures. Prior to joining Barnes & Noble Education, Mr. Miller served as Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary at Monster Worldwide, parent company of global career management website Monster.com. He has also served in various senior legal capacities at Motorola and at Symbol Technologies, and was previously associated with Sullivan & Cromwell, LLP and Winthrop, Stimson, Putnam & Roberts in New York earlier in his career. Michael earned his Juris Doctor from Hofstra University School of Law, where he served as Associate Editor of the Hofstra Law Review, an MBA from Long Island University—C.W. Post, and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the College of the Holy Cross.
Kevin F. Watson
Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer
Kevin F. Watson serves as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for Barnes & Noble Education and is a member of the company’s executive team. In this role, Mr. Watson is responsible for the company’s financial management, including leading the accounting, treasury, tax, financial planning and operations, internal audit and investor relations teams. Prior to joining BNED, he was Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for Paraco Gas Corporation. At Paraco, he oversaw the financial management of the Company, including accounting, tax, internal audit, human resources, information technology, supply chain, business intelligence, risk management, and mergers and acquisitions. Before joining Paraco Gas in 2018, he served as a senior financial executive for Cablevision Systems Corporation, PanAmSat Corporation and Entex IT Services, as well as various finance roles at MCI Telecommunications and Prudential Securities, Inc. Mr. Watson holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from Iona University.
Stephen Culver
Senior Vice President, Chief Information Officer
Stephen Culver serves as Senior Vice President, Chief Information Officer and oversees the company’s IT operations and strategic development. Prior to joining Barnes & Noble College in 2005, Stephen held leadership positions in both the private and public sectors. He owned and presided over an IT consulting company, which specialized in the retail and wholesale industries. As CIO of Giorgio Armani Corporation, he led the IT operations during the development and expansion of their North American operations.
Cynthia Origlio
Senior Vice President, Chief Human Resources Officer
Cynthia Origlio serves as Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer. In this role, Ms. Origlio oversees the overall management and operations of BNED’s human resources across the enterprise, including Barnes & Noble College and MBS. She is responsible for leading the human resources strategy, talent acquisition, talent development, diversity and inclusion, compensation, benefits, employee relations and HR operations for the Company. Ms. Origlio has more than 25 years of human resources experience. She first joined the Company in 1996, working in Benefits for Barnes & Noble College. In her most recent role, she served as Vice President, Total Rewards & Talent, and was responsible for talent acquisition, employee development and engagement, and organizational development efforts for BNED. Ms. Origlio earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Seema Paul
Senior Vice President, Chief Accounting Officer
Seema Paul serves as Senior Vice President, Chief Accounting Officer. In this role, Ms. Paul is responsible for preparing and reviewing the Company’s SEC filings, including Forms 10-Q and Form 10-K. She also ensures that financial statements and disclosures are in accordance with US GAAP and in compliance with SEC accounting rules and regulations. She is a strategic leader with proven success in leading teams and resolving highly complex matters. Ms. Paul’s recent background includes working as the Corporate Controller for Covanta Holding Corporation, as well as various senior financial roles with several major companies including Net2Phone, Sybase, Inc. and Liberty Mutual Insurance Company. Ms. Paul is a CPA, and earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting, a Bachelor’s Degree in Finance and a Master’s Degree in Accounting Information Systems from the University of Maryland.