DreamBox Learning Hires New CEO

Bellevue, WA-based online education company DreamBox Learning has hired Jessie Woolley-Wilson as its new chief executive. Woolley-Wilson previously served as president of K-12 at Blackboard (NASDAQ: [[ticker:BBBB]]), as executive vice president of LeapFrog Enterprises (NASDAQ: [[ticker:LF]]), and as president of LeapFrog SchoolHouse. She has also held executive leadership positions at MyRoad.com, The College Board, and Kaplan. DreamBox, founded in 2006, was acquired by Netflix CEO Reed Hastings and non-profit venture firm the Charter Fund back in April. The deal included a $10 million investment in the company for the advancement of its e-learning technology, content, and distribution in U.S. schools.

Author: Thea Chard

Before joining Xconomy, Thea spent a year working as the editor of another startup, the hyperlocal Seattle neighborhood news site QueenAnneView.com. She holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Southern California, where she double-majored in print journalism and creative writing. While in college, Thea spent a semester studying in London and writing for the London bureau of the Los Angeles Times. Indulging in her passion for feature writing, she has covered a variety of topics ranging from the arts, to media, clean technology and breaking news. Before moving back to Seattle, Thea worked in new media development on two business radio shows, "Marketplace" and "Marketplace Money" by American Public Media. Her clips have appeared in the Los Angeles Times, the Santa Monica Daily Press, Seattle magazine and her college paper, the Daily Trojan. Thea is a native Seattleite who grew up in Magnolia, and now lives in Queen Anne.