Leah Strauss
Cambridge,MA
Summary
Leadership-driven educational content professional with talent for relationship-building and project management. Adept at strategic planning and collaborative problem-solving to produce exceptional results. Motivated to bring ingenuity, tenacity, and superior communication skills to a new role.
Overview
27
27
years of professional experience
Work History
Senior Editor
Macmillan Learning
Boston, MA
01.2011 - Current
- Manage the development and publication of market-leading products for undergraduate courses in History and English, including courseware (Achieve), ebooks, print, and resources for instructors
- Build collaborative cross-functional relationships across Product, Content Management, Sales, Digital Media, Marketing, Finance, and Operations
- Lead cross-functional teams to execute targeted development plans by defined market segment
- Deploy data-driven analysis to grow revenue
- Direct product design and coordinate with team members across production and marketing to publish products that meet market needs
- Respond with alacrity to sales situations that require support
- Coach content providers to create products for the digital space
- Deliver projects on schedule and within budget
- Attend academic conferences and represent company ethos.
Senior Development Editor
Pearson Education
Boston, MA
01.2003 - 01.2011
- Managed the development and publication of first edition and revision titles for undergraduate courses in social science disciplines, including: Sociology, Psychology, and Political Science
- Cultivated trusted and productive relationships with authors and content providers
- Planned and executed development plan and production schedule for assigned titles
- Directed product design and coordinated with cross-functional teams to publish product on time and within budget
- Promoted products via internal and external marketing efforts.
Development Editor
Houghton Mifflin Company
Boston, MA
01.1999 - 01.2003
- Managed all aspects of book development for assigned textbook titles on the U.S
- History list from initial conception to publication: author and freelancer relations, management of financial publishing plan, bringing products to market on time and under budget
- Cultivated productive and collegial relationships with authors and content providers
- Planned and oversaw development plan and schedules to deliver products that met market needs
- Prepared manuscript for transmittal to production; planned ancillary program and digital products
- Attended academic conferences; worked with marketing team to promote products; wrote advertising and cover copy.
Assistant Editor
Houghton Mifflin Company
Boston, MA
01.1997 - 01.1999
- Coordinated the development of undergraduate textbooks on the World History list; analyzed reviews for editorial purposes; produced financial publishing plan for each title
- Prepared manuscript for transmittal to production; maintained schedules to achieve desired publication dates; communicated closely with production, permissions, and marketing teams
- Coordinated the textbook reviewing process for English and Political Science lists; produced profit and loss statements for each title.
Education
Instructional Design
LinkedIn Learning Coursework
01-2023
B.A. in English -
Cornell University
Semester Abroad -
Université Grenoble Alpes
Skills
- Project Management
- Content Strategy Execution
- Stakeholder Management
- Customer Data Analysis
- Collaborative Problem Solving
- Cross-functional Team Leadership
- Deadline-driven
- Google Office Suite
- Microsoft 365
- Salesforce
- JIRA
- Qualtrics
- Power BI
- GenAI tools
Workplace Culture
- Instructional Design Curriculum for Editorial Team, Co-creator (Macmillan Learning), Researched, created, and hosted series of three workshops for editorial team, 2020
- Mentor Program, Mentor (Macmillan Learning), Coached editorial assistant over 8-week program; resulted in the mentee accepting a sales representative position with the company, 2020-21
- Women@ML (ERG), Co-lead of Professional Development Committee, Hosted first of its kind networking series, 2022
- Gigs@ML, Sponsor, Hosted job-shadowing experience for junior colleague from STEM editorial, 2023
Awards
Macmillan Learning's Humanities Product of the Year, 2021, Award for A History of World Societies 15e (109% of goal; $1.7 million revenue)
Timeline
Senior Editor
Macmillan Learning
01.2011 - Current
Senior Development Editor
Pearson Education
01.2003 - 01.2011
Development Editor
Houghton Mifflin Company
01.1999 - 01.2003
Assistant Editor
Houghton Mifflin Company
01.1997 - 01.1999
Instructional Design
LinkedIn Learning Coursework
B.A. in English -
Cornell University
Semester Abroad -
Université Grenoble Alpes
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