Wiley, a global leader in publishing, research and education, today announced that Deanna Raineri, formerly of Coursera and Northeastern University, has joined the company as its new senior vice president for university strategy and market innovation.
In her new role, Raineri will lead Wiley’s University Services business line. During her career, she has been an innovator in digital learning in both academia and the corporate world, developing online and blended education programs and strategies, including some of the industry’s first unbundled and stackable degrees.
“Dee has been an incredibly innovative leader in both the higher education and corporate spaces, and we’re thrilled to welcome her to our Wiley team,” said Matt Leavy, executive vice president and general manager of Wiley’s Academic segment. “Her diverse background gives her a unique understanding of the challenges and opportunities in the online learning space within higher education, and we’re excited for her to help drive our business forward.”
“I’m really excited to join this dedicated and talented team in their effort to support universities and learners,” said Raineri. “This is a time of great challenges for universities, but I also see it as a time of great opportunity. I’m looking forward to working with our partners to launch programs that support the evolving needs of today’s learners and employers.”
Raineri comes to Wiley from Northeastern University, where she served as vice president and senior vice chancellor for experiential digital global education. While there, she focused on extending Northeastern’s educational offerings globally, increasing student access and flexibility through technology, and working with industry leaders to launch innovative work-integrated learning.
Prior to her time at Northeastern, Raineri worked as the chief academic strategist and interim chief content officer for Coursera, where she brought courses, credentials, and degree programs from more than 100 institutions globally to the company’s platform. She also spent 15 years at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), serving as an associate dean and then associate provost for education innovation, providing leadership for innovations in both classroom and online education.
Raineri holds a PhD in biochemistry and chemistry from University of Southampton in the United Kingdom and completed a postdoctoral appointment at the University of Washington in the U.S.
Raineri’s position was created as part of a recent, broader reorganization of Wiley’s education lines of business, which supports the company’s increased focus on the unique needs of its customers and aligns more closely with its target markets. Wiley’s University Services business line is now part of the new Academic segment, which also encompasses Academic Publishing, led by Leavy. Todd Zipper, meanwhile, is executive vice president and general manager of Wiley’s new Talent segment. The Talent segment brings together Wiley Edge and Wiley’s professional learning offerings to focus on sourcing and upskilling talent to fill the most critical skill shortages for our customers.