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Leadership

Meet the Leadership team for Savvas Learning Company. Working together to help teachers and students succeed.

Meet the Savvas Leadership Team

Bethlam Forsa

Chief Executive Officer

Bethlam Forsa is chief executive officer of Savvas Learning Company, a global next-generation learning solutions provider for K-12 education. A dynamic and visionary leader whose career in education and publishing spans over two decades, Bethlam is committed to the idea that a quality education has the power ...

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Bethlam Forsa is chief executive officer of Savvas Learning Company, a global next-generation learning solutions provider for K-12 education. A dynamic and visionary leader whose career in education and publishing spans over two decades, Bethlam is committed to the idea that a quality education has the power to shape lives, inspire new ways of thinking, and build better communities. With an innovation mindset and a focus on technology’s potential to personalize teaching and learning experiences, she is a recognized trailblazer and changemaker and the recipient of numerous industry awards.

Bethlam has received the ASU+GSV Power of Women Award, which recognizes extraordinary female leaders for achieving successful outcomes for companies at scale in the learning technology sector. The organization also recognized her with its Innovators of Color Award for her role in making a “true impact in education” through innovations in learning and skills. Bethlam has been honored by the Bank Street College of Education for her work in supporting educators with learning solutions that improve student outcomes. In addition, she received the SIIA CODiE Award for Most Influential Thought Leader in Ed Tech, which honors the leader who empowers and inspires the edtech industry through their insight, expertise, and critical thinking.

Prior to Savvas, Bethlam held leadership positions at two major education publishing companies and the global professional services and consulting firm Accenture. One of the few women at the helm of a major learning-solutions company, Bethlam has guided Savvas to take an industry-leading position with its innovative and award-winning product lines, highest-quality curriculum, and cutting-edge assessment tools that empower educators and meet the needs of all learners.

Fluent in English, French, and Italian, Bethlam earned a Bachelor of Science and an MBA from Cornell University.

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Paul Despins

Paul Despins

Senior Vice President,
Production and Operations
As the head of Production and Operations for Savvas, Paul oversees the company’s supply chain, program management office, production, content management, workflow, procurement and supplier management functions. Paul comes to Savvas from Pearson U.S. Learning Services, where he served in the same role since 2014. An experienced leader in publishing operations management, he has held executive positions at leading publishing companies including Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and McGraw-Hill Education. Throughout his career, he has been instrumental in driving the evolution of next-generation publishing solutions as well as executing operational improvements to profitably deliver outstanding and innovative products.
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Cindy Fleming

Vice President,
Human Resources
As the head of Human Resources at Savvas, Cindy is responsible for setting and implementing the organization’s strategy to support its values and growth. Cindy is an accomplished leader with over 25 years of experience in end-to-end human resources and specializing in shaping organizational culture through the improvement of employee engagement. She has extensive experience in total rewards, talent acquisition, diversity and inclusion, change management, and mergers and acquisitions. Cindy comes to Savvas from LSC Communications, where she served as the senior vice president of human resources. She has a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Illinois and a Master of Science in Human Resource Management from Purdue University.
Paul Fletcher

Paul Fletcher

Senior Vice President,
Chief Financial Officer
As the chief financial officer, Paul oversees financial planning and reporting, financial services, treasury, tax, accounting, auditing, and business reporting and analysis functions. Paul comes to Savvas from Pearson Education, where he held several senior leadership positions, including president of the School Systems Group and senior vice president of finance for U.S. Learning Services. During his time at Pearson, he led the integration and restructuring of PowerSchool following its acquisition from Apple. He went on to successfully grow PowerSchool to become a market leader in student information systems. Prior to Pearson, Paul spent eleven years at the Intel Corporation where he held various finance leadership roles, across multiple divisions, involving strategy, international manufacturing, organizational development, and business growth. Paul received a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of California, Davis. He received a Bachelor of Science from UCLA.
John Lewis

John Lewis

Senior Vice President,
Chief Technology Officer
As the chief technology officer, John oversees the software development and operations of all digital curriculum delivery platforms, including the edtech industry’s most versatile learning management system, Savvas Realize. John is a seasoned veteran of the software engineering industry, with expertise in large-scale enterprise architecture, education technology, open source, and agile development methods. He has worked in and around both K-12 education and higher education since 1999. John comes to Savvas from Scholastic Inc., where he served as the chief technology officer for North America. Prior to joining Scholastic, John spent ten years as the chief architect for Unicon, leading the technology strategy of the education-oriented systems integration firm. John has a bachelor's degree from Pepperdine University.
Maureen Link

Maureen Link

Senior Vice President,
Marketing and Communications
As senior vice president of Marketing and Communications, Maureen is responsible for building a strong Savvas brand, as well as developing, implementing, and managing all aspects of the company’s marketing and communications strategies. Working in collaboration with the Sales, Product, Customer Care, and Professional Services teams, she drives initiatives to grow market share and increase customer engagement. Maureen comes to Savvas from Time Warner Cable, where she served as the group vice president of marketing for business services. She led the team in developing and implementing the national marketing plan for the business market, driving new customer acquisition and revenue growth from the existing customer base. Maureen brings more than 20 years of marketing leadership experience in highly competitive service industries, including cable, wireless, and telecom services, including brands such as Verizon and Sprint. Maureen received a Bachelor of Science from Fairleigh Dickinson University and an MBA from Columbia University.
James Lippe

James Lippe

Senior Vice President,
Head of Sales and Sales Operations
As the head of Sales and Sales Operations, James is responsible for developing and leading a world-class sales organization that provides consultative account management to K-12 school districts across the United States. James brings an extensive background in the educational market that includes sales leadership, product management, and teaching. James comes to Savvas from Pearson U.S. Learning Services, which he joined in 2000 as a sales representative in Missouri for Pearson Scott Foresman. Prior to working at Pearson, he spent five years in Japan as an English teacher. He also taught biology in Texas and Missouri. For the past 20 years, James has been a volunteer English language teacher for immigrants and other adults learning English. James has a Bachelor of Science in biology from Oklahoma Christian University.
Sean Mulcahy

Sean Mulcahy

Senior Vice President,
General Counsel
As senior vice president and general counsel for Savvas, Sean leads the legal team to collaborate with and enable the Savvas business units on all legal matters, including commercial contracts, intellectual property, data privacy, compliance, and labor/employment. He is also responsible for assessing the impact of new laws and regulations on the company’s product offerings and operations. Sean comes to Savvas from Great Minds, where he served as the general counsel and secretary and was responsible for all of the company’s legal affairs. Sean has more than 20 years of legal experience and expertise in business, education, and corporate law. Sean earned a Bachelor of Arts in government and politics from the University of Maryland and a Juris Doctor, summa cum laude, from the University of Baltimore School of Law.
Bryan Smith

Bryan Smith

Senior Vice President,
Chief Information Officer
As the chief information officer for Savvas, Bryan is responsible for the company’s full spectrum of IT operations, including website hosting, business systems, management information systems, and security services serving Savvas employees, customers, and partners. Bryan joined Savvas to lead the IT separation from Pearson Education, helping support the transition to a fully independent, standalone company. Bryan previously served as the vice president of Strategic Operations at eCampus.com. Prior to that, he was the CIO at Cengage Learning. He brings more than 30 years of IT experience working in the education industry, providing operation and technology leadership in managing an array of technical services and business systems.

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