“The company’s mission to inspire others through God’s Word matches my personal mission,” notes Ballerini. “Thomas Nelson is a place where my Christian values and beliefs will be supported, strengthened, and utilized to fuel the professional marketing efforts for some of the most dynamic Bible and study products available today. I am excited by both the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.”

Carla Ballerini’s experience in marketing, communications and public relations spans more than two decades of achievement with major product and service corporations nationwide.  She established Ballerini Marketing in 1992, where she created marketed materials and creative advertising campaigns for companies throughout the Southeast for which she has received numerous Addy Awards for national creative campaigns for Philips Consumer Electronics Company, Philips Business Solutions, Ski Beech, Shoney’s Restaurants, Y-12 Federal Credit Union, and others.

Prior to establishing Ballerini Marketing, she served as Senior Vice President of The Rowland Company, one of the largest public relations and marketing communications agencies in the world and a division of Saatchi & Saatchi Company PLC, London.
Carla Ballerini has directed a variety of award-winning national marketing communications campaigns including the launch of Philips’ Compact Disc Interactive (CD-i) technology; TEDDY RUXPIN, the first animated talking toy; LAZER TAG, a unique infrared light technology toy; Intelligy Corporations’ WINGS early learning program; Polaroid’s Cool Cam, Honey Hill Farms frozen yogurt and Cooper Wiring Devices’ Aspire RF and MediaSync.

“Carla’s experience offers a fresh outlook to our team” comments Hastings. “We’re excited to have her join us in our vision of offering Bible, reference, and curriculum products that inspire the world.”

Contact:    Brenda Smotherman
Publicist
tel:    (615) 902-2231
fax:    (615) 902-1132
web:    www.thomasnelson.com

Mark Schoenwald immediately assumes the duties of President and Chief Operating Officer. All of the company’s publishing, marketing, and sales will be consolidated under him. Schoenwald, who has served as Nelson’s Chief Sales Officer since 2004, will continue to report to Hyatt.

“Mark is a proven leader who is willing to tackle the tough issues and get everyone working together toward a common goal,” said Hyatt. “Under his leadership, we will be well positioned to meet the challenges we face in today’s difficult marketplace and to be successful as the economy begins to recover.”

With this change, Tami Heim steps down as Executive Vice President and Chief Publishing Officer. In her four years at Thomas Nelson, Heim was responsible for consolidating all of Nelson’s publishing imprints under the Thomas Nelson brand.  

“Tami will be greatly missed. She has contributed in innumerable ways, not the least of which was helping us view our business from a retailer’s point-of-view,” Hyatt continued. “We appreciate her hard work and devotion during her tenure at Thomas Nelson.”

With Schoenwald’s expanded focus on day-to-day operations, Hyatt will be freed up to concentrate on the publishing products. He will be more intimately involved with author acquisitions, author relations, and product development.

“The publishing landscape has changed dramatically over the last few years and I believe it will continue to evolve,” said Hyatt. “In this environment, it is critical that we have a sharp eye on developing WOW products and ensuring that they are available in the formats that our readers desire. As CEO, this will be my primary focus.”

Stuart Bitting, Chief Financial Officer, and Mary Graham, Chief Live Events Officer, will continue to report to Hyatt.

Thomas Nelson is a leading provider of Bibles, products, and live events emphasizing Christian, inspirational and family value themes.  For more information, visit our website www.thomasnelson.com.

Contact:

Lindsey Nobles
Director of Corporate Communications
tel:    (615) 902-1109
fax:    (615) 902-1110
web:    www.thomasnelson.com
e-mail: lnobles@thomasnelson.com

(Nashville, Tenn.) Thomas Nelson, Inc. announced today that Dale Wilstermann will lead Thomas Nelson’s Non-Fiction Trade Group as the Vice President of Marketing, effective March 2. Wilstermann has spent the last three years at Thomas Nelson, in the positions of both Vice President of ABA Religious Sales and Vice President of E-tailer Sales - where he has guided Thomas Nelson’s online sales division.  Wilstermann brings more than 15 years of sales and retail experience into the job, including extensive time at both Strang Communications and Integrity Publishers.

“Our Non-Fiction Trade Group is blessed to have someone of Dale’s caliber moving into this position,” said David Moberg, Senior Vice President and Group Publisher of Nelson’s Non-Fiction Trade Division. “We believe that, as the marketing and publicity of books evolves almost daily and continues to grow within the electronic and non-traditional mediums, Dale is the perfect person to lead and direct the continued growth of this important division within Thomas Nelson.”

Prior to joining Thomas Nelson in 2006, Wilstermann served as Vice President of Key Accounts at the aforementioned Integrity Publishing in Franklin, TN.  Wilstermann is a graduate of Oakland University in Rochester, MI, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in computer science.

“Thomas Nelson is one of the most innovative and inspiring publishers in the business,” said Wilstermann. “I look forward to contributing my own talent and experience to the exciting work the Non-Fiction Trade Group is already engaged in and to being a part of a team with such a promising future and tremendous growth potential.”

Wilstermann is a native of Shelby Township, MI.  His wife, Vicki, and their children, Jacob and Jordan, currently reside in Franklin, Tennessee.

# # #

Thomas Nelson is a leading provider of Bibles, products, and live events emphasizing Christian, inspirational and family value themes.  For more information, visit our website www.thomasnelson.com.

Contact:    Jason Jones
Publicist - Business, Culture and General Interest

Tel: (615) 902-2344   

Fax: (615) 902-12129
E-mail: jjones@thomasnelson.com

“Our international licensing team has averaged 21% growth each of the last four years,” said Tod Shuttleworth, Senior Vice President and Group Publisher of Nelson’s Specialty and Global Publishing Division. “And we are seeing dynamic growth throughout our international divisions. Daisy’s extensive international experience will be an important addition to our team as we plan on the continued growth of Thomas Nelson’s global publishing.”

Hutton most recently served as the Rights Director at the Harvard Business Press in Boston, Massachusetts. Prior to her work at Harvard Business Press, Daisy worked for Perseus Books Group and two prominent literary agencies. Hutton is a graduate of the University of Mississippi in Oxford, where she earned a Bachelor’s of Art in French and English Literature.

“Thomas Nelson is one of the most innovative and inspiring publishers in the business and has been an industry leader in the commitment to building a truly global publishing platform,” said Hutton. “I look forward to contributing my own talent and experience to the exciting work the international team at Thomas Nelson is already engaged in and to being a part of a company with such a rich history and promising future.”

Over the next few weeks, Hutton, her husband Matt, and two sons Leo and Silas will be relocating to Nashville from their current home in Massachusetts.

For more information on Thomas Nelson’s international initiatives, visit www.thomasnelson.com/global.

Contact: Lindsey Nobles
Director of Corporate Communications
Tel: (615) 902-1109
Fax: (615) 902-1110
E-mail: lnobles@thomasnelson.com

(Nashville, Tenn.) Thomas Nelson, Inc. announced today that Jason Jones will be joining the Non-Fiction Trade Book Group as the Publicist for General Interest and Lifestyle. Jason will be responsible for developing the overall publicity strategy for all general interest and lifestyle titles including media relations, event planning, author relations, and creative writing.

“The General Interest and Lifestyle category is a strong growth opportunity for Thomas Nelson. We believe we can produce great books on general topics from a Christian worldview,” said Larry Carpenter, Vice President of Marketing for the Thomas Nelson Non-Fiction Trade Group. “We are thrilled to have Jason join us and publicize these books to the trade media and consumers.”

Jason Jones has ten years of public relations experience, most recently serving as the Director of Public Relations at Sossaman + Associates in Memphis, Tennessee. Prior to his work at Sossaman, Jones spent six years leading the publicity and media relation’s efforts for the Memphis Redbirds, a Triple-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. In that post, he was an integral part of the construction of the $80 million AutoZone Park and its major-league caliber press facilities and staff.

“I am thrilled to be a part of the Thomas Nelson team. It is wonderful to work somewhere with great people, and an even greater mission,” Jones said. “Thomas Nelson inspires, energizes, convicts, and uplifts people with its products. People need inspiration and beauty in their lives today more than ever. They need to be spoken to. And, that speaks to me.”

A native of Memphis, Jones graduated from the University of Tennessee at Martin. He and his wife, Tracey, have been married for 5 years and have two children, Jack (4) and Charlie (10 months). An avid outdoorsman, Jones loves camping, fishing, reading, golf, basketball, family and the Lord.

Contact:
Lindsey Nobles
Director of Corporate Communications
tel: (615) 902-1109
fax: (615) 902-1110
web: www.thomasnelson.com
e-mail: lnobles@thomasnelson.com

(Nashville, TN) Charlie Moore joins Thomas Nelson effective immediately to serve the Corporate Brands team as Vice President of Brand Management. Prior to that, he was the Vice President, Sales and Service Operations, for Borders Group, the $4.1 billion parent company of Borders, Waldenbooks, and Borders.com, where he served for more than seven years.

Not only did Moore lead the customer satisfaction and conversion strategies, service operations, and the major account sales organization for Borders Group, but he also reinvented the way staff interact with customers, focused on the development of new service innovations and improved customer engagement in the stores. In addition, Moore introduced Borders to a customer satisfaction measurement process that enabled more than 1,200 stores domestically and internationally to hear the voice of the customer and identify actions to improve satisfaction and loyalty, resulting in significant year-over-year satisfaction increases. Through all of these accomplishments, he led the corporate and institutional sales organization to build brand awareness and generate incremental sales surpassing $100 million in gross sales annually.

Moore has held a variety of management positions in the information systems, publishing, and retail industries during his twenty-five year career in Fortune 500 and mid-size private companies. More than half of his career has been spent in the customer service arena leading operations and delivering service innovations focused on improving the customer’s experience. Prior to Borders, he spent five years with Cook Communication Ministries, where he worked to develop the operational infrastructure to position Inspirational books in thousands of retail locations across the nation and implemented improvements within multiple service groups providing services to mass-market bookstores, CBA retail stores, churches, and consumers.

“It is with great pleasure that I announce the addition of Charlie to our Corporate Brands team,” says Senior Vice President and Publisher Brian Hampton. “I expect his experience and passion for customer service to benefit each of our 11 brands. Charlie is going to play a key role in our plans for the future, and his fresh eyes and brand development orientation will help to grow the audience for our brands significantly.”

Moore is frequently invited to speak at industry conferences and keynote on leading service trends and initiatives. Recently, he has spoken at the North American Conference on Customer Management, Frost and Sullivan Executive Customer Service Leadership Conferences, National Conference on Operations and Fulfillment, and Achieving Customer Excellence Conference. He is requested to comment in industry publications on customer service strategies, customer satisfaction initiatives, employee motivation, as well as various technologies and industry trends. Moore and his wife, Enid, have three children – Christopher, 12; Christina, 8; and Elizabeth, 6. They live in Franklin, TN.

Contact:
Heather D. Adams
Director of Publicity
tel: (615) 902-2224
fax: (615) 902-2850
hadams@thomasnelson.com

(Dallas, TX) Thomas Nelson Live Events Chief Operating Officer Ann Montgomery announced today the addition of Lisa Dettweiler to the Thomas Nelson team. As Vice President of Marketing and Sales for Thomas Nelson Live Events, Dettweiler will be responsible for event ticket sales, marketing creative and production, event promotion, media relations, company branding and customer service.

“Lisa exudes our company’s vision to inspire the world and I welcome her to our team,” said Montgomery. “With her rich experience, demonstrated success and dynamic, heartfelt leadership. I know she will provide the guidance and direction needed to drive our sales and marketing objectives.”

Dettweiler spent the last nineteen years with Time Warner Cable and Comcast Cable Inc. leading various disciplines including Marketing, Sales, Customer Service, Public Relations, Operations and General Management. Most recently she served as the Vice President of Customer Operations for Time Warner’s North Texas Division. She graduated from the University of New Mexico with a Bachelor of Arts in Communications.

“I’m honored to be joining this remarkable company and management team,” said Dettweiler. “I have the opportunity to utilize my faith and past work experience to support the mission of Thomas Nelson Live Events. There is already a tremendous buzz about the Women of Faith conferences and The Revolve Tour; I look forward to spreading the word and impacting even more lives!”

Active in the community, Dettweiler is a past president of both the New Mexico chapter of the American Marketing Association and the New Mexico/Arizona chapter of Women in Cable and Telecommunications. She is currently a member of The Texas Chapter of WICT and the Cable Television Association of Marketing.

Thomas Nelson Live Events is a faith-based organization encouraging persons of all ages and stages in life to grow in faith and spiritual maturity. For more information and to purchase tickets for Women of Faith or Revolve conferences, visit our website www.womenoffaith.com or www.revolvetour.com.

Contact: Lindsey Nobles
Director of Corporate Communications
tel: (615) 902-1109
fax: (615) 902-1110
web: www.thomasnelson.com
e-mail: lnobles@thomasnelson.com