Brian Napack is 2U’s Executive Chairman. In this role, he works closely with 2U’s leadership team and board to ensure the Company continues its 15-year journey of enabling the scaled delivery of powerful education that moves the needle for learners and employers worldwide.
Napack is a long-time leader in education, research, publishing, and media. He is the former President and CEO of John Wiley (WLY), one of the world’s leading publishers and a provider of tech-enabled services that power the education and scientific research ecosystems. He has served as the Chairman of the Association of American Publishers (AAP); Senior Advisor at Providence Equity, a leading investor in education and media; President of Macmillan, the global publisher; Partner at L.E.K. Consulting and Co-head of its media practice; and Founder and CEO of ThinkBox, a digital education company. At The Walt Disney Company, Brian founded Disney Educational Publishing and was a Co-founder of Disney Interactive.
In addition to 2U, Napack serves on the boards of RBmedia, the world’s leading audio book publisher, and Elentra, a pioneer in healthcare education technology. He has previously served on boards including Business Higher Education Forum, Blackboard, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Burning Glass, Ascend Learning, Recorded Books, Ingram Industries, myON (Renaissance Learning), EDMC, and Synergis (Risepoint). Napack has also been a long-standing, passionate director and supporter of Zero-To-Three, a leading science-based non-profit working with policy makers, practitioners, and parents to ensure that all babies and toddlers have a strong start in life.
Brian received an MBA from Columbia University and a Bachelor of Arts from Middlebury College in Vermont.