MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – March 19, 2024 – Coughlan Companies LLC, the holding company of innovative learning company Capstone, has named Dr. Charlie Miller as Executive Chair and CEO of its Board. In this new role, Dr. Miller will accelerate Capstone’s strategic ambitions, as well as grow the broader Coughlan Companies portfolio beyond the walls of the classroom with key partners and investments. Capstone CEO Randi Economou will continue to lead the Capstone publishing and digital content business unit.   

Dr. Miller has served on the Coughlan Companies LLC Board since January 2020. A former tenured professor at the University of Minnesota, he is the founder of Flipgrid, a social learning platform used by millions of educators, learners, and families across 190 countries. Flipgrid was acquired by Microsoft in June 2018. Dr. Miller recently served as the Corporate Vice President of Video and Learning Experiences at Microsoft.

“Charlie and I have worked closely together for many years, and Capstone has greatly benefited from his thoughtful insight, innovative mind, and professional experiences,” said Bob Coughlan, Coughlan Companies Principal and Owner. “I am energized by the promise of 2024 with Charlie as Executive Chair and I’m excited to see a strong focus on prioritization, performance, alignment, and cultural growth across our teams.”

“I’m honored to step into this role to expand the broader growth initiatives of Coughlan Companies and support the Capstone leadership team. What truly inspires me about Capstone is the dedication each team member invests every day to empower a deep love for learning and reading in every library, classroom, and home. Empowering young learners with engaging content and digital experiences that kids love is a critical foundation that Capstone has been great at for more than 30 years. Coughlan Companies will continue to build upon and accelerate these impacts through new strategic partnerships and investments,” said Dr. Miller.

About Capstone
Capstone is the nation’s leading educational publisher of K-5 digital solutions, children’s books, and literacy programs for school libraries, classrooms, and at-home reading. Through interactive eBooks, print books, and the curriculum-connected learning tool PebbleGo™, Capstone has a passion for inspiring students to learn and their communities to thrive. As a publisher of content for children, Capstone embraces the responsibility to celebrate and share the diverse voices and perspectives of our readers and communities. Capstone supports great teaching and learning with engaging content that values the work that educators do every day—helping students succeed. CapstonePub.com #LearningIsForEveryone