ETA/Cuisenaire Announces CEO's Retirement
Dennis K. Goldman to Step Down at End of Year
December 9, 2011, Vernon Hills, IL—ETA/Cuisenaire, the nation's leading provider of hands-on supplemental products for math, science, and literacy education, announces the retirement of Dennis K. Goldman as the company's chief executive officer. Goldman will step down Dec. 31, 2011, following 40 years of distinguished service. He will be succeeded as CEO by Jude Rake, who assumed duties as president of the company in July of this year.
Goldman was an elementary school teacher in the Chicago Public School system from 1968-1972, and first joined ETA/Cuisenaire, then known as Educational Teaching Aids (ETA), as a part-time writer of teachers' guides and catalogs. He holds a business and marketing degree from the University of Wisconsin—Madison, and completed coursework to become a school administrator before joining ETA/Cuisenaire full-time in 1972.
Under Goldman's leadership, ETA/Cuisenaire transitioned from a provider of Montessori-based educational products to a major supplier of math and early childhood educational resources. Throughout the years, the company has received worldwide recognition for its exclusive hands-on, research-based products and programs that fully engage students in learning and elevate student achievement.
Goldman oversaw the expansion of the company into the science curriculum market in 1994, and that same year, ETA/Cuisenaire established its successful Key National Accounts division which provides customized kits to leading educational publishers. Goldman holds a patent on the Reading Rods® teaching method, a system that combines phonics learning with hands-on manipulatives, overseeing the company's entry into the reading market in 1999. He also spearheaded construction of the state-of-the-art corporate headquarters here in 2000. That same year, the company acquired its long-time competitor, The Cuisenaire Company of America, officially becoming ETA/Cuisenaire, and adding Cuisenaire® Rods, an internationally recognized math manipulative, to its product line.
Goldman has also been instrumental in the development of VersaTiles®, the company's most successful product line, and ManipuLite®, a math manipulative developed exclusively for a world leader in math textbook publishing. He will continue with the company as a senior consultant.
"Over the last 40 years, Dennis and his team have built an impressive business by partnering with teachers, school districts, and publishers to improve student performance," said Rake. "It's a noble mission, and this team pursues it with passion and excellence. I see what they have achieved as a solid foundation for future growth, and I am honored and humbled to have been selected by Dennis to lead the charge."
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About ETA/Cuisenaire
Headquartered in Vernon Hills, IL, ETA/Cuisenaire is recognized as the pioneer of manipulative and hands-on education. Across the PreK-12 curriculum of math, science and reading, the company's research-based products and programs support educators and make partners of parents to engage students, improve their performance, and inspire a lifelong love of learning.
For more information, press only:
Londa Della 800-445-5985, ext. 5219
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