School Specialty has announced that Michael P. Lavelle has been appointed as its President and CEO. Lavelle, 42, most recently served as the President of the Education Group of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, the largest K-12 education company in the United States. He replaces David J. Vander Zanden, who announced in the Spring of 2011 his intention to retire.
 

"Mike is a strategic leader with a proven ability to build and grow brands, bring new products to the market, develop innovative products and capitalize on digital platforms to successfully drive brand awareness," said Terry Lay, Chairman of the Board of Directors of School Specialty, Inc.

"With the combination of his strong education industry background, leadership capabilities, financial experience and ability to build strong management teams, we determined that Mike would be the best person to lead School Specialty in the quickly changing education industry."