Leadership of John Wiley & Sons will remain in the Wiley family when Peter Booth Wiley succeeds his brother, Bradford Wiley II, as chairman of the publishing house in September. Brad Wiley, who succeeded his father as chairman in December 1992, will remain on the company board. Peter Wiley, a board member since 1984, is a widely published author who currently has no day-to-day responsibilities at the publishing house.

During Brad Wiley's tenure as chairman, the size of the Wiley board was reduced and more outside members were elected. The current Wiley board comprises the two Wiley brothers plus company president Will Pesce as well as seven outside directors, including Larry Franklin, chairman of Harte Hanks; John Marion Jr., general partner, Hendrie Investments; and Henry McKinnell, chairman of Pfizer. The makeup of the Wiley board shifted shortly after Brad Wiley became chairman, when the Bass Management Trust acquired a stake in the company and proposed five candidates to run for the board in 1994. A compromise was reached in which the company backed three Bass-nominated candidates. Peter Wiley's election as chairman was approved by an 8—0 vote with the Wiley brothers abstaining.