Disney Publishing Worldwide has promoted Lynn Waggoner and Emily Thomas Meehan in a move that expands roles on its leadership team. The shifts follow the departure of Mary Ann Naples, former Disney Publishing Group publisher, who was recently named publisher at Hachette Books.
Naples's responsibilities will be split between Waggoner and Meehan. While Waggoner will keep her title as v-p and global publisher, franchise, the position's scope has been widened. Waggoner will now oversee Disney Press, Marvel Press, Lucasfilm Press, and Disney Editions in addition to leading global franchise content development for the business. Waggoner came to DPW more than a decade ago after holding sales and retail positions at Random House, HarperCollins, and DK.
Meehan, previously director, editor-in-chief, and associate publisher of the Disney Book Group, has been named v-p and publisher of Hyperion and original content strategy and IP development. She will continue to oversee creative efforts for Disney Hyperion, the publisher said, as well as expand her role to lead content strategy for new and reimagined DPW intellectual property and content packaging initiatives for the organization. Meehan has been with DPW for a little under a decade, after starting her publishing career at Simon & Schuster. Authors under her purview include Robert Beatty, Holly Black, Alexandra Bracken, Dhonielle Clayton, Eoin Colfer, Shannon and Dean Hale, Ryan Higgins, E.K. Johnston, Jason Reynolds, Rick Riordan, Margaret Stohl, and Mo Willems.
Both positions will report directly to Tonya Agurto, senior v-p and global publisher of Disney Publishing Worldwide, and are effective immediately. Waggoner will continue to be based in Glendale, Calif., and Meehan will continue to be based in New York City.
