Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit educational organization behind Sesame Street, has named Dr. Charlotte Frances Cole to Senior Vice President, Global Education, announced Gary E. Knell, President and CEO.  She will be responsible for company-wide global strategies and lead the development of all curriculum and research around Sesame Workshop’s international projects.
As part of the Education, Research and Outreach team, Dr. Cole has been working with educators and production teams throughout the world on behalf of Sesame Workshop since 1994.  She has most recently been engaged in projects in Bangladesh, Colombia, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Israel, Jordan, Mexico, Nigeria, Northern Ireland, South Africa, and West Bank/Gaza.
“Dr. Cole has been a vital part of the international team for years working with our local co-production partners to assess children’s needs and create relevant high quality content,” said Knell.  “Her vision and leadership will enable us to fully coordinate our global efforts and allow us to positively impact new generations of children.”
Prior to joining the Workshop, Dr. Cole worked as a Senior Researcher at Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston on a longitudinal study of families of children with acute and chronic illness funded by the National Institutes of Health.  She has also served as a consultant to the Harvard Institute for International Development on several child-health projects in Thailand.
Dr. Cole received her doctorate in Human Development and Psychology from the Harvard Graduate School of Education at Harvard University.  Her teaching experience includes serving as a course instructor at Boston College (Newton, Massachusetts), Lesley College (Cambridge, Massachusetts) and Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College (Terre Haute, Indiana) in the United States.  She has worked as a board member for several community-service organizations including the Council on Domestic Abuse in Terre Haute, Indiana, Oxford Academy in Westbrook, Connecticut and NetAid in New York. She is a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Children and Media and served as the publication’s founding Review and Commentary Editor.
Sesame Workshop is the nonprofit educational organization that revolutionized children’s television programming with the landmark Sesame Street.  The Workshop produces local Sesame Street programs, seen in over 140 countries, and other acclaimed shows to help bridge the literacy gap including The Electric Company.  Beyond television, the Workshop produces content for multiple media platforms on a wide range of issues including literacy, health and military deployment. Initiatives meet specific needs to help young children and families develop critical skills, acquire healthy habits and build emotional strength to prepare them for lifelong learning.  Learn more atwww.sesameworkshop.org.