Sesame Workshop

Before joining Sesame Street, Cerf spent eight years as a senior editor at Random House, where he worked with such diverse authors as George Plimpton, Andy Warhol, Abbie Hoffman, Ray Bradbury, and Dr. Seuss. In 1993, Cerf renewed his ties to Random House when he assumed the role of Chairman of the Modern Library's Board of Advisors. One of Christopher Cerf's most celebrated projects was the editing and production of Marlo Thomas and Friends' Free To Be...A Family book, album and TV special. The book reached #1 on The New York Times bestseller list within a week of publication, and the show received a prime-time Emmy as the year's outstanding children's special. Cerf and Thomas recently collaborated again, co-editing and co-producing Thanks & Giving: All Year Long, a book and CD about generosity and sharing (and their polar opposites, selfishness and thoughtlessness). The book became an instant New York Times bestseller (reaching #3 on the list) and the CD was a 2006 Grammy winner. Royalties from the project go to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, founded by Ms. Thomas's father in 1962. Currently, Cerf serves as Executive Producer, and Music and Audio Producer, of Between the Lions, the highly-acclaimed children's literacy series that Sirius Thinking, Ltd., created for PBS. Between the Lions has twice won the Television Critics' Award as the nation's outstanding children's television program, and, in its six seasons on the air, the show has amassed six Emmy Awards. (In 2006, Between the Lions was nominated for three more Emmys, including Outstanding Children's Show.) In two independent studies, conducted by the University of Kansas and Mississippi State University, the program has also demonstrated remarkable success in helping kids -- including those at the highest risk of literacy failure -- to learn how to read. In collaboration with the noted music educator John Feierabend, Ph.D., of the Hartt School of Music, Cerf and Sirius Thinking have recently embarked on a major new venture: the development of a highly-interactive television series called Lomax, The Hound of Music that will utilize American roots music to help children aged 3-7 develop their musicality. For all his achievements in television, publishing, music, and education, Christopher Cerf is perhaps best known to the general public for his work as an author and satirist. In 1970, he helped launch the most influential of recent humor magazines, the National Lampoon. Not the New York Times, the parody he co-conceived and co-edited in 1978, established a tradition of journalistic spoofs that is still going strong. The Experts Speak, the "compendium of authoritative misinformation" which Cerf co-authored with Victor Navasky, was a major critical success when it first appeared in 1984, and has recently been reissued. In 1986, Cerf collaborated with National Lampoon colleague Henry Beard on The Pentagon Catalog: Ordinary Products at Extraordinary Prices, which offered readers the historic opportunity to obtain a free hex nut -- valued at $2,043 by the McDonnell Douglas Corporation -- with every copy they purchased. The Official Politically Correct Dictionary, also written with Beard, first appeared in 1992 and is now in its 16th U.S. printing.

As Executive Vice President, International, Daniel Victor oversees the development of international strategies for Sesame Workshop, and the overall coordination of the implementation of all international projects across divisions, including content, distribution, business development, public policy, ancillary businesses, and education and research. His group is charged with the extension and execution of strategic initiatives in those areas. Most recently, Victor served as Executive Vice President and General Counsel, Legal and Business Affairs for Sesame Workshop, overseeing the organization's legal and business. He played a significant role in transactions involving the launch of PBS Kids Sprout, the purchase of the Sesame Street Muppets from EMTV, and the day-to-day provision of advice and counsel on major contracts, strategic direction and corporate governance. Prior to joining the Workshop in 1994, Victor served as a member of the legal department at Paramount Communications at the company's corporate headquarters in New York, responsible for overseeing broadcasting-related matters. He served as Associate General Counsel of Columbia University from 1984 through 1988. Victor started his career as an associate at the law firm of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison in New York. Victor graduated cum laude from the Harvard Law School in 1979, and summa cum laude from Brandeis University in 1972. He lives in Manhattan with his wife, Ester Fuchs, a Professor of Political Science at Columbia University and a Senior Advisor to New York's Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and their three children.

As Executive Vice President of Education and Research, Dr. Lewis Bernstein establishes the educational agenda for all Workshop productions and creative executions. He oversees the development and analysis of research studies which assess the objectives of Sesame Workshop's projects. Bernstein served as the Executive Producer of the nonprofit organization's most beloved and well-known series, Sesame Street. In his three years as Executive Producer, the series adopted a curriculum encouraging American children to respect the diversity of children from all over the world and an initiative to teach children about nutrition and exercise. Formerly Vice President, Global Sesame Street Productions, Bernstein has been integral to the success of the children's series internationally, training production teams from France, Spain, Holland, Germany, Kuwait and Israel to develop their own versions of the program. Prior to his role as Vice President, Bernstein served as Executive Producer for Sesame English, a television program that teaches conversational English in foreign countries. In addition, he was responsible for spearheading the Israeli/Palestinian version of Sesame Street and served as the Executive Producer on the project. Bernstein's association with Sesame Street began in 1972 when he came on board as Director of Research working alongside Jim Henson and Jon Stone to integrate entertainment and education. Bernstein holds a Ph.D. from Columbia University in Communications Research, an M.A. from Hebrew University in Communications, and a B.A. from Queens College, CUNY, in Psychology.

Sherrie Rollins Westin has been Executive Vice President of Marketing, Communications and Research for Sesame Workshop since 1998. She was previously Executive Vice President for, Network Communications at the ABC television network. Westin has worked in the public sector as well. As Assistant to the President for Public Liaison and Intergovernmental Affairs, she was one of the highest-ranking women in the first Bush Administration. She also served as First Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

As Executive Vice President, Distribution, Terry Fitzpatrick manages distribution strategy and partner relationships to deliver Sesame Workshop content through multiple media platforms. He oversees four divisions at the Workshop: Worldwide Television; Digital and Interactive Media; Publishing, Video & Audio; and Themed Entertainment. Fitzpatrick was most recently Senior Vice President, Business Operations. He was responsible for managing all business activities for the Content division including creative development and production. He joined the Workshop in 1996 as Vice President Finance for Television, Film and Video. Prior to joining The Workshop, Fitzpatrick spent nine years in programming at Showtime Networks rising to the level of Vice President, Programming Finance. He began his career as Controller of the Joyce Theater, where he also created and produced The American Theater Exchange which brought theatrical productions from throughout the United States to New York City. He holds a MFA from the Yale School of Drama and a BBA from the University of Wisconsin.

Brett Pierce, Training Facilitator: Brett is a program developer and producer who spent 15 years at Sesame Workshop. He's worked on numerous curriculum-driven TV series in the U.S. and overseas including Poland, China, France and Israel; and conflict-resolution dramas in Macedonia and Cyprus. Brett is the Executive Director of Sesame Workshop's new initiative, Worldwide Kids. He has an MA in Education from Columbia.

Michael H. Levine is the executive director of the National Campaign for International Education at the Asia Society in New York City. Prior to that, he was Executive Director of the I Am Your Child Foundation. He also is a Senior Fellow affiliated with Yale University's Bush Center for Child Development and Social Policy. During the 1990's, Dr. Levine oversaw Carnegie Corporation of New York's philanthropic programs in early childhood development, primary grades reforms and school leadership. Before that, he was senior assistant to the Chancellor of the New York City Board of Education. Dr. Levine has developed influential scientific reports and follow-up grants programs that stimulated national and state policy reforms. He has served on numerous national expert task forces and is a frequent adviser to the U.S. Departments of Education and Health and Human Services. In 1997, Working Mother magazine chose him as one of America's 25 most influential men in shaping family policy.

Mr. Watanabe graduated with a bachelor’s degree from the University of California at Berkeley and a juris doctor degree from the George Washington University Law Center. In addition to sitting on the boards of a number of for-profit corporations in Hawaii and the mainland U.S., he serves as a trustee on numerous nonprofit boards, including The Sesame Workshop, the Consuelo Foundation and The Nature Conservancy of Hawaii.

Lauren Shweder Biel is a Ph.D. Candidate in Anthropology at New York University. She received a B.A. in Religion from Princeton University in 1998, and completed the Graduate Program in Culture and Media at NYU in 2003. From 2005-2007, Lauren was the Graduate Assistant to the Jews/Media/Religion Working Group at NYU's Center for Religion and Media. She currently works as an Educational Content Specialist for Sesame Workshop (the creators of Sesame Street) in the International Education and Research Department. In 2007, she launched Kavanah Productions, a documentary production company dedicated to creating films on Jewish themes. Her first film, Abraham's Daughters: A Bat Mitzvah Story, was completed in 2003, and is used as an educational tool in B'nai Mitzvah preparation classes across the country.

Margot Duffy started tapping at the age of 8 and quickly fell for the rhythms and the concept of making music with her feet. As a child, she took Tap with Karen Katrinic and Chris Lee at the Steps Children's Dance program and at Belvoir Terrace. Motivated to pass on her love for dance to others, she started to volunteer, teaching tap at Groove With Me three and a half years ago. Margot works full time at Sesame Workshop on content for productions that air in Japan and Brazil.

Kyle Pruett, J.D., Ph.D, a Clinical Professor of Child Psychiatry at the Yale School of Medicine, is a prominent author, international lecturer, media personality and pioneering researcher conducting the country's only long-term study of the impact on children of primary caretaking fathers. He is an internationally known expert and forensic consultant on child, parental and family development, paternal involvement, children's mental health, creativity and the effects of media, trauma, and divorce on children. He maintains a practice in infant, child and family psychiatry. An acclaimed speaker and teacher, presented the United Nations' Summit on Fathers, has addressed the National Press Club, educated judges, lawyers, business leaders and physicians in many states, and advises legislators at the state and federal level. He was selected by Oprah Winfrey to host her award-winning video, Begin with Love, worked with Peter Jennings on the Children's Town Meetings after 9-11, with Vice President Al Gore on several White House Family Reunions. He is past-president of Zero to Three: The National Center for Infants, Toddlers and Their Families, and a member of the Sesame Workshop Board of Trustees. His peers have selected him for the Best Doctors database every year since 2001. Dr. Pruett received his degrees from Yale and Tufts Universities.