At Arcadia Publishing, Matthew Gildea is retiring as chief operating officer, and Melody Beacher is the new COO.
Beacher was formerly CEO of DataSpring, an IT consulting company Arcadia has used in various capacities for more than a decade. Before that, she was IT director at the College of Charleston and v-p of information systems at C&S Wholesale Grocers.
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| Matthew Gildea | |
Gildea joined Arcadia in 2019 as business development manager. In 2021, he became COO. Before that, he was book team business director at Joseph-Beth Booksellers and earlier held executive positions at Hastings Entertainment, Borders Group, and several independent bookstores, including Chapter Two.
Gildea was also a board member of the Book Industry Charitable Foundation (Binc) from 2013 to 2023 and was president from 2020 to 2022.
Arcadia CEO Brittain Phillips said that Gildea's six years at Arcadia "have been filled with notable achievements and consequential moments, and Matthew has played a pivotal role throughout. Under Matthew's leadership, we've seen significant strides in every major operational area, and he's partnered with employees spanning imprints and departments to make Arcadia a better publisher and a stronger business, far beyond his remit...
"He cares deeply about his employees, and although he expects the best, he always puts them in a position to succeed. And not just for the short term; Matthew's always looking ahead, thinking about the long-term development of his people, coming up with opportunities to challenge, motivate, and elevate them. He's relentless about it, and thank goodness."
Phillips called Beacher "a strategic thinker, an adept manager, and a dedicated colleague. Those characteristics--along with her deep experience and her familiarity with Arcadia's business--will serve Melody well in the COO position."