Linda Zecher is currently CEO and Managing Director of the Barkley Group, a boutique consulting firm focused on digital transformation of enterprise organizations. 

Prior to founding the Barkley Group, Ms. Zecher retired as President, CEO and Director of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH), a global education and learning company. With origins dating back to 1832, the company is among the world’s largest providers of Pre-K –12 education solutions and one of the longest-established publishing houses.

Previously, Ms. Zecher served as Corporate Vice President of Microsoft’s $8 billion Worldwide Public Sector organization. She led a team of nearly 2,000 sales and marketing professionals serving government, education and health care in more than 100 countries. Under her leadership, this sector delivered eight years of consistent growth and received the Microsoft Industry of the Year Award for three consecutive years.

Prior to joining Microsoft in 2003, Ms. Zecher began her career as a geophysicist with Texas Instruments and subsequently held senior leadership positions at Bank of America, PeopleSoft, Oracle and Evolve Corp. In each role, she led major change. At PeopleSoft she helped develop sales and marketing capabilities which contributed to revenue growth from $500,000 to over $35 million in three years, resulting in a successful IPO. At Oracle she led the move into application sales and as CEO of Evolve she managed changes leading to the company’s acquisition.

In addition to Hasbro Corporation, Ms. Zecher also serves on the board of the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation and The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum. She has previously served on numerous boards including the Intelligence National Security Association (INSA), U.S. State Department’s board for overseas schools and James Madison University’s board of visitors.

Ms. Zecher holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Ohio State University and an honorary doctorate from Bentley University.