Executive Team

Paxen Executive Team

Herb Hilderley
Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Paxen Group Board of Directors.
Mr. Hilderley has over thirty years of experience in the educational publishing /educational technology industries and has held senior positions with Prentice Hall and McGraw Hill. He was the CEO of two Thomson Learning educational publishing firms, ITP Nelson and Heinle and Heinle. More recently, he helped found MetaText, the world’s largest online textbook publisher that was sold to netLibrary where he acted as Executive Vice President. Mr. Hilderley sits on the boards of a series of educational publishing companies and governs the direction and coordination of the company's objectives for growth and profitability.

Doug Merlin
Chief Operating Officer.
Mr. Merlin has extensive experience on both sides of government contracting. As a contractor, he has been a Senior Director for the government division of a large public company and has worked on numerous public sector projects within the construction industry. He has successfully built a succession of businesses selling vital information to all types of government contractors and has sold these operations to public companies on three separate occasions. Mr. Merlin guides the day to day activities of the Paxen organization in addition to his role in executing the company’s goals and directives as outlined by the CEO and Board of Directors.

Katherine Martin
Chief Business Development Officer.
Ms. Martin is responsible for establishing new market opportunities, determining overall revenue objectives and for directing the efforts of the Business Development department. Ms. Martin works closely with the executive management team and sales staff in the development and strategic planning necessary to achieve the company’s revenue forecasts. She is instrumental in the design and production of marketing materials, budget proposals, client relations and contract negotiation. Ms. Martin is a Summa Cum Laude graduate from the University of Central Florida where she was awarded a Business Ethics Scholarship. She holds a B.S degree in Business Administration.

Steve Jacoby
Chief Publishing and Program Officer.
Mr. Jacoby oversees all facets of the company’s product development from initial concept through final, printed page. Mr. Jacoby has over 15 years of publishing experience, most recently as a supervising editor in educational publishing for the Mazer Corporation. As such, he directed the development of print and electronic products for an array of clients including Houghton Mifflin, National Geographic, Prentice Hall, Harcourt and many others. Mr. Jacoby is also an award-winning journalist and has collected more than 30 state, local and national writing honors from a string of newspapers and magazines. He holds a B.S. degree in Mass Communications from Miami (Ohio) University and an M.A. from The Ohio State University.

Larry Pike
Executive Vice President – Finance.
Mr. Pike is a well-established financial executive with over 30 years experience and manages all aspects of Paxen’s Finance Department. He is proficient in all facets of finance including banking, manufacturing, treasury, and international operations. Mr. Pike has previously served as the Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer for Legacy for Life, LLC – a wellness company. Prior to Legacy, he spent twenty five years at Intersil Corporation (a spin-off of Harris Corporation), where he held various leadership positions including Director of Finance, Manufacturing Operations Controller and European Controller working in Brussels, Belgium. Mr. Pike holds a BSBA degree in Finance from The University of Florida.

Bob Palumbo
Executive Vice President – Customer Solutions.
Mr. Palumbo has a well rounded financial and managerial background that is vital to the supervision, delivery and profitability of all Paxen programs nationwide. He oversees staffing, training, contract and financial compliance, performance, budgeting, client service, program implementation and project assessment. Prior to joining Paxen, Mr. Palumbo was the Chief Financial Officer for Stratis Authority Inc., and for Advanced Information Systems Group, respectively, and his related business experience has included exposure to a broad base of industries on a national level. Mr. Palumbo holds a BS in Business Administration from Bryant Collage and an MBA from the Roy E. Crummer School of Business at Rollins College.

Todd Harrison
Executive Vice President - Business Development.
Mr. Harrison manages Paxen’s customer relations, governmental relations, and sales. He has been employed in the field of workforce development since 1990 and has a diverse background that includes positions in program implementation, management and business development. He regularly engages in customer presentations, bid development, contract negotiations, legislative analysis, and is a member of numerous trade organizations including the National Association of Workforce Boards, National Association of Workforce Development Professionals, New York Association of Training & Employment Professionals and the Southeastern Employment and Training Association. Mr. Harrison holds a BS in Communications from the University of Florida.