David Rust Email & Phone Number

New York, United States

At Sandhill I create communications and content for clients; chart business strategy or development for companies in learning media; and contribute to due diligence and interim management solutions for companies in transition across many industries.

Charlottesville, Virginia, United States

From initial consulting work May-December 2022, managed Scribe Concepts operations through transition due to death of its founder through the assumption of management by new owner, adapting the organization to deliver an unprecedented level of revenue growth.

New York City Metropolitan Area

Formed a learning resource unit to serve Hispanic children and their families, teachers and other caregivers through the use of multiple bilingual media forms, for this 501(c)(3) TV broadcaster that's accessible in 43 million homes. "HITN Learning" leveraged bilingual preschool assets developed under a $30 million Ready to Learn grant from the U.S. Department of Education to create commercially viable preschool kits and mobile apps to learn language and math. Forging a relationship with Spain-based enterprise Anima, used its YouTube sensation Cleo & Cuquin animated property to build new bilingual preschool kits and award-winning (Parents' Choice, Kidscreen) apps. Formed marketing operations in consumer (e.g., Amazon, Barnes & Noble) and institutional (e.g., NYCDOE) trials for this new product line. Created robust social media program (Facebook, Instagram) to reach Hispanic families and caregivers directly with engaging content and events. Also developed concepts with WGBH and other respected parties in children’s learning media around the globe to pioneer more culturally sensitive learning experiences. Budget cuts and priority shifts caused by coronavirus brought things to a premature end, but lessons learned will benefit today’s stronger focus on home as a player in remote learning.

New York City

At Sandhill we help businesses navigate the shifting sands of change: a management consulting group with a senior executive team possessing cross functional operating expertise. We specialize in implementing a renewal strategy for middle market companies to refocus the business model and return their enterprises to a successful path of growth and profitability. We have experience with new products and ventures, sales expansion, cost reduction initiatives, programs to realize economies of scale, restructuring, divestitures and retrenchment as well as licensing and business acquisitions Projects in education have been performed for clients such as National Geographic Learning, Penguin Random House, BBC Worldwide Learning, Amplify, Oxford University Press, U. S. Satellite Laboratory, Tutor.com, and all 3 prestigious nonprofits awarded grants for Common Core curriculum by EngageNY: Core Knowledge Foundation, EL Education and Great Minds.

Sold division to privately held firm after successful launch of Learn360, US schools' only alternative to Discovery for streaming media. Led strategy, product, marketing, sales, operations, P&L for this $25m media unit formed from Sunburst, Teacher's Media and The Guidance Channel.

Managed one of most profitable businesses at Scholastic generating $80m in annual sales with responsibility for product, marketing, P&L. Achieved high growth rates by re-vamping marketing proposition to encourage more district classroom library implementations while supporting market-leading direct marketing (catalog) sales and partnership with literacy initiatives such as Reading Is Fundamental (RIF).

RIGBY EDUCATION 1997-2001Led Rigby's transformation from distributor to publisher, expanding scope from K-2 to PreK-5. Published Rigby Literacy, nation's first balanced literacy core program that generated $70m in 2000-3. With Sesame Workshop, published Pebble Soup for PreK Texas adoption. Managed licensed product lines including PM guided reading ($35m annual sales). Also Rigby Professional Development. HARCOURT ACHIEVE 2001-04Added publishing responsibility for Steck-Vaughn including $20m annual budget and staff of 120 in Chicago and Austin, supporting $170m annual revenues. Launched Rigby On Our Way to English, nation's first comprehensive R/LA program for ELLs. For SV, led strategic publishing refocus to four principal areas, publishing new programs for K-12 (Elements of Reading, AchieveIT, Shutterbug) and re-vamp of technology-based adult basic reading for HS intervention.

Managed strategy, P&L, product development and marketing for these supplemental lines. Introduced Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA) which remains one of nation's leading formative assessment tools for reading; also Spanish-language Pinata series and12-volume video-based professional development program. Set basis for fourfold increase in annual CP sales to $35m by 1998.

Built curriculum products for major school publishers including grades K-6 reading (Silver Burdett Ginn); K-6 math (Houghton Mifflin); 3-6 science (Scott Foresman); 6-12 comp and grammar (Glencoe). Managed staff of up to 200 editors, designers and desktop production specialists.

Identified, tested and broght to market new children's book and activity lines totaling $20m in sales over 3 years including softcover preteen books (Carmen San Diego; Girl Talk), children's music, boxed activity toys, and educational continuities with Garfield and Sesame Street.

Managed best-selling Rand McNally Road Atlas and Mobil Travel Guide totaling $20m annual sales. Also International Account Manager (Europe, Middle East, Latin America); marketing associate for ad specialty use of RM products; college textbook editor.

M.B.A., Marketing, Finance

B.A., English

Activities and Societies: Included sophomore year of study at l'Universite Catholique de l'Ouest, Angers, France. Also SMC-ND Choir.