Wiley has announced the appointment of Jessica Kowalski as Executive Vice President and General Manager, Research, effective May 11, 2026. She succeeds Jay Flynn, who led Wiley’s Research business and is departing the company. Kowalski joins from Microsoft, bringing more than twenty years of experience in knowledge, data, research publishing, and AI‑enabled businesses, including senior roles at Amazon Web Services and RELX.
The appointment reflects Wiley’s broader strategy to integrate AI and data analytics into research publishing. Over the past two years, the company has partnered with major technology firms and AI innovators to position its content within responsible AI development. Kowalski’s role is expected to advance this strategy by translating Wiley’s AI and content leadership into new products and business models. The announcement follows the recent appointment of Armughan Rafat as Chief AI and Data Services Officer, underscoring Wiley’s focus on building a leadership team prepared for the industry’s AI evolution.
Matthew Kissner, Wiley President and CEO, stated that Kowalski’s career combines deep publishing expertise with AI transformation experience, which he described as essential at this stage. He emphasized her results‑driven approach, innovation, and operational rigor, noting that she was selected after a thorough search to lead Wiley’s next phase of growth in AI‑enabled research publishing and global partnerships.
At Microsoft, Kowalski managed a global services business with full P&L accountability, leading AI, data, and cloud transformation initiatives across industries including financial services, consulting, media, and software. At Amazon Web Services, she focused on data and analytics partnerships with regulated information businesses. Earlier in her career, she spent eleven years at RELX in senior roles at Elsevier and LexisNexis, contributing to the company’s transition from content‑centric publishing to information analytics. She holds a Master of Arts from Georgetown University and a Bachelor of Arts, summa cum laude, from The George Washington University.
Jay Flynn, who joined Wiley in 2010 and assumed leadership of the Research business in 2021, played a key role in defining and executing the company’s open access strategy. His tenure included expanding partnerships with scholarly societies and research institutions, growing Wiley’s journal and product portfolio, and advancing publishing technology, including early initiatives in AI.
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