D is for Dunn. Sesame Workshop has appointed Jeffrey D. Dunn as its new CEO and president, effective September 29. He will take the reins from current Sesame chief Mel Ming, who announced his retirement earlier this year.

From 2008 to 2012, Dunn was president and CEO of HIT Entertainment. He left just before toyco Mattel scooped up the preschool-focused company for US$680 million. Prior to that, he was Group COO of Nickelodeon Networks Group as well as president of Nickelodeon Film and Enterprises, where he focused on the international growth of Nick’s hit IPs SpongeBob SquarePants, Dora the Explorer and Blue’s Clues.

Dunn currently holds the role of Advanced Leadership Initiative Fellow at his alma mater Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where his focus is media and education. He is also a board member for American Greetings and the preschool TV network Sprout.

Now with Sesame Workshop, Dunn will be in charge of the nonprofit educational organization behind Sesame Street, which has started to expand its growth into Asia, and is readying the launch of new BBC co-pro The Furchester Hotel.