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March 08, 2007
Bruce Jacobsen, Founder and CEO, and Mark Bretl, Vice President, Kinetic Books Company, 3-8-07
Bruce Jacobsen was previously general manager of Microsoft’s Kids/Games Business Unit and President of RealNetworks, Inc.
While working at Microsoft, Bruce developed educational products and games, and directed a renaissance of the Microsoft games group as it moved its products to Windows and invested in the game category. He led the business unit that developed the initial Magic School Bus software titles and developed a word processor and art package for students.
In 2000, Bruce left RealNetworks to teach physics to high school students and he wondered why education was taking so long to embrace technology. He saw how Encarta and the Internet had transformed how students access information and learn, and wondered why textbooks were still in print. Seven years later, Kinetic Books digital textbooks are in use by thousands of high schools and colleges in over 40 states and 15 countries.
Bruce received his B.A. summa cum laude from Yale University, and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. He received his M.B.A. from Stanford University with little distinction but much relief.
Mark Bretl is a seasoned professional with over two decades of experience in the software industry prior to coming to Kinetic Books. He previously served as president of Tecmar, Inc., followed by a position as COO of Vivo Software Inc., which was acquired by RealNetworks, Inc. Mark served as Vice President at RealNetworks, and joined Kinetic Books in January 2004.
Mark earned his B.S. in Physics at the University of Wisconsin. While earning his degree, he worked in the Mission Control Main Engines Group at NASA Johnson Space Center during the first Space Shuttle launch, and at Monsanto Research Corporation doing particle collisions in a low pressure chamber.
Kinetic Books Company creates and publishes Kinetic Textbooks, the next generation of digital curriculum. The company’s full line of textbooks have been adopted in every state that has gone through a physics text approval process since Kinetic Books introduced its products in 2005, and two of its textbooks have been approved by The College Board for Advanced Placement coursework.
Posted by David Lemberg at March 8, 2007 12:34 PM Return to SCIENCE AND SOCIETY home page