# Jane Hileman

> Jane Hileman is the founder and former CEO of American Reading Company, an education business whose origins lie in her work as a Philadelphia teacher and reading specialist. She developed the 100 Book Challenge, taught at the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education, and coauthored the Independent Reading Level Assessment. ARC became 100% employee owned in 2022; in January 2026, the company announced Meredith Liben as her successor on its board.

- **Role:** Founder and former CEO of American Reading Company
- **Organizations:** American Reading Company, University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education, School District of Philadelphia
- **Education:** University of Pennsylvania, College for Women, University of Pennsylvania, Graduate School of Education
- **Known for:** Developed the 100 Book Challenge., Founded American Reading Company., Coauthored Independent Reading Level Assessment with Gina Cline (2017).

## Career timeline

- **1972** — Penn alumna, College for Women class of 1972.
- **1973** — Penn Graduate School of Education alumna, class of 1973.
- **1998** — A February account documents her 100 Book Challenge, Penn teaching, and Philadelphia school work; Baltimore launched a pilot that fall.
- **2006** — Described ARC’s employee goal-setting approach in an entrepreneurship article.
- **2011** — ARC launched American Reading @ Home for families.
- **2012** — Presented a $5,000 scholarship to Emilio Garcia.
- **2017** — Coauthored the 452-page Independent Reading Level Assessment with Gina Cline.
- **2022** — ARC became 100% employee owned through an ESOP.
- **2026** — Meredith Liben succeeded her on ARC’s board; a March Rutgers report examined her ownership transition.

## Achievements

- Developed the 100 Book Challenge.
- Founded American Reading Company.
- Coauthored Independent Reading Level Assessment with Gina Cline (2017).
- Led ARC through its 2022 transition to 100% employee ownership.

## Latest updates

- **2026-01** — ARC announced Meredith Liben as her successor on its board on January 27.
- **2026-03** — A Rutgers research report included an interview-based case study of her decision to sell ARC to an ESOP.
- **2026-04** — NCEO discussed her succession decision in an April 17 article about the Rutgers report.

## Links

- Website: https://americanreading.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jane-hileman-b701443

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/jane-hileman
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-27