FranklinCovey (NYSE: FC), a global leadership and organizational performance partner, announced the appointment of John Buchanan, former Chief Growth Officer at GoGuardian, as Executive Vice President, Education, effective September 1, 2026. Buchanan now leads FranklinCovey’s Education Division, home of Leader in Me, an evidence-based PK–12 leadership framework that helps schools build student leadership, strengthen school culture, and improve academic achievement.

Buchanan’s appointment coincides with Sean Covey being named Chief Product Officer, a company-wide role in which he leads a unified product organization spanning FranklinCovey’s Enterprise and Education divisions. Covey led FranklinCovey Education for more than a decade as it grew to serve more than 8,000 schools globally and previously led FranklinCovey’s product innovation efforts. This move reflects a planned executive leadership evolution to support the company’s growth strategy.

“We’re thrilled to welcome John to FranklinCovey,” said Paul Walker, FranklinCovey CEO. “He is a proven growth leader who has scaled go-to-market organizations and has deep connections across education. John will lead the next chapter of our education business to expand the reach of Leader in Me. With Sean now leading product for the entire company, John and the Education team are focused on building strong relationships with districts and schools that are looking for the best ways to equip students and teachers with leadership principles that drive success.”

“I have spent my career helping companies drive growth by reaching more of the people they serve and support. As a father of two, and in a period of significant education transformation, there is nothing more important to me than to help young people unlock their true potential and to positively shape their future,” said Buchanan. “Educators around the world already know and trust Leader in Me. My focus is to bring it and the positive outcomes we deliver to more districts, schools, and partners globally.”

Buchanan brings more than 25 years of operational leadership across education, sports, digital, and consumer brands. At GoGuardian, a leading education technology company, he led sales and marketing that reached over 50% of US K-12 schools. He previously served as Chief Marketing Officer at Care.com and LegalZoom, and held leadership roles at Adobe, the NFL, and Electronic Arts. He holds undergraduate degrees from the University of Southern California.

Covey’s new role as Chief Product Officer brings together FranklinCovey’s Enterprise and Education Product teams, so the best content, research, and technology can serve every client. As the former Executive Vice President of Innovations, Covey led the development of many of FranklinCovey’s best-known solutions.

Walker continued, “Having best-in-class solutions to help our clients achieve the outcomes they seek is vital, and this move puts one of our most experienced and capable leaders at the center of that work.”

“Great products are how the universal principles that we teach reach people’s lives,” said Sean Covey. “Our Enterprise and Education clients face many of the same challenges, and one product organization lets us bring our best work to both. I’m confident John is the right leader to take our Education division into its next chapter, and I look forward to partnering with him to further our impact in education.”

Covey is a Wall Street Journal and New York Times bestselling author whose books have sold over 10 million copies, including The Leader in Me, The 4 Disciplines of Execution, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens, and The 7 Habits of Happy Kids. He holds an undergraduate degree from Brigham Young University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

About FranklinCovey Education

For three decades, FranklinCovey Education, a division of FranklinCovey and a global leader in education solutions, has been one of the world’s most prominent and trusted providers of educational leadership programs and transformational processes. FranklinCovey’s programs, books, and content have been utilized by thousands of public and private primary, secondary, and post-secondary schools and institutions, including educational service centers and vocational schools in all 50 states within the United States and in over 70 countries.

About FranklinCovey

FranklinCovey (NYSE: FC) is a global leadership and organizational performance partner that gives strategy the human edge. It helps organizations achieve the breakthrough results that matter most. Using proven, principle-centered frameworks and practices, it builds high-trust leaders, teams and cultures and helps clients translate strategy into consistent execution. For more than 40 years, it has tested this approach with thousands of clients from Fortune 100 companies to educational and government institutions, providing professional services across 160 countries. Visit FranklinCovey.com and explore leadership insights on LinkedIn, Facebook, X, Instagram, and YouTube.

Media gallery

About The Author
Business Wire