Allen Paschal Leaves Gale

-- Library Journal, 1/26/2004

Gale's leadership has changed: Allen Paschal left his six-year post as president of Thomson Gale effective January 21. When asked the reason for Paschal's sudden departure, Dana Prestigiacomo, senior VP of Marketing of Thomson Learning, Gale's parent company, said cryptically, "We're not saying anything. He's pursuing outside interests." Charlie Siegel, senior VP of Operations Thomson Learning has been appointed acting president of Gale. Prestigiacomo said that Siegel "comes from a long background in the publishing business: Simon & Schuster, Macmillan, and Prentice Hall, so he knows the business extremely well."

The company will conduct an extensive search for a permanent replacement. "Whether it's someone internally from Thomson or somebody from the outside," she said, "it's too early to tell." Prestigiacomo added the company will not alter its business model under Siegel. "It's the current course and speed," she said. "We'll keep everything moving forward." Paschal was appointed president of Gale in 1998 after that company purchased the Information Access Company, where he was the top executive. In late 2003, Gale eliminated 181 of its editorial staff due to what the company termed "a soft library market."