Meet The Team
Diane Goldsmith
Chief Executive Officer
Diane Goldsmith is the owner of Superior Text and purchased the company in March, 2020 after working for the organization for three years. The company spirit embodies her personal values of "Always do the Right Thing" and "We Care about our Customers." Serving the needs of those who educate is Diane's sole purpose. She joined the educational sales industry 30 years ago and has held every position imaginable working for several educational sales organizations. Although her background is in accounting and finance Diane's passion is in sales and service. Developing creative solutions and creating long lasting partnerships within the public school education space is her expertise. Any challenge can be overcome with proper planning and implementation. Diane resides in Birmingham, Alabama with her husband, two daughters and three 4-legged babies. She enjoys anything outdoors, including water sports and gardening.
Robert Gray
Director of Development and IT
Robert Gray serves as the Director of Development and IT for Superior Text. He has been with the company for nearly 14 years, with the majority of that time spent as the head of operations. He loves to work with both customers and vendors and believes that a great customer experience begins with open and honest communication. Robert graduated from James Madison College at Michigan State University in 2002 with a degree in Political Economy. He and his wife Caroline live in Ann Arbor, MI with their two children. Robert is an avid music lover and amatuer musician who (pre-pandemic) built up an impressive list of artists he'd seen perform live. These days, he can be found developing his handyman skills working on his 90-year old home and growing ingredients in the garden for his wife's amazing homemade pizza.
Mark Caruthers
Account Manager- Southern California
Mark Caruthers has sold textbooks and educational materials for over 25 years. Mark traveled throughout the United States for various national trade shows, selling textbooks to major college bookstores throughout America. Once he joined the K-12 market, Mark focused his services on the midwest and California. Currently, Mark provides top notch service to small and large districts throughout Southern California. Mark is an avid golfer. An interesting fact about Mark is that he holds the 2000 Tornado Foosball World Championship top 100 rookie singles in Dallas, Texas. He is ranked 78th in the world!
Patrick Cronin
Account Manager- Michigan, Ohio, Georgia, New York
Patrick Cronin is a successful and highly motivated professional with 18+ years experience in K-12 consultative and solution sales. Patrick has a vast knowledge of textbook and classroom supplemental book programs. He partners with clients in providing cost-saving classroom content that helps student achievement and teacher effectiveness. Patrick is married with two dogs and resides in the western suburbs of Chicago. He enjoys cycling, kayaking, and traveling.
Ken Kibler
Director of Strategic Accounts Florida, Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana
Ken Kibler is Superior Text's Director of Strategic Accounts. Ken joined the company with nearly three decades of service in the educational sales industry. Ken has a vast amount of knowledge in book buying, selling and recycling. Ken has worked to provide solutions for district-wide reading initiatives, classroom content and advanced academic needs. He partners with clients to develop cost savings solutions while providing an exemplary level of service. Ken is a proud graduate of Purdue University where he recently obtained his MBA. Ken lives with his wife, Bridget, in Southern Illinois. Ken has horses and enjoys the company of their three dogs.
Terry Lundstrom
New Business Development
Terry Lundstrom is our New Business Development Associate. Terry joins Superior Text with 24 years of experience working for textbook publishers and resellers as a successful sales rep and in marketing and services. Terry earned her B.A. from Northern Illinois University and M.A. from North Central College. Terry is passionate about education in all stages of life and believes we should always be learning! Terry lives in the western suburbs of Chicago and enjoys spending time with her three children, their spouses and her 10 grandchildren.
Chris Mason
Account Manager- Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, Florida
Chris has over 23 years of experience working in various school systems from K -12. For the past 15 years she has over seen the textbook program for Fishers High School. Chris has a broad knowledge of the inter-workings of school administration and purchasing. She is looking forward to learning more about the wholesale side of the business. Chris is married and has two adult children and a new granddaughter. In her spare-time she enjoys cooking, gardening, and live music.
Cynthia Miller
Account Manager Texas & Louisiana
Cynthia joined Superior Text after six years of working in a large Texas ISD overseeing textbooks and instructional materials, including the Texas adoption cycle. With her passion to provide the necessary materials to school districts, coupled with her attention to detail for customer service, Cynthia’s desire is to always ensure “superior” client satisfaction. She is a Louisiana Tech University Communications graduate. Cynthia and her husband, Byron, live in the deep east Texas town of Center. They have three beautiful adult daughters - two of which live in Austin, and one is a traveling Ultrasound Tech - and two pups. In her spare time, she enjoys quilting, reading, and traveling to the mountains.
Lexi Olinder
Account Executive- Southern California, Nevada
Lexi began her career in K-12 educational sales over 10 years ago as a summer intern while in college at San Francisco State. Her dedication and commitment to her customers led to a full-time position where she excelled as a sales leader. Over the last 9 years, Lexi has had increasing responsibilities and opportunites to work with key district leaders. She loves helping customers find creative solutions while meeting their budget needs. Lexi was born and raised in San Diego and can be found traveling when not working. When home, she also enjoys cooking and entertaining friends and family. Lexi is looking forward to working hard to help solve curriculum needs with a full array of educational products and textbook buybacks in Southern California.
Yancy Parsons
National Sales Executive
Yancy Parsons joins Superior Text with over 30 years of experience in providing instructional materials to his customers and their students. Yancy is a dedicated professional whose primary focus has always been on finding solutions for any need his customers may have. He has worked in states from New York to California, but his main focus has been Texas, Louisiana and Oklahoma. Yancy is a graduate of Texas A&M. Yancy and his wife, Julie, live in Round Rock, Texas, and their son, Travis, is in Nebraska at Concordia University. When not working, Yancy enjoys travel, volunteering with Boy Scouts of America and cooking.
Paul Patti
Director Dual Enrollment Sales Account Executive - Texas & Louisiana
Paul Patti is our Director of Dual Enrollment. With over 25 years of experience in educational sales and service, Paul is responsible for the developoment and growth of our Dual Enrollment department, overseeing the entire process through the procurement, management, and fulfillment of dual enrollment district orders. Additionally, Paul continues to provide buyback services while ensuring overall client satisfaction in the Texas and Louisiana territories. Paul is an accomplished sales professional with extensive knowledge specific to instructional materials and the state adoption cycle. Paul is a graduate of Texas A&M. Paul, his wife, and two children are residents of College Station. When not working, Paul enjoys tailgating with friends, woodworking, photography, and model railroading.
Gillian Smith
Account Manager Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada
With over 15 years of experience in education - both in teaching and text book sales, Gillian prides herself on her innate ability to build lasting relationships. She has a track record of success by being solution oriented for her business partners and most importantly, getting education materials into the hands of students. As a graduate of Arizona State University (Go Devils!), you can find her with her boyfriend and their 3 children exploring all that Phoenix and Arizona have to offer. They spend their free time trying out new recipes in the kitchen and traveling to build lifelong memories.
Allison Warbington
Account Manager
Allison Warbington joined Superior Text from the fashion industry. She operated a private boutique in Atlanta for almost 20 years before moving to Isla Mujeres, MX to pursue new adventures. Although her career has changed, she still does what she loves, which is working with customers! Being able to help customers obtain their professional needs by providing personalized and top notch customer service is what Allison thrives on! Although she has only been with Superior Text for three years, she enjoys educational sales and learns something new about the industry daily. She loves how logistics, in conjunction with how our customers operate their schools and districts, can truly make magic for the students! Allison studied Business Management at the University of Mississippi. She enjoys spending time with her husband and anything outdoors - kayaking, swimming, and meeting new people that visit the island!
Brenda Willer
Sales Support Manager
Brenda Willer is a successful and highly motivated professional with 13 years experience in K-12 textbook industry. Brenda has a vast knowledge of textbook and classroom products. She is passionate about providing our customers the best service possible. Brenda is married and has three adult children and two grandchildren. She enjoys quilting in her free time.
Meyer Wolnek
Sales Support
Meyer Wolnek joined Superior Text his senior year of High School and worked in the Birmingham warehouse all throughout his college summers. He recently graduated from the University of Alabama and moved back to Birmingham. He is married and has a chocolate lab. Meyer has enjoyed spending the past several years in the warehouse and looks forward to continuing his career at Superior Text in the world of sales. He is involved in his local church and enjoys hunting and fishing in his free time.