Adrienne Vaughan was a prominent American businesswoman and publishing executive who served as the President of Bloomsbury USA, the publisher of the Harry Potter series. She also worked for Disney, where she managed Marvel Press. She died in a tragic boating accident in Italy on August 4, 2023, at the age of 45.
Early Life and Education
Adrienne Vaughan was born in 1978 in the United States. She graduated from the College of William and Mary with a Bachelor of Business Administration in 2000. She then pursued her MBA at the NYU Stern School of Business, graduating in 2007.
BIO/Wiki
Name | Adrienne Vaughan |
Profession | President at Bloomsbury USA |
Death Cause | Speedboat Accident |
Death Age | 45 years old |
Birth Date | 1978 |
Death Date | August 4, 2023 |
Birth Place | United States |
Death Place | Amalfi Coast |
Gender | Female |
Nationality | American |
Husband | Mike White |
Kids | Leanna White Mason White |
Parents | Mother: Homemaker Father: Name Not Known |
Height | In feet: 5′ 6″ In centimeters: 167 cm In meters: 1.67 m |
Eyes | Brown |
Hair | Blonde |
College | William & Mary |
Alumni | NYU Stern School of Business |
Net worth | USD 500 Thousand |
adriennevaughan | |
Homepage | Dreshare.com |
Career
Adrienne Vaughan had a remarkable career in the publishing industry, spanning over two decades and involving some of the most influential companies and brands in the world.
She started her career as an operations analyst at Scholastic in 2001, after graduating from the College of William and Mary with a Bachelor of Business Administration. She rose through the ranks at Scholastic, becoming a manager of planning and analysis by 2004. She left Scholastic in 2007 to pursue her MBA at NYU’s Stern School of Business, which she completed in the same year.

She then joined Disney as a senior finance manager in 2007 and became a director of finance in 2008. She stayed at Disney until 2013, working on various projects including managing Marvel Press. She briefly worked as the Vice President of finance and operations at Little Pim, a startup publisher of electronic learning resources, from 2013 to 2014.
She then moved to Oxford University Press as the director of finance in 2014 and stayed there for a year. She returned to Disney in 2015 as the deputy director of Publishing for Disney Book Group. She left Disney again in 2018 to be an independent consultant for a year.

In 2019, she joined Trustbridge Partners as senior VP responsible for design and integration. She stayed with Trustbridge until 2020 when she was hired by Bloomsbury USA as the Chief Operations Officer and Executive Director.
She became the President of Bloomsbury USA in September 2021, after taking over the publishing operation in February 2021. Under her leadership, Bloomsbury reported an increase of 14% in revenue during her tenure as COO.
She was also a founding member and board member of the diversity, equity, and inclusion committee of the Association of American Publishers. She was an advocate for combating censorship and promoting emerging opportunities for publishers in higher learning and the scholarly and trade sectors. She also worked with PEN America on these issues.
Parents & Siblings
According to the web search results, there is not much information available about Adrienne Vaughan’s parents and siblings. She was born in 1978 in the United States, but the names and backgrounds of her mother and father are unknown. She did not mention any brothers or sisters in her interviews or social media posts. She was very private about her personal life and focused on her career and family.
Adrienne Vaughan was a prominent American publishing executive who served as the president of Bloomsbury USA, the American branch of the British publishing house that is best known for the Harry Potter series.

She was also a board member of the Association of American Publishers and a champion of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the publishing industry. She died tragically in a boating accident on the Amalfi Coast in Italy on August 4, 2023, while vacationing with her family. She was survived by her husband, Mike White, and their two children, Leanna and Mason.
Husband & Kids
Adrienne Vaughan was married to Mike White, a software engineer. They had two children: Leanna White and Mason White. The family lived in New York City. Adrienne Vaughan loved traveling and exploring new places. She had visited Italy several times before and considered it her dream destination.

What Happened to Adrienne Vaughan?
According to the news search results, Adrienne Vaughan was on a rented speedboat with her husband, Mike White, and their two children, Leanna and Mason, when it collided with a sailboat carrying about 85 American and German tourists who were celebrating a wedding.
Adrienne Vaughan was thrown overboard by the impact and struck by the speedboat’s propeller. She suffered severe injuries and died before she could be taken to a hospital. Her husband sustained a shoulder injury but survived the crash. Their children were uninjured but traumatized by the incident.

The Italian coast guard is investigating the cause of the accident. The skipper of the speedboat tested positive for substance use, according to Italian media reports, but it is unclear whether it was alcohol or drugs. The skipper could face charges of manslaughter and endangering public safety.
Death – Boat Accident
Adrienne Vaughan died in a horrific boating accident off Italy’s Amalfi Coast on August 4, 2023, while on vacation with her family. She and her family had rented a motorboat at Amalfi and were sailing near the Fiordo di Furore (Furore Fjord) when they collided with a sailboat that had more than 80 U.S. and German tourists on board.
The impact threw Vaughan into the water, where she was struck repeatedly by the motorboat’s propeller. She was pulled out of the water and brought to a dock but died by the time a helicopter ambulance arrived. Her husband, Mike White, suffered a shoulder injury while their two children, Leanna and Mason, were uninjured. No one on the sailboat was injured.

The skipper of the motorboat tested positive for substance use and was arrested by the Italian coast guard. The coast guard is investigating the cause of the crash. Vaughan’s death shocked and saddened the publishing world, where she was widely respected and admired for her talent, passion, and humanity.
Facts & Trivia
- She was born in 1978 in the United States.
- She graduated from the College of William and Mary with a Bachelor of Business Administration in 2000.
- Vaughan graduated from NYU’s Stern School of Business with an MBA in 2007.
- She worked for Scholastic, Disney, Little Pim, Oxford University Press, Trustbridge Partners, and Bloomsbury USA in various roles and capacities.
- Adrienne managed Marvel Press while working for Disney.
- Vaughan became the President of Bloomsbury USA in September 2021.
- She increased Bloomsbury’s revenue by 14% during her tenure as COO.

- Adrienne was a founding member and board member of the diversity, equity, and inclusion committee of the Association of American Publishers.
- She was an advocate for combating censorship and promoting emerging opportunities for publishers.
- Adrienne worked with PEN America on these issues.
- She died in a boating accident in Italy on August 4, 2023, at the age of 45.
- Adrienne was survived by her husband, Mike White, and their two children, Leanna and Mason.
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