GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., November 4, 2005 – Zondervan, the world’s leading Christian communications company, has named Bill Oechsler as executive vice president of marketing.

Prior to his new position, Oechsler served as president and chief strategic officer of Hanon McKendry/The Brand Consultants, a Grand Rapids, Michigan–based marketing communications firm. He assumes the role of executive vice president at Zondervan vacated in May by Doug Lockhart, who was promoted to president and CEO of the Grand Rapids–based Christian publishing giant.

Oechsler will oversee all marketing efforts within the Zondervan publishing enterprise spanning the book group, the Bible group, Zonderkidz and the office of the consumer. He will also oversee branding, media relations, publicity, Zondervan ChurchSource, internet marketing and market research. In addition, he will help set the vision and direction for Zondervan as a member of the company’s leadership team.

“Bill will be a tremendous addition to our company, and he is well-equipped to handle the duties and responsibilities that will come with this role,” Lockhart said. “His extensive experience includes working with many of the world’s leading brands, and he has been nationally recognized for his talent in the industry. We’re thrilled with the addition of Bill’s creativity, energy, passion and strategic thinking to the Zondervan team as we seek innovative ways to engage consumers.”

At Hanon McKendry, Oechsler led many of the strategic initiatives for nonprofit clients such as Promise Keepers, Focus on the Family, World Vision, and the Knights of Columbus. Before joining Hanon McKendry, Oechsler lent his expertise to develop some of the world’s most memorable and effective brand-building campaigns at Leo Burnett USA, then America’s largest advertising agency. His clients included McDonald’s Corp., Sony Corp., Philip Morris, Procter & Gamble Co. and Walt Disney World.

Oechsler is a regular speaker and guest lecturer on the topic of branding, especially as it relates to nonprofit organizations. He also serves on two nonprofit boards, Life International and Catholic Human Development Outreach, and he recently joined the board of Grotenhuis, a managing agent for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Michigan.

Oechsler has received national and international recognition for his marketing programs, including more than a dozen Tellys, an Effie, Gabriel, New York Festival World Medal, Obie, Pollies, Print Magazine, Web Award and Webby Worthy award. He earned a bachelor of science in speech communications and a master of arts in journalism from the University of Texas at Austin.