Stephen Riggio is the chief executive officer and vice chairman of Barnes & Noble, Inc.  He also serves as a member of the company’s board of directors. 

Mr. Riggio, a 30-year veteran of the bookselling business, joined Barnes & Noble in 1975 after graduating from Brooklyn College.  From 1981 to 1987, he was vice president and general manager of Barnes & Noble’s direct mail division.  After the company acquired B. Dalton Booksellers in 1987, Mr. Riggio was appointed executive vice president of merchandising, responsible for the buying and marketing functions for the company’s 800 retail stores.  In 1991, Mr. Riggio played an instrumental role in the conception, design and marketing campaign of Barnes & Noble’s strategy for book superstores.  In 1995, he was appointed the company’s chief operating officer.  While executing an aggressive retail expansion, Mr. Riggio also led the company’s efforts into e-commerce.  Barnes & Noble.com opened for business in March 1997 and has grown to become one of the largest e-commerce businesses in America.

Mr. Riggio was appointed chief executive officer of Barnes & Noble, Inc. in February 2002.  In January of 2003, Mr. Riggio expanded the company’s publishing operations with the acquisition of Sterling Publishers, one of the largest book publishers of how-to and reference books in the world. 

A long time advocate for individuals with Down Syndrome and developmental disabilities, he serves on the board of The Association for the Help of Retarded Children Foundation.