OverDrive Founder Steve Potash Steps Back; Marc DeBevoise Takes Over as CEO
It's the end of an era at OverDrive. On June 23, the company announced that founder Steve Potash has stepped back from his role as CEO, handing the reins to Marc DeBevoise, who joined the company roughly four months ago as President.
It's the end of an era at OverDrive. On June 23, the company announced that the company's founder Steve Potash has stepped back from his role as CEO, handing the reins to Marc DeBevoise, who joined the company roughly four months ago as President.
In a release, OverDrive reps said Potash will stay on as Chairman of the Board, “ensuring a smooth transition” and “continuing to advance the company's mission to expand access to reading and learning.” According to the release, the leadership change was part of “a planned succession.”
Andrew Richard Albanese
"Steve built an extraordinary organization—a mission-driven company with true global impact—and Marc is the ideal leader to write its next chapter," said Richard Sarnoff, Chairman of Media, KKR Americas Private Equity, which acquired OverDrive from Rakuten Kobo in 2020. "Marc's vision, energy, and operational depth give us every confidence that his leadership will not only augment its success as a business but also heighten its outstanding record of service to libraries and their patrons, to schools and their students, and to publishers and content owners."
In a statement, Potash said building OverDrive was the most “rewarding journey” of his career, and said he looked forward to “continuing to champion the libraries, schools, and institutions at the heart of our mission."
OverDrive
DeBevoise, meanwhile, said that he was “thrilled” to lead OverDrive’s next chapter.
"OverDrive has extraordinary reach, incredible momentum, and an enduring mission—and I’m thrilled to lead this company forward," DeBevoise said. "I'm grateful to Steve for his continued partnership and to the Board for their confidence, and I look forward to working with our team and partners to build on everything this company stands for."
The move comes just days ahead of the 2026 American Library Association Annual Conference, set to run from June 25-30 in Chicago, and as the library ebook market has entered a contentious new period, with several states and municipalities considering—and three so far passing—legislation designed to rein in what librarians say are unsustainable prices and license terms from the major publishers.
Potash has come out strongly against the current wave of library ebook legislation,—and last fall rankled librarians with a 54-page submission that railed against Washington D.C.’s library ebook bill. The D.C. bill was signed into law on May 28.
Potash’s enduring legacy, however, will be as a historic innovator, a staunch library supporter, and, with his wife Loree, a generous philanthropist.
According to Hallie Rich at Library Journal, a “central component” of Potash's future will be the development of the “OverDrive Foundation,” which Rich reports will “support initiatives that strengthen literacy outcomes, advance library services, and promote learning across all stages of life.”
