Walch Education :: Walch Education Team

Peter Walch
Chairman of the Board
Son of the firm's founder, J. Weston Walch, Peter literally grew up with and in the company. By age 10, he was assembling books; as a teenager, he ran a press on the night shift. After earning a B.A. from Swarthmore and a Ph.D. from Princeton, Peter spent close to 20 years as a teacher of art history at Pomona, Vassar, Yale, and the University of New Mexico, then 15 years as director of the UNM Art Museum, all the while serving on the Board of Walch Education. He returned to Maine in 2001, in part to devote more time to the company.

"Maybe it's in the genes: three of my four grandparents were teachers. My parents both taught, as does my sister. Each of us has a daughter who has taught ESL using Walch publications. We believe strongly in the values of education, and that through our company and its efforts we can and do make a positive difference."

Al Noyes
President
Al's career in education began in 1993, when he started a business in Massachusetts to connect assessment results with learning. By the late 1990s, that work evolved into what was then the largest web site focused on educational materials, SmarterKids.com, where Al was Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer and helped lead the company through a successful IPO. An experienced company leader and builder, he also worked at Pepsi, Arthur D. Little, Symantec and Intuit before becoming Chairman of the Board of Excelligence Learning Corporation and Chief Executive Officer of Pragmatech Software. Al graduated from nearby Falmouth High School in 1976 and returned to Maine almost 30 years later, in 2005, to join Walch. He earned his B.A. at Dartmouth College and an MBA at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth. Al serves as 1st Vice Chair for EducateMaine. He is Maine’s business representative on the New England Secondary School Consortium. Al is a Little League coach, a Junior Achievement teacher a husband and a father of two children in public school.

"There are few things more important than the education of children. By providing classroom proven, educator-driven materials and support to leading districts and committed teachers, we do our part to help kids learn and succeed. The resources of Walch, from the experience and talents of our people to the wealth of materials we have at hand, make this possible, and ensure that we deliver great value to our educator partners and customers".

James R. Walker, Jr.
Chief Financial Officer
Jim's prior experience includes serving as Director of Operations at Laurin Publishing Company and 17 years with publisher and printer, Channing Bete Company, where his titles included Chief Financial Officer and Vice President of Finance and Support Services. He earned his B.S. in Business Administration - Accounting at Old Dominion University and an MBA at Western New England College. Jim currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA) and on their Planning and Development and Ethics Committees. He has three children and his daughter teaches the third grade.

"Walch Education gives me an opportunity to work with a team of professionals who are dedicated to supporting educators with flexible solutions for diverse learners in middle school, high school, and beyond. What could be more rewarding than that?"

Jill Rosenblum
Vice President
Education
Jill taught for ten years in public schools before joining Vermont's Department of Education to coordinate statewide professional development in mathematics and assessment. Most recently, she was the Senior Program Director in Assessment and Evaluation with the Maine Mathematics and Science Alliance, serving on the Technical Advisory Committee for Maine's Comprehensive Assessment System. She earned her B.S. in English and Education at Dartmouth College and completed course work at the University of Southern Maine's Muskie School of Public Policy. Jill is the granddaughter, daughter, and sister of teachers. She has one daughter who recently began her freshman year of college and is considering a career in education.

Educators have their hands full aligning curriculum, instruction, and assessment to standards while providing sufficient learning opportunities for all students to achieve them. At Walch, we support those efforts by providing flexible instructional materials and assessment tools that align with your state standards, your instructional approaches, your students, and your schedules."

Joyce Hale
Product Developer
Education
From 1998-2008, Joyce taught mathematics from the elementary to the high school level in Southern Maine. She has also worked as a rehabilitation specialist at a private school, and as a research engineer at the National Rehabilitation Hospital, in Washington, D.C. Joyce’s educational background includes a Bachelor Degree in Biomedical Engineering from Catholic University; she is currently a candidate for a Master of Counselor Education degree. In 1996, Joyce competed in the Paralympic Games in swimming and won 4 gold medals setting 4 world records and 7 American records. She was a guest motivational speaker at many venues including the White House, inspiring youth and adults to achieve their personal best and overcome obstacles. Joyce is a mother of three children and a middle school youth group leader.

"My years in the classroom have proved to be invaluable preparation for the work I do at Walch. That's what we strive for: developing programs that not only take advantage of the latest research, but that also make sense, and are easy to use, for the educator."

Lylia King
Manager
Regional Partnerships

Lylia King served as an educator in Texas public schools 22 years teaching reading, language arts, social studies, and physical education. As an administrator for the past 16 years, Lylia had the opportunity to work side-by-side with Texas students, educators, and parents. Lylia graduated from Tarleton State University with a B.S. degree. She furthered her studies with a M.Ed. from Texas Woman’s University and her Ed.D. from Baylor University.

As Texas state standards become increasingly rigorous, the pressure on teachers to meet the needs of a diverse student population is more intense than ever. It is vital for teachers to have the instructional support that they need to be successful. Lylia believes that, especially education budgets in Texas continue to tighten and revisions to the TEKS and new state assessments are ongoing, Walch Education products and services, and the fact that they are up to date and deeply aligned with the latest TEKS, make total sense. Walch works as an off-site curriculum and instruction department for collaborating districts filling curriculum gaps identified by district instructional leaders, while making the learning experience engaging, relevant, and challenging for students.

“I like the fact that Walch can produce the materials in the manner most suitable for your district,” says Lylia. “Whether you need traditional print, digital media, or interactive apps, Walch will provide tailor-fit curriculum that suits your students’ needs, and the needs of Texas.”