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 started 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 on the Boards of the Maine Coalition for Excellence in Education and Untravel Media and is a former board member and supporter of the Jason Program. He is also a member of the Maine Department of Education's 21st Century Advisory Panel.

"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".

Chuck Thomas
Vice President of Operations
Chuck started his career in printing more than 35 years ago and has over 25 years of experience in management. Prior to joining Walch, he managed digital printing at EPX, a $25 million printing company. Before that he was Director of Corporate Communications at Standard Register, a $1 billion forms company. Chuck earned his Bachelor of Journalism degree at the University of Missouri in Columbus and his MBA from the University of New Hampshire in Durham.

"As Vice President of Operations, one of my primary roles is integrating the production side of Walch, printing and shipping, with the editorial and creative side. That role allows me to see the full sweep of our process and to appreciate the extraordinary diversity and quality of our staff and products."

Susan Graham
Director of Education
A former classroom teacher, Susan also has more than 15 years authoring curriculum, developing content and products for SmarterKids.com, The Classwell Learning Group (a Houghton Mifflin company) and Kaplan K12 Learning Services, among others. Susan earned her B.S. in Education at New York University and her Masters in Education from Harvard University's Graduate School in Education.

"Our job is to help set the stage for learning and achievement. As former teachers, we know that our products are only a modest part of a complex set of real-world interactions. That said, by providing a district with cost effective materials that reinforce its initiatives and match the unique needs of its students, we can increase the potential for all students to succeed."

Jill Rosenblum
Director of Standards and Assessment
Jill taught for ten years in public schools before coordinating statewide professional development in mathematics and assessment in Vermont's Department of Education. Most recently, she was a senior program director in Assessment and Evaluation with the Maine Mathematics and Science Alliance. 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.

"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."

James R. Walker, Jr.
Director of Finance
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.

"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?"

Amy Gulino Kayne
Sales Manager
A graduate of Northeastern University with a B.S. in Communications, Amy brings seven years of sales and marketing experience to Walch Education. She was a Media Buyer Assistant at Katz Television, an Account Manager at Professional Staffing Group, an Account Coordinator at McCabe, Duval and Associates, and an Account/Operations Coordinator at Pierce Promotions. Amy is responsible for the company’s worldwide dealer and retail business.

"We have an enormous variety of targeted solutions for the dealers and resellers Walch interacts with. Our partners know that the name ‘Walch’ on the cover means a trusted publisher who creates market- and teacher-tested products for middle schools and high schools. Catalog companies, retailers, home-schoolers and teachers recognize the quality of the Walch brand - and that makes my job easier!"

John Spritz
Director of Marketing
John ran a marketing consultancy for ten years before joining Walch, during which his client base included Island Press, the Maine Health Access Foundation, Migis Lodge, and Oxford University Press. Prior to that he was Program Director at WPKM-FM in Scarborough, Maine, before which he wrote for clients such as AT&T, Chase Manhattan Bank, Guardian Life Insurance, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, M&M Mars, and Warner Lambert, John holds a B.A. degree from Harvard University.

"What makes Walch stand out is this extraordinary knowledge base we have, stretching back over 80 years of working with teachers, combined with a passion for finding new ways to meet educators' needs in the twenty-first century. Whether we're working with a single teacher or an entire district, we're able to craft a customized program that pulls together our deep experience and our focus on current issues."