Emerging
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6th Annual Conference, March
25-27, 2004
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Tom Welch
Office of the New Economy
Tom Welch is currently “Director of Seeding Innovation for the Office
of the New Economy” for the state of Kentucky. There, he is responsible
for conceiving of and directing the K-16 education initiatives for that
office. He works closely with the Kentucky Department of Education as
well as the business community and governmental agencies.
Mr. Welch graduated from Asbury College, KY with a BA in English and French.
After teaching English and coaching debate, he was reborn as a French
teacher, where his love of teaching and especially foreign language teaching
really took hold. His years as a full-time classroom teacher led to an
increased discovery and use of the technologies of the day. He was the
first teacher in his school with a personal computer, the first one with
his own fax, the first to have an email account, etc. His enthusiasm for
using technology to help in the student learning process was a key to
his students’ success as well. Tom was selected as Kentucky’s
Teacher of the Year. In 1992, he left the classroom to become the Foreign
Languages consultant for the Kentucky Department of Education. During
that time, he also was elected president of the state’s foreign
language teachers’ organization and also served as one of twelve
members of the task force which authored the National Foreign Language
Student Standards.
Next, he accepted the challenge of opening a new high school that would
incorporate the latest technology and curriculum innovations. As principal,
he insisted that all administrators also teach one class every day. During
his time as principal, He taught not only foreign language, but also an
introductory math class, as well as history, humanities and a class in
entrepreneurship. Always an ardent revolutionary when it came to school
reform, Tom left the high school after six years as principal, to assume
his current position. His passion for the effective use of technology
in education has never waned and he continues to challenge his colleagues
at the annual conferences of ACTFL and ASCD about the role of technology
in achieving the ultimate goal, which is improving the way we help students
learn.
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