Nicole Walsh, a veteran educator who holds certifications in kindergarten through 12th grade hard of hearing and visual impairment, has been hired as superintendent of the Arkansas School for the Deaf.
The Board of Trustees for the Arkansas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired and Arkansas School for the Deaf voted to name Walsh as superintendent Tuesday night. The governor’s office issued a news release about the hiring.
Officials, including the Arkansas governor, cited Walsh’s experience as a teacher and administrator in deaf education as a reason for her hiring. Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders called Walsh “the perfect candidate to lead the Arkansas School for the Deaf.”
“All Arkansas students deserve a quality education in an environment tailored to their needs,” the governor said in a statement Tuesday evening, “and I know Nicole will help us fulfill that commitment. She will also be a key partner in our effort to improve the Arkansas School for the Deaf and the Arkansas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired as we make long-delayed investments in these critical institutions.”
Walsh’s hiring follows a news conference in February when she publicly announced plans for a new “state-of-the-art facility” on the site of the Arkansas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired and Arkansas School for the Deaf.
In that announcement, she described the effort — which began late last year when she and state lawmakers toured the schools — as part of a “comprehensive plan” for the campuses that she said would bring changes that were “long overdue.”
Walsh has worked as the Exceptional Student Education coordinator for deaf/hard of hearing and visual impairment for the Florida Virtual School K-12, since 2023, according to the Arkansas governor’s office.
She coordinates services and evaluations for deaf/hard of hearing and visually impaired students statewide to ensure services meet state and federal compliance laws. She also works with agencies that provide services to students.
Since 2021, she has also developed training and instruction materials for teachers of deaf/hard of hearing students and provided guidance to the Florida Department of Education.
Arkansas Education Secretary Jacob Oliva, who used to work in Florida, cited Walsh’s teaching background as a reason why she is a good fit for the Arkansas job, calling her “the perfect person for this role.”
Robert Fagan, the board chairman, said the school’s governing body interviewed 10 candidates.
“However, Ms. Walsh’s education philosophy and qualifications positioned her as the front runner,” he said in a statement.
“There is much work to be done to improve student learning and facilities,” Walsh said in a statement that she would collaborate with experts at both schools and the Arkansas Department of Education.
She has worked for Volusia County Schools in Florida, the Colorado School for the Deaf and Blind, the Woodland Park School District in Colorado, and Flagler County, Fla., school system
She is a graduate of Flagler College, in St. Augustine, Fla., where she received a Bachelor of Arts in Deaf Education and Elementary Education in 2010. She received a Master of Education in Educational Leadership in 2021 from the American College of Education, an online college based in Indianapolis, Ind.
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