Past Inductees

Joan Irwin
Peoples Publishing Group
2004

Joan Irwin was the Vice President for Professional Development for Peoples Publishing Group. In this capacity she worked on a new series of school-based professional resources for K-8 reading instruction.

Joan previously completed 13 years as Director of Publications for the International Reading Association (IRA) where she was responsible for the organization's journals, newspaper, books, and electronic publications. She edited six modules in the IRA Literacy Study Groups series for K-12 literacy educators.

Joan holds arts and education degrees from the University of Alberta and University of Calgary, Alberta and has completed postgraduate studies at the University of Victoria, British Columbia. She has taught reading and language education courses at those three institutions as well as at the University of British Columbia. Joan has a broad background of teaching experience at elementary and secondary levels and for 15 years operated her own company providing consultant services in language arts to school districts and departments of education throughout Canada. In addition to her teaching experience, Joan co-authored two elementary language arts programs for Gage Educational Publishing, now owned by Thomas Nelson Canada.

Joan also served a 3-year term on the Board of Directors of the Association of Educational Publishers. She chaired the Awards Committees for both AEP and the Global Learning Initiative that AEP sponsored in cooperation with the Bologna Children's Book Fair.