Rick & Wendy Walleigh
In 2005, Rick Walleigh left a 30-year career in the high-technology industry. During this time, he held executive roles in high-technology companies and was a Partner in management consulting at Ernst & Young for twelve years.
Biography.
During his career, he frequently gave executive presentations and wrote several articles on business topics. Two of his articles were published in The Harvard Business Review.
After what he calls “commercially retiring” in 2005, Rick began exploring opportunities to use his skills and give back to society. He discovered TechnoServe’s volunteer consulting program and went to Africa with his wife, Wendy, to work on reducing poverty. Now back in the US, he continues to work part-time for TechnoServe as a Senior Advisor to the Chief Operating Officer and other members of the Company’s senior management team.
Because of his transition from high-tech executive to volunteer in Africa, Rick was featured in a Wall Street Journal online article titled “Second Acts: Career Paths For Worn-Out Executives.” In addition to Ernst & Young, Rick is an alumnus of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard Business School.
Wendy R. Walleigh
Before transitioning into the non-profit sector in 2002, Wendy Walleigh’s career was primarily in high-technology marketing and sales. Over the past twenty years, she held numerous positions in computer networking hardware and software companies, including Director of OEM Marketing at 3Com Corporation. Her responsibilities included product marketing and management, branding, marketing communications, sales, and sales support.
In 2002, Ms. Walleigh left the high-technology world and joined Junior Achievement of Silicon Valley, where she held the position of Vice President of Marketing and Development until 2006 when she and her husband moved to Africa to volunteer for TechnoServe, an international economic development NGO (non-governmental organization).
From July to December 2006 in Swaziland and all of 2007 in Kenya, she helped develop entrepreneurship programs for TechnoServe supporting youth, women, micro-enterprises, and business plan competitions, including helping to establish Junior Achievement youth programs in Swaziland. While living again in California, Ms. Walleigh returned to Africa in 2008 and 2009 to travel informally and visit TechnoServe clients in Ghana, Swaziland, and Kenya to document their success stories. She returned to Junior Achievement of Silicon Valley as a Board Member and continues to serve in that role.
Ms. Walleigh holds an M.S. in Communications from Boston University and a B.S. in Psychology from Tufts University.
