Kate Ringger Announced as 2024 Holly Jack Outstanding Service Award Winner 

Kate Ringger, administrative assistant to the superintendent and board secretary for the El Paso Gridley CUSD 11 Board of Education, has been named the winner of the 2024 Holly Jack Outstanding Service Award. 
 
The annual award recognizes administrative professionals and board secretaries for performance, initiative, innovation, passion, staff development, and dedication to the district, community, and students. Ringger will be recognized for her achievement on November 22 as part of the Administrative Professionals’ Program at the Joint Annual Conference in Chicago.  
 
Nominations were made by district superintendents and school board presidents. Letters of support from CUSD 11 administrators, board members, and the business manager spoke of Ringger’s dedication, passion, hard work, and commitment to success in every challenge she undertakes. Board President Brian Stoller called Ringger the “glue that held the district together.” 

“Kate is the type of employee every boss dreams of having on their team. No job is too small; if cookies and snacks are needed for a board meeting or retreat, she is the one. If a state mandatory report is pushing a deadline, she is the one to get it completed with extreme accuracy and filed in a timely manner,” said Stoller. “Kate has a natural gift in creating a calm in every situation, attention to detail and organization like no other, and one that will always step in to lighten someone else’s load. I would find it hard to believe there is anyone more deserving of the Holly Jack Award than Mrs. Kate Ringger!” 

Speaking to challenges faced by the district in recent years and extraordinary amount of work and time the positions of board secretary and administrative assistant to superintendent entail, El Paso Gridley CUSD 11 Superintendent DeAnn Heck, Ed.D., said that Ringger does what is needed to be done to keep the district moving forward. “You want it done? Call Kate. You want it done right? Call Kate. You want it done before you even knew it had to be done? Definitely, call Kate!” 

Kate Ringer has faced a number of challenges in her position since beginning with the district in 2019. She was crucial to helping the district navigate the COVID-19 pandemic, assisted in helping pass a referendum and build a new middle school, and served as a calm, unwavering presence during the cancer diagnosis and resignation of a district superintendent. 

Superintendent Heck reiterated, “Kate Baner Ringger does the day to day and the difficult things really flawlessly, but she does the impossible with faith, gentleness, and kindness. It is because of her loyalty and commitment to the El Paso Gridley Community Unit School District, her dedication to helping all students staff and the community thrive, and her passion for public education that Kate exemplifies every one of the qualities of the Holly Jack Service Award.” 

Kate Ringger has served as the assistant to the superintendent and secretary of El Paso Gridley CUSD 11 school board for six years. A Gridley native, Ringger was honored to work for her hometown district taking on such tasks as preparing for school board meetings, handling incoming district-level requests, daily scheduling, and supporting and assisting her coworkers and the administrative team. Ringger has been married to her husband David for 26 years. The couple are dedicated parents to three sons.  

The Holly Jack Outstanding Service Award is named in memory of a long-time Illinois Association of School Boards employee, Holly Jack, who served as an IASB Field Services administrative assistant and was instrumental in promoting and developing professional development programs for board secretaries. The award recognizes the dedication to service and extraordinary work contributions of administrative professionals who serve and assist their local boards of education.