Schaefbauer steps up

Princeton native Nicole Schaefbauer to be first woman to lead IESA

When Nicole Schaefbauer takes over as the executive director of the Illinois Elementary School Association on July 1, it won’t be exactly as she imagined it.

The COVID-19 pandemic has hit the IESA hard with no tournaments being held or spectators allowed at events, cutting off the organization’s main source of revenue.

“With everything going on, it’s going to be a different type

By Kevin Chlum

of experience than I think I would have had a year ago,” said Schaefbauer, a Princeton native. “We’ll have some difficult times to try to get the ship righted again and get financially secure. That will obviously be our primary focus with the board and all of our advisory committees. We’ll work to try to provide the quality experiences that we have been able to do in the past and also shore up our financial future.

“I’m looking forward to it. It certainly is going to be a challenge, but I’m confident in our direction and the leadership of the board. It’s been very good in the past and I look forward to that same type of relationship going forward as executive director.”

Steve Endsley, who will retire as executive director after holding the position since 1996, said he believes Schaefbauer is the

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Above: Princeton native Nicole Schaefbauer (right) talks with Lanny Slevin at the inaugural NewsTribune Illinois Valley Sports Hall of Fame banquet in 2019. Schaefbauer was recently tabbed to take over as the executive director of the Illinois Elementary School Association. Schaefbauer, who starts July 1, will be the first woman to hold the position. NEWSTRIBUNE FILE PHOTO

Schaefbauer

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right person to navigate the organization through a tumultuous time.

“Her planning and organization will really be her strengths during this time,” Endsley said. “The ability to look down the road and to have some idea of what expenses are going to be and how things can operate so they can stay solvent is going to be one of her strengths.”

Schaefbauer’s path toward a career in athletics stemmed from her own experiences growing up in Princeton in a family heavily involved sports.

Her father, Gary, was a hall of fame track and field and cross country coach at Princeton High School, while her mother, Beatric, was a coach and an official.

Schaefbauer was a four-sport star in cross country, tennis, volleyball and track and field at PHS, earning varsity letters in each sport all four years.

She was a conference champion in tennis, a state medalist in track and field and led the volleyball team to the 1990 Class A state championship.

Schaefbauer, who went on to play volleyball at the University of Notre Dame, was a member of the inaugural NewsTribune Illinois Valley Sports Hall of Fame in 2019.

“I come from a very athletic family,” Schaefbauer said. “Both my mom and dad were coaches. I remember from the time I was little going to track meets, cross country, volleyball matches, tennis or whatever it was. It has always been a steady part of my life. My dad was also an athletic director and my mom was also an official. To see the various sides of athletics from different viewpoints and all the people who work together to be able to provide experiences for kids, all of that laid the foundation for where I am today.”

During Endsley’s tenure leading the IESA the organization has increased in member schools and number of sports and activities offered.

He said he’s comfortable passing the torch to Schaefbauer, who joined the IESA as an assistant executive director in 1999 before being promoted to associate director in 2001.

“I am so excited the board of directors placed all the confidence in the world in Nicole and have given her the opportunity to lead the association,” Endsley said. “I feel great about it. There’s no one else who should lead this organization. She will do a fantastic job.”

Schaefbauer will be the IESA’s sixth executive director and the first female to hold the position.

“I think it’s exciting,” Schaefbauer said about being the first female director. “I’m glad I can be in that position. Certainly, I hope it’s something other females can look at and I hope I do them all proud.”

Tackling the IESA’s financial situation will be Schaefbauer’s No. 1 priority as she takes over this summer.

“The financial committee is going to be meeting soon to talk about several different things,” Schaefbauer said. “We have to wait and see what kind of direction to take. We’re going to have to look at some things to get us through the very near future and then look how we can incorporate some different strategies for our long-term future.”

Besides becoming more financially stable after the pandemic, Schaefbauer said she has some other shortterm and long-term goals for the organization.

“We’re going to possibly be looking at some different venues for some of our activities,” Schaefbauer said. “We have bids out for golf and cross country. We’ll be looking at securing some different sites and making sure we’re always providing the same quality experiences our kids and schools have been used to having.”

Looking further ahead, Schaefbauer hopes to continue to grow the number of schools involved in the IESA and the number of students participating.

Currently, the IESA has more than 900 member schools and nearly 16,000 students participating in 24 sports and activities.

“We’re always looking to continue to grow the participation in our activities and participation in our membership,” Schaefbauer said.

She’d also like the IESA to take a leadership role nationally.

“I’d like to take on a little bit more of a national presence,” Schaefbauer said. “Throughout the United States more and more associations are looking at providing an experience for their junior high and middle school athletes. I think that’s something we can take a larger role in providing some examples, suggestions, advice and some guidance to those associations that are looking to expand into that realm.”

Before being named executive director, Schaefbauer had many duties at the IESA over the past two decades, including serving as the administrator for most of the organization’s sports and activities, working closely with the IHSA officials committee and starting the IESA’s athletic director’s workshop, which Schaefbauer said is “a great opportunity for athletic directors to make connections, get some ideas and get some support.”

“I think it’s the same for any position — that you’re open to feedback, you have a good, solid understanding of the mission of the organization’s needs and the needs and wants of the membership and have more of a global outlook,” Schaebauer said about traits that make her suited for the executive director role. “I think those are some things I have and hopefully those will be some of the things that will help me be successful.”

Endsley said that no matter which sport or activity Schaefbauer oversaw, she improved it.

“She’s been here 20 years, so she is very familiar with the operations of the organization,” Endsley said. “She has met a lot of people during those 20 years, which is key to being successful. She has a lot of experience in all of our activities. She’s worked with our officials group. She is level headed and thinks things through.

“I think the other thing that’s going to make Nicole successful is she understands the role of education based interscholastic activities. She will do what is in the best interests of students across this state.”

Before coming to the IESA, Schaefbauer worked in the athletic departments at the Naval Academy and Illinois State University.

“It gives you a really good idea of how a lot of different things go into making athletics at any level work,” Schaefbauer said about her experience in college athletic departments. “Certainly we’re all seeing that now how marketing, budgets, being able to generate support and all those things are pretty consistent in all levels of athletics.”

During her time at ISU, she also did some work with the IHSA and IESA, and when a position opened up at the IESA, it was suggested she apply.

“Certainly the people I work with not only in the office but all the individuals I’ve met — athletic directors, principals, coaches, officials,” Schaefbauer said about why she’s stayed with the IESA. “They are all really great people. What I’ve seen that I think is most important in keeping me here is the passion they have for providing kids, especially the kids at our level, with a really quality experience.”