Just a few weeks following the appointment of Regional Superintendent of Schools Ryan McClellan, the Regional Office of Education announced that a longtime teacher in the area will be stepping in as its assistant regional superintendent.

Taking over the position is Jill Nobbe, a Waterloo resident who has spent the bulk of her 24-year teaching career in Red Bud, where she grew up.

Nobbe attended Southeast Missouri State University, earning a bachelor’s degree in education.

She moved to Waterloo after graduating and taught at Gibault Catholic High School for three years before jumping to Red Bud High School, where she taught for 15 years.

It was at RBHS that she met McClellan, who was serving as curriculum director at the time.

Her most recent position in the classroom has been at Red Bud Elementary School, where she’s taught eighth grade for the past six years.

While she’s long enjoyed her time in the classroom, Nobbe said administration has been on her mind for a while.

“I just continued teaching with the thought of administration kind of always in the back of my mind,” Nobbe said. “Did some informal leadership things at the schools I was teaching in, got to know administration that way. And the last couple years, I kinda started having more interest in moving out of the classroom, and Ryan was aware of that.”

Nobbe also spoke about her general interest in education.

“I was very fortunate to have very good teachers growing up,” Nobbe said. “When I was in college, I just sort of decided that the school setting was a great place for me. I liked working with kids, but I knew I would prefer to work with older children. That’s why the majority of my career has been spent in the high school.”

From her time in the classroom, she recalled having a particular affinity for English Language Arts education.

She further emphasized how stepping out of the classroom to have more of an impact at the district level has been an interest of hers for some time.

“That was always my professional goal,” Nobbe said. “I love helping kids in the classroom, but this new role will give me the opportunity to work with other stakeholders, parents, community members, other ROEs, administrators, and still have an impact on kids, because that’s why we’re doing what we’re doing.”

As Nobbe enters the role of assistant regional superintendent looking forward to the opportunity and challenge, she voiced hopes of helping the ROE be a true source of help for schools in Monroe and Randolph County.

“I think that Ryan and I both share the goal that we want the regional office to be supportive of the districts and really build that relationship so that we can assist the local districts in doing whatever it is that they need to do,” Nobbe said. “We want to make sure that those relationships grow strong and the ROE can be of assistance to all of those districts.”

McClellan, who has worked with Nobbe for a number of years now, spoke positively of her and the experience that she brings to the ROE as someone who worked in the classroom so recently.

He was recently appointed regional superintendent following the retirement of Kelton Davis. Nobbe succeeds former assistant superintendent Chris Diddlebock, who also retired.

“We’ve worked together for a long time,” McClellan said of Nobbe. “She’s very intelligent, very hardworking, one of the best teachers that I’ve ever had the privilege of working with, and I’m really excited about the knowledge and enthusiasm and care that she’s gonna bring to that position.”