Today we’d like to introduce you to Corrie Loeffler.
Hi Corrie, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I grew up in the heart of central California, among tomato fields and cow pastures. When I was seven years old, my older brother won a regional spelling bee, giving him the chance to compete at the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C. That win changed my life. It was my first time on an airplane, and my first time getting to meet kids from all over the country; it opened my world to so many new possibilities. I was instantly motivated to earn my own way back to compete. I competed in the Bee three times in the mid-90s, and each experience enriched my love for words and their magic and power. But it wasn’t enough to compete; I wanted to give back. I volunteered for my regional spelling bee in California all through high school, and eventually at the national level when I was in college. A few years after graduating, I had the chance to apply for a position at the Scripps National Spelling Bee’s headquarters, which many people don’t realize is in Cincinnati, Ohio (we are a subsidiary of The E.W. Scripps Company). I moved to Cincinnati in 2006 to pursue a dream I’d had since childhood of working full-time for the Bee, but thought I would just stay here a few years. Little did I know that 19 years would swiftly pass as I navigated every facet of our organization, working every day in support of the Bee’s mission.
Now, as executive director, I carry the weight and privilege of leading this organization as we celebrate the Bee’s 100th anniversary. Everything my team works toward is meant to honor the Bee’s rich legacy while innovating and evolving the program. Reaching 24,000 schools each year, we aim to illuminate pathways to curiosity, foster connections, enrich communities and inspire millions of children to dream bigger than they ever thought possible.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Of course there have been bumps! While the Scripps National Spelling Bee may appear similar to the one I cherished in my childhood, over the years, we’ve embraced new initiatives—some seeing success, while others reminded us of our limits.
About decade ago, we explored the idea of creating a truly international competition outside of our existing program. Countless hours of brainstorming and strategizing unfolded, but after a few years, we still could not produce a viable business model and had to put that idea on the shelf. I learned so much during that journey, and had the opportunity to help run focus groups in places like India and South Africa. I still draw on many experiences from that exploration; it’s a good reminder that hard work is never wasted even if it doesn’t have the expected outcome.
We also ran an invitational program for a few years that aimed to increase access and level the playing field in ultra-competitive regions, but in the end wasn’t successful in achieving what we originally aimed to do, so we ended it. It was a lesson in turning the mirror on ourselves and evaluating whether it was truly working, and having the humility to fold the program when it was time.
Of course, the 2020 pandemic was the biggest challenge of all. For the first time since World War II, we faced the gut-wrenching decision to cancel the national competition.
We pivoted quickly to crash-developing an online testing platform for use by schools and regional organizers in the 2020-2021 school year and created a hybrid virtual and in-person competition structure to make sure the national competition could come back in 2021. Amid all of this, we experienced a significant leadership transition, with our previous executive director stepping down.
In the summer of 2021, we pulled off the Scripps National Spelling Bee finals at the ESPN Wide World of Sports complex—our own “bubble,” and the only time we have held the national competition outside of the Washington, D.C. area. Watching our top 11 spellers compete in person, I was in awe and overwhelmed with gratitude. I’ll never overlook the innovative and entrepreneurial spirit that my team and our partners at Scripps and externally displayed in that year—it’s the reason we’re still around and able to celebrate our 100th anniversary this year.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
As executive director of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, I lead a team that works with 200 regional organizations and 24,000 schools annually to provide an educational program and an exciting competition for elementary and middle school students. I also get to help produce a national television broadcast each year that reaches millions. Most of the year, I have an office job, but for one week of the year I get to help run a transformative week that gives a recognition platform like none other to bright young kids. I’m most proud of the community and connections we foster – in schools, at the regional level and among our national competitors. Our promise to anyone we come in contact with is that you will love working with the Bee!
The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
Because our program is delivered to schools online, we had a certain head start during the pandemic, but we still had to shift our processes dramatically in order to survive. This required a cancellation of our 2020 national competition, significant resources committed to developing new technology, and a reimagining of our competition structure for the next year. What it really taught me was to trust in my team more than ever, because I’ve seen firsthand that they have the passion for this organization and the will to make sure it’s around for another 100 years.
Pricing:
- Schools enroll in our program for $199/year
- Regional partnership opportunities are available in some areas
Contact Info:
- Website: https://spellingbee.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scrippsnationalspellingbee
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/scrippsnationalspellingbee
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/corrie-loeffler
