Balog is PCFES director

    Having just finished her seventh year teaching at Holyoke JR/SR High, Allie Balog is transitioning to a new job that offers what she calls “the best of both worlds.”
    As the new executive director of Phillips County Family Education Services, she will still be in the realm of education, but she will also have the opportunity to be home with her children, Cameron and Carter, more often. At 3 years and 10 weeks old respectively, Balog’s children were a big part of the reason for her job change.
    That didn’t, however, make leaving her job as an ESL teacher easy, she said. Within the ESL program at the school, Balog often had students remain in her class year after year, and she formed strong relationships there. Her hope is that she will see some of those students taking advantage of the PCFES programs as adults.
    Though she started with some office work at PCFES in February while she was still teaching, she assumed the full-time role June 1. Having a few months to transition — with much help from board president Linda Jelden and former director Trisha Herman — put Balog in a position to start strong with the PCFES summer camp.

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