Kelly Bissinger of the InterMountain Education Service District was surprised Wednesday, Sept. 17, to learn he had been named the 2025 Oregon School Board Member of the Year.
“I’m humbled,” Bissinger said. “I love being on this school board with its members’ willingness to serve. I know what I’m doing is helping students.”
The Oregon School Board Member of the Year award recognizes school board members for their leadership, advocacy work and support for student achievement in the purely volunteer role. The Oregon School Boards Association coordinates the nomination and selection.
“With his years of selfless service dedicated to students’ needs, Kelly Bissinger exemplifies what it means to be an Oregon school board member,” said Emielle Nischik, OSBA executive director.
Over more than 20 years of school board service – seven times as board chair – Bissinger has been an unflagging advocate for rural education, adequate school funding and Public Employees Retirement System reform.
“I love the pay,” Bissinger said. “The pay is the satisfaction that what we do helps kids.”
Bissinger was a Hermiston School Board member for six years and has served on the InterMountain School Board since the ESD was created in 2010 with the merger of the Umatilla-Morrow and Union-Baker ESDs. The board officially began functioning in 2011.
“His sense of responsibility and community service have been a driving force for our board,” said InterMountain Superintendent Dr. Mark Mulvihill. “He is special due to his longevity, his resilience, his wisdom and his commitment.”
Oregon education service districts provide centralized educational programs, services and administrative supports for school districts in their regions. InterMountain serves 21 school districts.
Bissinger has led efforts to close student achievement gaps and increase services that help students stay in school and graduate. He created a regional board training and mentorship program and has promoted greater school board diversity. He is deeply involved with the Oregon Association of Education Service Districts and hosts a monthly radio show with Mulvihill.
Bissinger is passionately dedicated to making sure all students, no matter their circumstances, receive the resources, the support and the opportunity to succeed in school. He also helps other board members succeed, attending board meetings in the area and mentoring new school board members.
“It’s a noble cause to be a school board member,” he said. “We set aside biases and prejudices because we are there for the sake of students.”
Bissinger is a retired financial planner who has used his specialized knowledge to help districts through difficult decisions. He is married to Dawn, and they have two married sons and four grandchildren.
Oregon School Board Member of the Year candidates are nominated by someone in their community and chosen by a panel of judges.
Mulvihill said people who had worked with Bissinger for years became emotional when he was nominated.
Family and friends showed up Wednesday night to see him receive the honor he didn’t know was coming. The emotions surfaced again as people expressed their appreciation for Bissinger.
Jocelyn Jones, an InterMountain board member now, was a Hermiston teacher and administrator while Bissinger was a school board member. She said Bissinger was always supportive of staff and students.
“He’s just that guy who cares about what is going on and willing to put his money where his mouth his,” she said.
Hermiston Superintendent Tricia Mooney said Bissinger continues to be supportive of the district even though it’s not part of the ESD. She was a teacher when Bissinger’s own children were in school there. She said even then, he cared about all the students, not just his own.
“To the core of his being, he is about what is best for kids,” she said. “When you say it takes a village, Kelly is the one you want in your village.”
Contact Michele Madril, IMESD Director of Communications, at 541-966-3115 or michele.madril@imesd.k12.or.us for more information.