Fellow of Distinction Award

Mr. Farrell was born and grew up in the small village of Pitchin in Green Township. He attended Southeastern High School in South Charleston and graduated in 1954. Like many other young men, he enlisted in the military and upon graduation served for 4 years in the U.S. Navy as an Aviation Electrician, 2nd Class. 

Mr. Farrell had a 40 year career with in the loan and financing industry, starting with  Beneficial Finance Corporation in Springfield, Ohio in the early 1960s. He worked his way through the ranks during the next 16 years and became a Senior Manager for this national company. 

In 1972 Mr. Farrell accepted an appointment to the Southeastern Local Schools Board of Education. He served on the board for 17 years, including as Vice-President for 6 years and President for 4 years. In addition he served on the Ohio School Boards Association for more than 15 years. Most recently, Mr. Farrell has served on the Clark County ESC board for 2 terms and retired from the board in 2012.

In addition to his service on local, county, and state school boards, Mr. Farrell and his wife of 61 years, Marilyn, were very involved in 4-H. 

Marcia began working at the Clark County Educational Service Center in 2004. Throughout her years at the CCESC, she has been involved with many of the CCESC’s special projects and initiatives including the All County Boards’ Dinner, Strengthening Families, Excellence In Education, Young Authors’, Franklin B. Walter All Scholastic Award, Mervin Britton Scholarship.

As a lifelong member of the Clark County Community, and a graduate of Southeastern High School, Marcia strongly believes in the mission of the CCESC and works hard to make sure we provide the best for the students and educators here. 

As the Director of Operations, Marcia was tasked with assisting all districts in Clark County obtain the PPE needed during COVID along with helping to schedule vaccination clinics for all Clark County educators.

He began his career with a bank in Mercer County, but after several years moved to New Carlisle, Ohio. There he became President of New Carlisle Federal Savings Bank in 1982 at the age of 30. He retired from the same bank in 2016.

In 2004, Mr. Steinlage was asked to fill an open position on the Clark County Educational Service Center’s Board of Trustees. With several re-elections he remained on this board for nearly 18 years, retiring from it in 2021. During his time there, the ESC grew to serve the ever expanding needs of the Clark County school districts. Demand for ESC services grew and with it the number of staff needed grew as well. Also, the Board’s office was relocated twice as opportunity offered and as additional space was needed.

Mr. Steinlage was widowed in 2016, but with his wife Joan, they raised three daughters, each now successful in their own fields, one an educator. He is also a very proud grandparent of eight grandchildren.

Amy Backus has worked for the Clark County ESC since 2013 as a Preschool Intervention Specialist. She shows a passion for her students and making sure they are cared for when they are in her classroom. All students' needs are met in her classroom whether it's some extra love, hair done for the day, or they feel safe in her classroom. She always has a positive attitude and smile on her face. 

Kristi Knight-Craddock has worked at the Clark County ESC for 13 years and a licensed Speech Language Pathologist (SLP) for 26 years.  She has also served as a mentor for SLP's in their Fellowship year for over 23 clinicians.  Her areas of special interest include early speech and language development, communication issues for students with Autism,  and children with emotional challenges.  Kristi has been recognized by the American Speech and Language Association for achievement in continuing education.

 Mrs. Knight-Craddock is passionate about serving students with communication disorders in our community. A child’s success in school is strongly linked to their speech and language skills.

Providing excellent services and support in the field of SLP helps students access their education to their full potential and develop functional communication for everyday life. Without these skills, students are at higher risk for dropping out, lack of independence and employability, and even incarceration. 

Over the past decade, Kristi has worked with the ESC to grow a solid program providing services to all of the districts in Clark County.  She feels that working in a larger team allows therapists opportunities to collaborate, share their specialized skill sets, and provide support for one another.

Kristi was born and raised in Springfield and graduated from Springfield North High School.  She received her Bachelors degree from The Ohio State University and Masters in Speech-Language Pathology from Appalachian State University.  She returned to Springfield in 1995 to start an in-house Speech Pathology program at Community Hospital.  Kristi has supported her community by serving three terms on the Springfield Symphony Board.  She also served as President of the Early Childhood Collaborative and Child and Family Collaborative which are now part of the Family First Council.