Oak Park And River Forest High School Hires New Athletic Director

Press release from Oak Park and River Forest High School:

The District 200 Board of Education has approved the hiring of Nicole Ebsen as the district’s athletic director, effective July 1, 2021. She replaces John Stelzer, who is retiring after 17 years with the district, 14 of which were as the district’s athletic director.

Ms. Ebsen has served in public education for more than 15 years, dedicating her career to education in a variety of roles. Most recently, she has been the athletic director at Morton School District 201, where she serves as both the athletic and activities director for over 8,000 students on two different campuses.

Ms. Ebsen began her career at Glenbard West High School, where she was a PE/Health teacher; volleyball, softball, and badminton coach; and assistant athletic director. In 2009, Mrs. Ebsen took a position as the dean of students at Morton East High School, and during the next 12 years, she took on a variety of additional responsibilities including student activity director, director of P.E., Health, and Drivers Education, and eventually athletic director beginning in the fall of 2015.

“Nicole’s enthusiasm for working with the Oak Park and River Forest communities was evident throughout the hiring process,” said District 200 Associate Superintendent Greg Johnson. “The experience she has managing large athletic programs, establishing supportive relationships with students, and building schoolwide enthusiasm for extra-curriculars will help us build on and enhance the strong tradition of excellence with OPRF athletics.”.

Ms. Ebsen has several ties to our community and is eager to begin working with our students and faculty. She holds a bachelor’s degree in physical education from Eastern Illinois University, and a masters of education degree with a focus on educational administration from Lewis University. She has a depth of experience building programs and enhancing student enthusiasm for athletics.

This press release was produced by Oak Park and River Forest High School. The views expressed here are the author’s own.