About Us
Education for Employment Systems (EFEs) were developed in the 1980's by the Illinois State Board of Education and the Illinois Legislature to provide leadership for the State's Career and Technical Education (CTE) program areas which include Agriculture, Business, Family and Consumer Science, Health Science, and Technology Education (Industrial Technology). There are 58 EFE Systems in Illinois. EFE 320 serves ten area high schools with 7,500 enrolled students.
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As an educational cooperative, EFE 320 is a not-for-profit entity and functions under the same guidelines as public school systems. EFE 320 is located in Pekin, IL and employs one full-time employee and two part-time employees. A governing board made up of a representative (administrator, counselor, or teacher) from each district meets monthly. Working together, they oversee grant funded allocations and expenditures to support Career and Technical Education.
Jill Warren, System Director
Email: jwarren@efe320.org
Jill has more than 30 years experience working in public education. She spent the majority of her career at Limestone Community High School, an EFE 320 member district, where she was a passionate CTE business teacher for 24 years and principal for seven. Jill earned a BS and MS from Illinois State University and an MS in administration from Bradley University in 2008. Jill retired from Limestone in 2016 and is under a 100-day contract with EFE 320. She has been married to her husband, Chris, for 44 years. They have three beautiful daughters and ten grandchildren.
Cindy Gierich, Special Populations Coordinator
Michele Hollingsworth, Bookkeeper/Secretary
Email: cgierich@efe320.org
Cindy began working at EFE 320 in August 1993 after teaching Family and Consumer Science at Green Valley High School. At the end of June, 2014, she retired but was asked to return as a part-timer in August 2014. Cindy received her BS in education from Illinois State University after graduating from Melvin-Sibley High School. Tremont has been Cindy's hometown for the past 30+ years where she raised two sons. Cindy is now also blessed with four beautiful grandchildren, three beagles, and three ragdoll cats.
Email: mhollingsworth@efe320.org
Michele began working at Tazewell EFE in January 2020. Michele is a graduate of Limestone Community High School and Central Christian College where she earned an Associate's Degree in Office Management. Prior to joining the staff at the EFE, Michele was the Principal's secretary at Limestone Community High School. Michele has been married to her husband, Tim, for 32 years. They are proud parents of three children, Brittney, Zach, and Nate. Michele is also a talented pianist and enjoys being the accompanist for high school musicals, community theater, church, and anywhere that has a piano!