3 will be inducted into Woodland Education Foundation Hall of Fame

The Woodland Education Foundation announced three new members will be inducted into the Woodland Hall of Fame.

This year’s inductees are Kimberly (Ruff) Meenen, Edmond Simpson and Nathan Knuffman.

Kimberly (Ruff) Meenan

Kimberly (Ruff) Meenen is the assistant dean for advancement for the College of Agriculture, Consumer and Environmental Sciences at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She leads a team of fundraising, corporate relations, alumni engagement, special events and stewardship professionals who are responsible for generating awareness and raising private support for the College of ACES. Among her team’s accomplishments is a recent $45 million gift, the largest in college history to create the Christopher Illinois Extension Building on campus.

The daughter of Judy Ruff and Keith Ruff, she is a 1982 graduate of Woodland High School. She and her siblings (Jill, Brian and Brad) grew up on their family’s grain and cattle operation near Long Point.

She earned a master’s degree in Higher Education Administration and a bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Communications, both from the University of Illinois. After several years at a Chicago advertising agency, she returned to Urbana as a member of the fundraising team for the College of Veterinary Medicine. In 2005, she joined the College of ACES to lead the fundraising efforts for several departments including animal sciences, agricultural engineering and agricultural communications. In 2017, she became the Assistant Dean for Advancement. She was recognized in 2021 with the ACES Professional Staff Award for Sustained Excellence.

Meenan has two sons, Mitchell (Birkey’s Precision Ag Tech sales rep) and Spencer (University of Illinois Ag Education student). During her free time, she likes to travel, garden and cook. She also enjoys watching her nieces, Hailey and Morgan Ruff, exhibit their cattle and other 4-H projects. Along with her demonstrated professional successes and an unwavering commitment to her family, she epitomizes what a hall of fame inductee is.

Edmond Simpson

Edmond Simpson is employed by Heritage Products, Inc., Crawfordsville, Indiana.

He has been employed by Heritage Products, Inc. since 1993 and continues to work there where his work ethic and passion for his job is unmatched. He is one who not only wants to excel himself, but also is one who wants his team and company to succeed.

Simpson has been successful in several positions over his career with Heritage Products. He was a quality engineer for five years, senior quality engineer for five years, and most recently was promoted to quality manager.

Simpson is proficient in many areas of his job. He is responsible for prioritizing, overseeing and managing several projects simultaneously and still meet deadlines. He has a sound knowledge of the company’s computer systems and products. He acts independently and with good judgment, coordinates meetings and gives presentations regarding quality issues, process performances and future product. He makes decisions regarding incoming and outgoing product quality. He develops and implements counter measures for quality and efficiency issues. He implements parts and machine improvements. He is responsible for training other team members. All of this helps to foster a team work environment.

He is the son of Archie and Linda Simpson, of rural Manville. He and his wife Terri are the parents of three children, daughter Taylin, and sons Drew and Tommy, both deceased. They are grandparents to Luna. His family also includes his sister Michelle (Lewis) and nieces Emma, Gwen, Abby and Zoey.

Simpson graduated from Woodland High School in 1987. He attended Danville Area Community College, graduating in 1990 with an associate degree in Criminal Justice.

He volunteers countless hours with the Special Olympics Indiana of Montgomery County. He serves on the County Board of Advisors to the Director of Special Olympics of Montgomery County. He was a Special Olympics basketball coach for eight years and a Special Olympics softball coach for 10 years, and a Bowling Unified Partner for 16 years. Simpson was Coach of the Year for 2009. His involvement has brought so much joy to others. He also is an active member of the Woodland Heights Christian Church. He has gone on several mission trips to help those in need. He is a youth group leader for both junior and senior high school.

Simpson suffered the loss of two sons over a year’s time. Through this tragedy, he used these situations to minister and comfort others going through difficult times. He is known to be first a family man who loves his family unconditionally. He is a man of faith, a great friend, hardworking, and a giving man. He is known by others as the most caring, giving, unselfish person they know and their life is better for knowing him. He has a true servant’s heart.

Nathan Knuffman

Nathan Knuffman is senior associate vice chancellor for finance and operations for the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. Part of Nathan’s duties is to advise the chancellor on financial and operational management and serve on the chancellor’s executive leadership team. Together they manage nearly 2,000 employees at the university with responsibility for the university’s finances, facilities, real estate, energy services and all of the auxiliary functions including energy services, parking and transportation, the student stores and dining.

Knuffman’s wealth of experience in financial and administrative management at the UNC System Office and previously with the state of North Carolina prepared him well in leading the strategic management of the Division of Finance and Operations. Knuffman served as the deputy director of the North Carolina Office of State Budget and Management. In that role, he was responsible for the strategic management of daily operations, change and organizational management, and preparation and oversight of the governor’s budget.

He is the son of Holly and Rick Knuffman, of rural Manville. He and his wife Hallie, have two daughters, Anna, 12 and Lena, 9. He has two siblings, Ryan (Mandy) Knuffman and Erin (Adam) Fitzpatrick. They reside in North Carolina.

Knuffman graduated as salutatorian from Woodland High School in 1994. He received his bachelor’s degree in economics and political science from Illinois Wesleyan University. He was recognized as distinguished senior in business and economics, Political Science Student of the Year, and Academic All-American and Conference Player of the Year in varsity baseball (1998). He earned his masters of public management at the University of Maryland. He received the Steny Hoyer Fellowship and Assistantship for academic excellence and public service.

Knuffman’s expertise in finance and budgeting are his strength. He has a particularly strong work ethic and has become an indispensable work partner. He has accomplished much in his career and will continue to achieve even greater things.

The three inductees will speak to the high school students at an assembly 2 p.m. Friday, April 29. Missy Hoover, fourth grade teacher, also will be honored as the Excellence in Education recipient. They will be formally honored at a dinner ceremony 6 p.m. that evening at Mona’s in Toluca.