The Batavia Chamber of Commerce announced Linda Schielke as the 2025 Citizen of the Year (COTY), honoring her decades of service, leadership, and unwavering dedication to the Batavia community.

The Chamber will honor Linda on Thursday, April 23, 2026, at the Chamber’s Inspire 2026: A Celebration of Those Who Inspire Us! annual awards event. 

Additionally, the Batavia Woman’s Club is the Spirit of Batavia award winner for 2025. A committee of previous recipients of the Citizen of the Year award selects the Batavia Citizen of the Year from nominations received from the community. This group also chooses the Spirit of Batavia group honoree. 

Margaret Perreault, president and CEO of the Batavia Chamber of Commerce, commented that once again, the committee chose a worthy winner.

“Linda’s name rose quickly to the top for a simple reason — her heart for Batavia is unmatched,” said Perreault. “Her influence touches every corner of our community, often in ways people don’t even realize. She leads with grace, shows up without being asked, and helps make Batavia the special place we are all proud to call home.” 

Those nominating Linda Schielke for COTY enthusiastically praised her efforts.

“Linda has dedicated herself to the betterment of our community, not in search for recognition, but through an unwavering, hands-on commitment to improving our city’s culture and spirit,” wrote Marge Brown, previously named 2023 Batavia Citizen of the Year. “She embodies the very best of Batavia’s community spirit.” 

For more than four decades, Linda has been a teacher, mentor, organizer, historian, musician, and a vibrant presence in nearly every corner of Batavia civic life. Her impact spans generations — from the students she taught at Louise White School to the countless residents touched by her leadership in music, historical preservation, patriotic celebrations, women’s empowerment, and statewide recognition programs.

Linda’s Batavia story began in 1979 when she joined Batavia Public Schools as a sixth-grade teacher at Louise White. Students still greet her as “Miss Anderson,” a testament to her ongoing connection to the children and families she served.

Before arriving in Batavia, Linda – then Linda Anderson – grew up on a farm outside Leland, Illinois, the youngest of three daughters in a close-knit and deeply creative family. Her parents — a farmer and a dietitian — instilled in her a love of history, craftsmanship, service, music, and community.

Those values followed her into a distinguished career in education, where she went on to become an elementary principal at age 26, curriculum director, and ultimately assistant superintendent in Bloomingdale before retiring in 2011.

“Everything I ever did in curriculum was about helping teachers teach better and helping kids learn more,” she said.

Linda met her husband, longtime Mayor Jeff Schielke, in classic small-town fashion — while he was dressed as Santa Claus at Louise White School. They married in 1986 and will celebrate their 40th anniversary in 2026.

Together, Linda and Jeff have attended thousands of community events, ribbon cuttings, dedications, ceremonies, and civic celebrations. Linda’s presence as Batavia’s First Lady has been a source of continuity, kindness, and enthusiasm for four decades.

“It’s been 40 years of attending events, showing up, supporting, clapping, and cheering this community on,” Linda reflected. “Being First Lady of Batavia has been one of the greatest privileges of my life.”

Among Linda’s lasting contributions is the creation of the Batavia Community Band in 2013, which now is a beloved fixture at all major civic events, including Memorial Day, Flag Day, Fourth of July, Veterans Day, Celebration of Lights, Riverwalk concerts, and special performances. After attending many Batavia events, she realized something was missing – music.

She approached former Batavia High School band director John Heath with a simple question: “Would you help me start a band for the city?” Within six weeks, the group performed its first concert at Celebration of Lights.

Today, the band includes nearly 85 musicians over the course of a year, with 50 to 55 performing at any given event. According to nomination letters, “the community band has become a source of pride and joy in our town.”

“The band really has become something magical — an opportunity for people to play for pure joy,” she said. “When we play together, we all feel like we’re back in high school. It makes us feel young again.”

Linda’s passion for history and patriotism is threaded through her community work. She served on the Flag Day Committee to plan the 2016 centennial celebration and was a founding force behind the Fox Valley Patriotic Organization. Alongside Austin Dempsey and Marty Callahan, she helped drive the years-long effort to build the Dr. Bernard Cigrand Flag Day Monument, raising awareness and critical funding for this historic project.

“The Flag Day Monument was a labor of love. It took years, but it was worth every bit of the effort,” she said.

Her patriotic contributions also include longstanding involvement with Batavia’s Fourth of July Fireworks Committee, which raises approximately $40,000 annually to deliver Batavia’s cherished celebration.

Linda is active in the Batavia Women’s Club, where she received the Linnea Miller Service Award in 2023. The award was established in honor of Linnea Miller, a club member and previous Citizen of the Year in 2010.  It is given to a woman from the Fox Valley area that has “dedicated service to her community and has demonstrated a genuine interest in the welfare of others through her work and/or volunteer efforts.”

She is also a faithful member (and current corresponding secretary) of P.E.O. Chapter EA. P.E.O. is a sisterhood of women with a shared mission to motivate, educate and celebrate women. One goal of the philanthropic organization is to provide scholarships for young women, including the annual Ruth Burnham Scholarship at Batavia High School. 

At the state level, Linda serves on the Board of Trustees of the Lincoln Academy of Illinois, helping select recipients of the state’s highest honor, the Order of Lincoln. The prestigious organization also supports the Student Laureate program, which honors outstanding seniors from Illinois colleges and universities, recognizing their academic and extracurricular achievements. The Student Laureate program takes place at the Old State Capitol. 

“Working with the Lincoln Academy is inspiring; honoring outstanding leaders and young people gives me hope for the future,” commented Linda. 

Both awards are tied to the values of Abraham Lincoln, recognizing those who demonstrate leadership and a desire to make a difference in the world through civic engagement.

Linda’s lifelong love of antiques and history led her to found Lindy’s, her antiques business after she retired. She has and continues to be a vendor at several regional antique centers, including Red Hive in Batavia. Because of her knowledge of vintage and antiques, she is often the person friends call when they want family heirlooms to “find the right home.”

Beyond her volunteering and Lindy’s, she spent 8 years working at K.Hollis Jewelers, Boutique, & Wine Bar as an event coordinator – and enthusiastic “model” during the boutique’s fashion shows. 

Despite decades of accomplishments, Linda remains humble, grounded, and grateful. She often speaks of the privilege of serving, the joy of community music, and the importance of history and tradition.

Her selection as 2025 Citizen of the Year reflects not only her extraordinary contributions, but also her lasting impact on Batavia’s identity, traditions, and spirit.

“This truly is the holiday gift of a lifetime,” Linda acknowledged. “I’ve loved Batavia since the day I arrived — it has been a great privilege to support this community and its residents for 46 years.”

The Batavia Chamber of Commerce announced that the Batavia Woman’s Club (BWC) is this year’s recipient of the Spirit of Batavia Award. Now in its tenth year, the award honors an organization that has made significant contributions to the Batavia community.

The club has been a force for good since its founding in 1892. Originally known as the Woman’s Colombian Club, the group adopted its current name in 1895 and has championed causes that enrich local life ever since. Their initiatives span education and literacy, environmental efforts, family support, and social issues—always with a special focus on the well-being of women and children.

A key element of the club’s service is its remarkable engagement with the community. According to nominators Nan Phillips and Joanne Spitz, “BWC members and leadership always have their ears to the ground to find areas of need. And other organizations and nonprofits know that a call to the BWC for help will bring a fast, enthusiastic, and spirited response.”

Club President Cynthia Kieckhefer expressed deep pride in the organization’s progress and the women who make it thrive. 

“It is so rewarding to see the growth of the club,” commented Cynthia. “We now have 100 women with diverse backgrounds and life experiences, who join forces to improve the lives of people in our community.”

She emphasized the strength of the membership itself. “This club has attracted such decent and generous women. They collaborate to find ways to work together for the common good—while having fun along the way.”

Kieckhefer added that the joy of serving together is felt at every meeting. “It is a rewarding experience for us all to walk into our monthly dinner meetings and feel the good energy. We are so humbled and honored to receive the Spirit of Batavia Award.”

With a smile, she noted one contribution that has also captured the community’s imagination. “I also think our iconic witches dance—which is now going to be a regular feature at Batavia MainStreet’s Batfest—is what probably sealed the deal!”

Information about the Batavia Woman’s Club, including membership and upcoming meetings, is available on their website, bataviawomansclub.org. 

Batavia’s Citizen of the Year, the Spirit of Batavia honoree, and Ole Award (for new building construction or renovation) honorees are to be presented at the annual awards event for the Batavia Chamber of Commerce. Inspire 2026: A Celebration of Those Who Inspire Us! will take place on Thursday, Apr. 23, 2026, at Revelry 675, 675 South River Street in Batavia.

For ticket information, register online at bataviachamber.org/events or contact the Chamber at (630) 879-7134.

Please feel free to reach out to [email protected] with questions or comments.

Not signed up yet? Subscribe here.