Name
Abbie Benfield
Age
37
Company/Organization
Berrien RESA
What Does Your Company/Organization Do?
RESA stands for Regional Education Service Agency, sometimes called an Intermediate School District or ISD. We provide services to local school districts to improve education outcomes for students and support the overall success of the education system.
Education
BA English Secondary Education-Indiana University MA Educational Leadership -Western Michigan University
Accomplishments
My greatest personal accomplishment is my family. Any professional success I have had has been a result of collaborating with others, including our phenomenal Berrien County School Districts. All of our work my department does at RESA is invitational, so every opportunity to collaborate with our schools is truly an honor. I am proud of the work The Whole Child Collaborative has done in partnership with Corewell Health and dozens of Berren Community organizations to better support our school communities. I am also thrilled to support the work of the Whole Child Student Advisory. These students in Berrien County have advocated for themselves and their peers in the hopes to improve and celebrate the school experience. Some have even completed projects of their choice to improve their schools like a garden, calming rooms, outside learning environments, and much more! I am excited to see what other future groups of students will go on to accomplish next. Recently my colleague Ashlee Offord (Corewell Health) and I were awarded the Bonnie and Paul Liabenow Champions for Children Award for the work we do with the Whole Child Collaborative, presented by the MEMSPA Foundation.
What else do you hope to accomplish by the age of 40?
My goals are broad and evolving. I aim to continue serving where I’m called, advocate for others, and reconnect with writing—both personally and professionally.
Current City
Granger, IN
Place You Were Born
Milford, Connecticut
What was your first job?
I worked at Eddie Bauer as a sales associate in high school.
What’s the best advice you ever got?
Two pieces of advice I often reflect on: Failure is a part of success—if you’re willing to learn from it. Life isn’t guaranteed. Make the most of each day, love others fully, and don’t wait to pursue what truly matters to you.
Who inspires you most?
Students and young people inspire me every day to work toward creating a better future for them. As adults, we share a collective responsibility to support and care for our youth—and to leave the world better than we found it.
That one thing about you we’d be most surprised to learn.
I really thought I was going to have a career as a meteorologist. Weather fascinates me, however, I quickly learned the extremely early wake-up calls were not for me.
What do you love to do in your downtime?
I love to be outside, go to the beach, spend time with my family, exercise, cross-country ski, play pickleball, and read.
What book are you reading now?
I just finished the book Careless People by Sarah Wynn-Williams and it was a very powerful read. I highly recommend it.
Volunteer activity you love the most.
Anything that helps our students! There are so many great ways to get involved to support our local school districts. If you are not sure how to get involved and would like to, check out the Berrien Community Foundation and United Way Southwest Michigan.
What motivates you to give back to your community?
I believe everyone deserves a quality life where they can thrive, not just survive. The relationships and interactions I’ve built continually inspire me to support those outcomes for our community.
What Superpower would you most love to have?
I would love the ability to heal others physically and/or mentally.
What would you like to leave behind as your legacy once you are gone?
The legacy I would like to leave behind is love and empathy. At the end of the day, everyone can make a difference in their communities and in the world by loving others.
What does the honor of being named to the 40 Under 40 most mean to you?
It’s an honor to be recognized alongside such outstanding professionals and changemakers in Berrien County. I’m grateful to work for an incredible organization that has genuinely invested in and believed in me. Supporting the exceptional educators and students of Berrien County is a true privilege, and this recognition inspires me to continue serving others with even greater purpose.
