The 2024 Regional Partner of the Year is Sage from Thousand Oaks, California. 

Sage, a global academic publisher of books, journals and library resources, is committed to making sure each speller has a unique, positive experience. Sage’s division, Corwin, is committed to K–12 education, and sponsoring the local spelling bee is aligned with the company’s purpose and values. When Sage took over as the regional partner in 2017, Sage and the Bee team created a vision for what they wanted the regional bee to represent.

Ana Rubio, manager, corporate events and community relations at Sage, has described how much the Bee means by expressing, “we put our hearts into this event each year, and it is truly a labor of love for all of us involved at Sage.”

“We’re already looking ahead to next year, how we can help our spellers even more,” says Julie Lopez, one of the coordinators for the Sage Ventura County Spelling Bee. The spelling bee holds a special place in Lopez’s heart as she has worked with the county spelling bee for 14 years through her prior employer before Sage became the sponsor.