We are pleased to announce that Jacque Ballent, MBA, marketing and special projects facilitator at Frisco ISD in Texas, has been named the recipient of the 2026 SchoolCEO Excellence in School Marketing Award! The winner was announced at our annual SchoolCEO Conference in Dallas, Texas.

After joining the district in July 2024, Ballent helped launch Access Frisco, an open enrollment initiative that brought in 276 new students in its first year and 930 in its second. With more than 1,200 out-of-district transfers to date, the program has had a multimillion-dollar annual revenue impact. When the district introduced tuition-based pre-K in September 2025, she built and launched the promotional campaign in just two weeks. The program enrolled 146 students within weeks, generated more than $750,000 in projected annual tuition revenue, and won a Golden Achievement Award from the National School Public Relations Association. The 2026–27 campaign drew 1,183 applications in its first 14 days, and the program is expected to grow to more than 1,900 students. 

“Jacque’s work is the gold standard for school marketing,” says Frisco ISD’s Director of Communications Korinna Kirchhoff, who nominated Ballent for this award. “She has turned a stagnating enrollment trend into a sustainable, scalable pipeline. She isn’t just filling seats, she is securing the district’s financial future—all while ensuring hundreds of families find their home in Frisco ISD."

Three other finalists for the award were also honored:

• Cristina Capretta, APR (Director of Marketing and Community Relations, Berea City School District, OH)

• Brittany Cowan (Director of Marketing, Denver Public Schools, CO)

• Skyler Hefley (Director of Communications, Longview ISD, TX)

Full stories on all four finalists will appear in print and online in the forthcoming Fall 2026 issue of SchoolCEO Magazine.