Posted: July 9, 2025
Tony Pieper
Tony Pieper is one of the recipients of the 2025 Iowa Service Award. Tony has been a long-time member of both the Hardy Reading Council and the Iowa Reading Association. He has also remained a member of the International Literacy Association. Tony has served as a regional director for the Central Region of the Iowa Reading Association. He has also served two different terms as the Iowa Reading Association president. In his years as a member of the Hardy Reading Council, he has served in various offices. Tony is a great leader as he is always willing to do anything needed to make our organization what it is today. He truly wants everyone to be as excited about reading and writing as he has been during his teaching years. Tony wants other teachers to be aware of the upcoming trends in reading and help move Hardy into that direction as well.
It gave Hardy Reading great pleasure to see one of their own, Tony, work with the state board to put on excellent Summer State Reading Conferences! We were also honored to help Tony with his conference in 2013 and watch him lead the Iowa Reading Council for many years. He manages his time well between being a volunteer on many committees, as well as teaching his students successfully.
Tony shares his passion about reading and writing with his students and the adults around him and pushes each student to their full potential. He has the same influence and dedication to this organization. As the president of the Iowa Reading Association, Tony has led with deep understanding of the mission and philosophy of the association. He is patient and kind. He has respect for others involved as leaders in the association and is able to help the board work through major issues and topics. Tony has always looked to the future and encourages the board to be willing to try new things. He is level-headed, well-versed in leadership skills, which he has used to lead our state association through the years.
Julie Anderson
Julie Anderson is also a recipient of the Iowa Reading Service Award. She is a worthy candidate that represents SERVICE on so many levels.
As a former educator, she was a well-loved teacher, always seeking new strategies to teach reading, always looking for new books to engage her young readers. Mrs. Anderson has attended a number of state conferences and taken the information learned back to her classroom. The many second graders she had the opportunity to teach were the winners from this act of service.
Mrs. Anderson has been a very active member of the Northwest Iowa Reading Association, serving in several offices. She is an advocate for membership, stressing the importance of professionalism. Julie is an organizer and wants her fellow colleagues to be successful. Her smile, willingness to host meetings and reliability are welcome assets to her local council. When prior leadership gave up, Julie wanted to continue with the council. It is gaining momentum and with her leadership, showing educators and administrators in Northwest Iowa the need for a literacy community.
Julie supports members in various ways. Each year she organizes a booth at the state conference where passers-by are welcomed to visit about the many roles the Iowa Reading Association plays. Julie is a re”tired” educator, but she hasn’t “tired” of the leadership role she holds with the Iowa Reading Association. Her service to the organization has brought many to know the various ways Iowa Reading is vital to those that belong.
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