The longtime executive director of the Scripps National Spelling Bee is stepping down.

Scripps announced Paige Kimble’s departure on Monday after 22 years in charge of the world’s preeminent spelling competition.

Kimble’s final year on the job ended up being the first year without a bee since 1945. The event was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic. It is normally held in late May at a convention center outside Washington and includes hundreds of spellers from around the country, along with a handful of international competitors. ESPN televises the final rounds of the bee.

Cincinnati-based Scripps has yet to announce plans for next year’s bee, but schools have been holding competitions this fall that serve as the first steps toward qualifying. Kari Wethington, a Scripps spokeswoman, said Monday that “the bee team is planning to host a competition in 2021.”

Like many others with prominent roles in staging the bee, Kimble is a former speller. She won the bee in 1981. A year earlier, she finished second to Jacques Bailly, who is now the bee’s longtime pronouncer.

Kimble began working for Scripps in 1991, shortly after graduating from college, and became executive director in 1998. During her tenure, the national exposure on ESPN and the quirky charisma of the young spellers, who can compete through the eighth grade, have led to increased popularity for the competition.