Red Bud teacher, entrepreneur named instructor of CEO program
<span>In a Friday afternoon news release, Randolph County Economic Development Coordinator Chris Martin formally announced the instructor for the county's inaugural Creating Entrepreneurial Opportunities (CEO) class.</span>
<span>April Nail, a substitute teacher for the Red Bud Community School District and owner of Ready Meals By April, was the selection. </span>
<span>"I think it's going to be new, everyone is going to learn a lot, especially myself," Nail said in an interview with the Herald Tribune. "I think this will open a lot of doors for both men and women with this program. This will be a learning process for all of us."</span>
<span>The CEO class begins this fall for area high school junior and senior students and the 17-member class was revealed at the Regional Leaders Breakfast at the World Shooting and Recreational Complex in Sparta last month.</span>
<span>The class teaches the students the skills they need to start and sustain their own businesses and is supported entirely by businesses and individuals in the community. </span>
<span>"In mid-June, she's going for her (CEO) training in Effingham," said Monroe-Randolph Regional Superintendent of Schools Kelton Davis, who is on the CEO Board. "On July 20, we're going to be doing investor, student and parent orientation. The whole group's going to meet at the WSRC and have dinner there.</span>
<span>"Prior to that, she's going to be connecting with all the students."</span>
<span>Davis said, at least initially, the class's "home base" would be in Red Bud. He added The Material Works Ltd. (TMW) President Kevin Voges has offered his Red Bud facility for use for the class.</span>
<span>"We haven't finalized it, but we anticipate setting up a home base in Red Bud," he said.</span>
<span>Nail is a graduate of SIU-Edwardsville, with a bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education. She was previously a pre-Kindergarten teacher at Immanuel Lutheran School in Okawville and who has been a substitute teacher for the Red Bud district since 2012.</span>
<span>On her resume, Nail lists "high energy and enthusiastic educator" among her skills.</span>
<span>"One, she is an entrepreneurial," said Davis, when asked what stood out about Nail during the selection process. "Secondly, she's a licensed teacher, so we have the best of both worlds.</span>
<span>"The trifecta is she has great communication skills, which mean she will be able to relate to the kids and the businesses in the community."</span>
<span>On the business side, Nail has been operating her own business since 2014. Ready Meals By April makes ready-to-go meals for families to enjoy in their own homes with a new menu weekly.</span>
<span>"My background is in early childhood education and I see this as the same thing in seeing kids grow and develop and develop in the way their brains work," Nail said. "It's learning through discovery and I think these kids will do the exact same thing."</span>
<span>The Randolph County CEO Board consists of Chairman Marc Kiehna, Davis,Jason Coffey, Klay Tiemann, Suzanne Novoselac, Franciene Sabens, Scott Beckley, John Tallman, Chris Martin, Diane Albert and Cole Stenzel.</span>
<span>"We're right on target with the timelines that Midland Institute has for the implementation of these classes," Davis said, mentioning the Midland Institute for Entrepreneurship, which helps communities establish the CEO program. "There is still a lot of work to be done. Our biggest steps beyond the orientation is starting to get those mentors connected with the kids."</span>
<span>"We have to identify folks who are willing to mentor, so we need to reach out to other businesses and entrepreneurs in the community," Davis added. "We're at the stage where we really need to hear from them."</span>