*

Diana Heeb Bivona is currently the Lead Faculty of Business for Lincoln College’s MacKinnon School of Business.  Diana worked in the private sector for over twenty years in a variety of fields within the retail, non-profit, medical education, legal, insurance, and executive recruiting industries. Before entering the academic sector full-time, Diana operated her own business, working as an international management consultant specializing in emerging and developing markets.  She is the co-author of the book, Managerial Forensics and the author of the article International Financial Institutions (IFIs): Facilitators or Obstructionists to Globalization?  As an entrepreneur and educator that believes young people should have more than just college as an option, she saw the value and opportunities that the Land of Lincoln CEO program provided and was honored to become a part of it.   She and her husband Joe are the proud parents of Gianna and Gage.

Bridget Schneider is CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ Professional with Level Four® Wealth Management to Connections Financial Advisors in Lincoln. Her focus is retirement planning and she has several years of experience advising small business owners regarding retirement plan benefit options. In addition to a focus on the future retirement needs of families and individuals, she assists with income distribution planning during retirement, estate planning, and insurance needs. She is a University of Illinois graduate and lives in rural Logan County. Bridget’s interest in the Land of Lincoln CEO stems from a desire to help the youth in our community succeed financially.

JenniferKeithis aretiredhighschoolEnglishteacher/technology coordinator/forensics coach/theatre director and current doctoral student in Educational Leadership and LCHS board member. In her free time, she writes online curriculum, teaches professional development and continuing education around the nation (including for Heartland Community College) and owns her own consulting firm - Keith Technology & Educational Consulting. She is married to her incredibly lucky husband and is the hilarious mother of 2 amazing daughters. Despite hardships, humor has and always will be her saving grace. She is currently finishing her Certified Humor Professional training and is the creator of Gaining Resilience In Teens, a program to help teens and tweens learn positive self-care to avoid negative responses to stress and trauma.

I have spent the majority of my working life as an entrepreneur in the automotive field.  As the CEO/GM of two dealerships I have enjoyed the challenges of the daily operations of these sales and service businesses.  The CEO program captured my attention from attending the trade show, were the current students present their individual businesses.  I needed to get involved.  Fortunately there was room for me and I jumped at the chance to join these young adults in their quest for business knowledge.  I reside in Lincoln with my wife (and business partner) Barb.  We are  the proud parents of Kate, age 24, who lives and works in Chicago.

April Doolin is the Managing Partner at Integrity Holdings. She has been an active part of binging CEO to Lincoln from the beginning. April feels that the CEO program is a unique opportunity to give local students hands-on experience in business while providing them with a support network of experienced business people in their own community. She resides in Lincoln with her husband, Patrick, and their four children.

I am a school counselor at Lincoln Community High School and serve as the secretary for the CEO Board of Directors. I have spent over half my years in education working as a business teacher in local high schools. This in combination with my experience as a school counselor provides me the opportunity to see how the CEO class can benefit our students and community. Hands on experiences have a profound effect on student learning, which makes for an awesome experience for our students!

Kristi Powell is the Associate Director of the Heartland Community College Lincoln Center and has worked for Heartland for the past 20 years. Kristi lives in Lincoln with her husband, Deron and is the mother of four children. Over the years, Kristi has been on the Chamber of Commerce Board, the Tourism Board and various committees targeting Leadership, Workforce Development and Education in Logan County. Kristi is passionate about creating opportunities for the students of her community.

Lisa Steve is beginning her third year as a school counselor and volleyball coach for Olympia High School. Lisa graduated with a B.A. in Psychology from Ashford University in 2010 and her M.S. in Counseling from Eastern Illinois University in 2013. Lisa was asked to serve on the board for CEO after Olympia High School decided to join the Land of Lincoln CEO program and offer this unique learning experience to students. Lisa is anxious to see the students develop as the LLCEO year gets started