Clay County IL CEO Welcomes New Facilitator

(JACKIE AKERS)

The Clay County IL CEO program has announced Jackie Akers as the new facilitator.

Jackie has taught for North Clay #25 for 17 years. Facilitating the CEO program will allow her to work with students across Clay County. She states, “CEO will provide these students with the opportunity of a lifetime. They will get real-world experiences they can take with them far into the future. I’m excited to see this program develop and grow over the years.”

The CEO program is an accredited entrepreneurship education course available to Seniors from Clay City #10, Flora #35, Full Armor Christian Academy, and North Clay #25 and in the community. The class is never held in school, rather, participants meet five days a week for 90 minutes in local businesses.

Even so, participants do receive school credit for the program.

Throughout the school year, the CEO program takes students out of the classroom and into local businesses, allowing them to meet with community leaders, exposing them to over 100 guest speakers, and providing them with mentors who coach them through the process of starting and running a business.

The role of the CEO facilitator in the program is to facilitate the learning environment that these young people experience and collaborate with the local board to ensure program essentials are being met.

The facilitator encourages program participants to explore, discover and push themselves through the real-world learning activities they are exposed to. Asking questions, supporting curiosity, and encouraging problem solving are at the core of the role as they provide guidance through each participant’s CEO journey.

This individual must also demonstrate a passion for learning and possess an ability to connect with the high-school-aged participants, as well as the community.

Jackie recently completed her facilitator training provided by the Midland Institute for Entrepreneurship, the provider of the CEO Program nationwide, in advance of the 2022-2023 program year.

“We have been working to get this incredible learning opportunity for our students in Clay County for almost 2 years, and it is now ready to begin this fall for this inaugural class of Seniors from our County Schools. We can’t wait to see all the skills and knowledge the students will gain, learn, and contribute to our county through the CEO program, now and for years to come. A BIG Thank you to all of the investors, mentors, guest speakers and contributors for making this possible for our Great students in Clay County! ” - CEO Chairman, Travis Wyatt.

For more information about the local CEO Program, visit the CEO Program website: claycountyilceo.com