Jill Applebee is the Village Administrator for the Village of Forsyth, where she brings a passion for building strong, vibrant communities. Her previous experience includes roles with the Decatur Parks Foundation and United Way, where she focused on development and community engagement. Jill holds a Master’s in Public Administration and a Certificate in Fundraising Management. She is driven by a commitment to make Forsyth a great place to live, work, and play. Outside of work, Jill and her husband Phil—Athletic Director at Maroa-Forsyth High School—are proud parents of three boys.

Ryan Aupperle is an owner, farm manager and real estate broker at Heartland Ag Group, Ltd. Heartland manages farmland for absentee landowners and provides real estate brokerage, appraisal and consulting services. Ryan is a graduate of the University of Illinois and resides outside of Maroa with his wife, Rachel and two kids. CEO is a unique opportunity to give back to the community and expose students to a wide variety of businesses in our area.

Katherine is originally from a farm in Kentucky. After graduating with a degree in Economics from the University of Kentucky, she made her way to central Illinois in 2006 to work as a commodities trader for ADM. Since leaving ADM, she has lived in Ohio, southern Illinois and most recently Bucharest, Romania. Katherine and her family returned from Europe and settled outside Warrensburg. Her two children attend Warrensbug-Latham Elementary.

Angi Carter, is a Vice President of Lending for Farm Credit IL servicing Moultrie, Macon and DeWitt counties. She manages a $90 Mil + portfolio of farmers and agricultural investors. She is a graduate of Southern Illinois University and resides in rural DeWitt with her husband, Jud and 2 children. She has lived the majority of her life in DeWitt county.

Brian Waddell is Director of Sales & Procurement for the HarBrand Company, which includes MARCO N.P.K. Inc., a wholesale plant nutrition manufacturing business located in Clinton, Illinois. HarBrand is a founding member of Central Illinois CEO and supports the positive impact that the program provides to students in our local communities. Brian has over 27 years of experience in the agribusiness industry and has been with the HarBrand Company since 2009. He is a graduate of Illinois State University, and he and his wife Jill reside in Normal, Illinois with their three children: Addilyn, Clara, and Charlie.

Mrs. Cheryl Warner serves as Superintendent of Warrensburg-Latham CUSD #11. Previous roles in education include: Mt. Zion High School Principal, McGaughey Elementary Principal, Special Education Administrator for Macon Piatt Special Education Cooperative, Assistant Professor at Eastern Illinois University in the Department of Secondary Education and Foundations, and Special Education Teacher at Mattoon High School. She earned her Superintendent license, Master's and Bachelor's Degrees as well as her Reading Specialist from Eastern Illinois University. Her educational areas of expertise include working with at-risk students, curriculum and assessment development, differentiated instruction, and developing tiers of intervention and enrichment for students. Mrs. Warner is married and she and her husband have two daughters.