Nathan Potts is a CPA at Patton & Company, PC in Hillsboro. Prior to Patton & Company, he was a senior associate at PriceWaterhouseCoopers in Peoria, Illinois with a focus in auditing. Nathan is a 2018 graduate of Greenville University with a degree in Accounting and Business Management. While at Greenville, Nathan exceled in the classroom and on the track. He graduated magna cum laude honors and five-time NCCAA national champion. In addition to Montgomery CEO, Nathan fills his spare time as a part-time coach for Greenville University’s cross country and track teams and is the treasurer for The Coop, a nonprofit shared workspace and business incubator set to open in Hillsboro in Fall of 2021. Nathan currently resides in downtown Hillsboro.

Patrick Ward is a Vice President at Bank of Hillsboro. He has been with the bank for 6 years and serves as the bank’s Controller and Default Manager. Prior to his time at the bank he worked for the Illinois Department of Revenue as a tax specialist. Patrick graduated from Iowa State University with Bachelor’s in Accounting in 2011 and moved to Hillsboro shortly thereafter. He currently lives in Hillsboro with his wife and two kids.

Hope is the Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Grant Services for the Hillsboro School District. After graduating from SIUE with a degree in elementary education, she began her teaching career in 2008 at Beckemeyer Elementary School. In 2019, she moved to her current administrative role where she has worked to expand dual credit and CTE opportunities to students in Montgomery County. She is a proud graduate of the Hillsboro School District and currently resides in Hillsboro with her husband and two children.

Born and raised on a grain and Livestock farm in Raymond, IL. Graduated from Lincolnwood High school and then the University of IL in Agriculture Economics. I worked for Aldi Foods as a District Manager for 10 years before returning to Montgomery County. I was the director at Fusion Fitness and Aquatics for 10 years. I currently work for Country Financial in Hillsboro IL where I reside with my husband and 3 girls.

Patty Clarke is a native of Montgomery County, growing up in the rural Waggoner area. She graduated from Lincolnland Community College and Eastern Illinois University. After working for the FDIC for 10 years, she joined the First National Bank of Raymond and has served in various capacities for 33 years, concluding as the President and C.E.O. Patty retired from active management of the bank and remains on the Board of Directors as Chairman. Patty is involved in many organizations in the Panhandle area including the Farmersville/Waggoner Athletic Association, Irish Days Association, Waggoner Centennial Players, St Mary’s Church, Raymond-Harvel Community Fund, TEAM Committee, and the Panhandle Educational Foundation. On the county level, Patty has served on various committees and Board of the Hillsoboro Area Hospital and Foundation; plus serving on various County Economic Development Boards and Committees. She has served on several Boards with the Community Bankers Association of Illinois and has served on the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis Board of Directors for six years.

Katie is the Vice President of Human Resources at Hillsboro Health. In 2010, she completed her Master of Arts in Accountancy degree at UIS. For the past 20 plus years, she has worked in a variety of healthcare roles including retail, continuing education, billing and medical records, accounting, and management. She is a graduate of Hillsboro High School and resides in Hillsboro with her husband and two girls.

I have been in education over 20 years, including 13 years as a 7th and 8th grade ELA teacher in Staunton, 2 years as Assistant Principal of Staunton PreK-8, 5 years as principal of Pana Junior High, and 3 years principal of Litchfield High School. During my time here at LHS, I developed a passion for CTE and innovation, and that has developed into my transition for this school year, Director of CTE and South Central Innovation Center for the Litchfield School District.

Claire Eskew is currently the marketing director at MarkNet Alliance. An alumnus of Hillsboro High School, Claire has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign where she studied communications and journalism. Claire has worked in corporate communications, marketing and advertising for over 20 years. She has experience as an event director, account executive and project manager. She has worked with the Hillsboro Area Health Foundation during the past five years on the Valentine Gala to raise funds for health initiatives in the area. In her free time, Claire volunteers for and supports animal rescue groups and shelters, including Montgomery County Animal Control in Hillsboro.

Mike Fleming is the President & CEO of the Litchfield National Bank. He has been with the bank since 1981. He is a graduate of Lincoln Land Community College and Eastern Illinois University. He has served in several management functions of banking including compliance and lending. He has served his hometown of Litchfield as a volunteer in numinous capacity, most notably as a past President of the Litchfield Chamber of Commerce, the Litchfield Rotary Club and most recently as a member of the Litchfield Board of Education. He lives in Litchfield with his wife, they have 3 daughters currently attending college and are active members of Holy Family Parish in Litchfield.

My name is Jodi Reynolds and I live in rural Nokomis. I’m married to Kris Reynolds and together we are the parents to four boys; Kaden, Kolin, Kyle and Konnor. We reside on our family farm where we farm 800 +/- acres of corn and beans. I’m an active member of Trinity Lutheran Church of Nokomis, 4H Starr Shooters Club and a board member of Cross Over Ministries. I’ve worked in the auction industry for the past 18 years in many different positions including assistant to the president, shipping manager, Chief Operations Officer and now project manager. This industry has given me many opportunities to learn entrepreneurial skills while on the job that I may not have learned in a classroom setting. I spend my free time raising awareness for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention by fundraising and co-ordinating events in our community. I have a passion for all things travel and I’m ready to jump at the opportunity to visit a new destination when I can. I look forward to being part of Midland Institute and Montgomery CEO’s team in teaching the future generations of entrepreneurs. Together we will build their “Life Tool Box” skills.