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. 

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. 

Lisa has been the school counselor at Nokomis Jr/Sr High School since 2016. She lives in rural Nokomis with her husband, Dan, and their 3 boys. 

  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. 

For the past eight years, Caleb Kirkpatrick has been dedicated to supporting students as the school counselor at Lincolnwood Jr./Sr. High School in Raymond. He earned his Master’s Degree in Human Development Counseling from the University of Illinois Springfield. Raised in Pawnee, Illinois, Caleb currently resides in Farmersville with his wife, Meghan, and their two daughters, Nora and Maren.

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.  

Jamie serves as the Director at the South Central Illinois Regional Workforce Training & Innovation Center and the CTE Director for Litchfield CUSD #12 where he lead initiatives to provide hands-on career and technical training to high school students across nine neighboring school districts. His passion lies in bridging education and industry to prepare the next generation for meaningful career pathways.

Prior to his current role, he spent years shaping business education as a Business & Technology Teacher and District Technology Coordinator for Edgar County CUSD #6 (Chrisman Jr./Sr. High School). During his time at Chrisman, he developed and taught over 10 business courses for grades 8–12, while taking on multiple leadership roles including Yearbook Adviser, FBLA Adviser, Class Sponsor, and Assistant Track Coach. Beyond the classroom, he is deeply committed to advocating for business educators across Illinois. He currently serves as the Board Secretary for the Illinois Business Education Association (IBEA) and previously served as Vice President of the Eastern Illinois Business Education Association (EIBEA) from 2022 to 2025.