Austin Brooks is an 8-time Mid America Emmy winner for his work on feature and short length films, an accomplished content producer, strategist, and entrepreneur whose mission is to live the life of a connecter.  

It’s this mission that prompted Austin to sit down with a local entrepreneur, Jack Schultz, over 10 years ago to hear about his business journey. He left, charged with the belief that every student should have that same opportunity. And from that moment, the impetus for the CEO Program was born.

Today, the “kid who sparked the CEO movement” now serves as the Executive Director for the Midland Institute and helps communities across the nation launch their own CEO Programs. Austin is fueled by listening and learning about what business leaders and communities are building for the future. He is passionate about helping communities utilize the CEO Program to set themselves and their young people up for future success in a constantly evolving global marketplace.

Kris was with the Sauk Valley Area Chamber of Commerce since 2014 and served as the Executive Director from 2015-2024. Her responsibilities included implementing the Strategic Plan as developed by the Board of Directors. She was responsible for overseeing 2 staff and over 200 volunteers to develop objectives and implement action to accomplish the Strategic Priorities. Kris used her background in community development and building relationships to promote workforce development strategies between education/students and businesses/employers, advocate for the business community, and fulfill the mission of the SVACC. In 2023 she led the Chamber in receiving a 5 Star Accreditation Status awarded through the United States Chamber of Commerce. In January 2024 She received her (Institute of Organization Management) IOM through the United States Chamber of Commerce.

Prior to the Chamber world, Kris worked as an Adolescent Therapist for LSSI. In addition, for over 35 years, Kris has worked as a consultant in community wellness with an emphasis on positive youth development, community engagement, and strategic planning. She has collaborated with school districts, not-for-profit organizations, service clubs, businesses, preschools, and faith communities on how to make environments more youth friendly and improving youth/adult relationships and partnerships. Kris graduated from Gustavus Adolphus College with a bachelor’s degree in psychology. Kris’ family includes her life partner Max, and two sons: Seiler and Elliot.She enjoys all things sports related- Football, Volleyball, and Softball, baking, traveling, and spending time with family and friends.

“35 Year Journey From Teenage Magician / Entrepreneur To Empowering Young Entrepreneurs Nationwide With The CEO Program”

At the age of six, Chris Egelston became interested in the art of magic. He turned that hobby into an entrepreneurial journey when he performed his first paid professional Magic Show as a 15-year old. Turning his passion into profits led Chris to becoming an ardent and lifelong student of not just magic but also sales, marketing, motivation and other personal and professional development topics.

Chris quickly moved from being a pure Entertainer to becoming a Keynote Speaker and Corporate Trainer who uses his skills as a Corporate Entertainer (magician / mentalist) to make his presentations impactful and memorable. His engaging and interactive programs have audiences laughing and learning at the same time. Some of his presentations include Success Magic and the Magic of Customer Experience.

Along the way, Chris developed a strong passion for teaching high school and college students key life and business success skills. And when Chris first heard about the CEO (Creating Entrepreneurial Opportunities) Program in 2014, he immediately had two thoughts: “I wish I had thought of that” and “I wish I had that program when I was in high school.” Chris began visiting several CEO Classes each year sharing success secrets he’s learned over his lifetime along with some amazing magic.

In 2019, Chris’s passion for helping the next generation collided with an opportunity to join the Midland Institute for Entrepreneurship as their Community Engagement Specialist. In this role, he speaks to audiences around the country about the CEO Program and helps communities that want to embrace this experience for their next generation build their own local programs. He also presents his keynote, “Engaging, Educating and Empowering Emerging Entrepreneurs,” for audiences at Economic Development, Community Foundation, Electric Cooperative, and Education Conferences around the country.

And Chris continues his now side hustle, as an entertainer at banquets, conferences, meetings, parties, receptions and more with his Magicomedy Show, Strolling Magic, Close-Up Magic Show and Emcee / M.C. – Magician of Ceremonies.

Chris earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and his M.B.A. from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. He currently resides in Carterville, Illinois with his wife Robin.

What Anna loves most about CEO, is being a part of opportunity creation for young adults. Anna is excited to participate in a movement to help these young people become more confident and believe in themselves. This opportunity is what drives her daily in her role at the Midland Institute.

Anna serves as the Operations Leader for the Midland Institute, enthusiastically transferring her past experience and taking on her new role in implementing and supporting systems that help CEO programs succeed. Anna values practicing an intuitive approach as she implements and develops operations at the Midland Institute.

Anna graduated from The University of Alabama in 2017 with her Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and Sales. From there, she spent four years working in many different industries, including Sales and Property Management, and living in various locations in the US. Anna received her MBA from LSUS in Entrepreneurship and Small Business. She is an avid traveler and dog lover who is originally from the Effingham, IL area.

Ryan was the Montgomery CEO Facilitator for six years before joining the Midland Institute team. He developed his business and leadership skills in his early career as an executive with Target and then as a pastor for the past twenty years. His ability to inspire change has helped create and revive local businesses and restore an aging church into a community influencer. Ryan has pioneered the FBC Network, a partnering ministry with struggling churches, and recently created a Digital Advertising Business, It’s On the Sign Digital Marketing, to promote local businesses and community groups within surrounding communities. Ryan was awarded the Person of the Year Award by the Nokomis Chamber of Commerce in 2018. 

As a Program Developer, Ryan brings his experience as a creator and connector to the Midland Institute. Ryan believes CEO is akin to compounding interest, “learn now what you will need to know ten years from now. You will be ahead of your peers in everything you do.” Ryan’s experience as a facilitator and community leader will be a valuable resource for facilitators and boards looking to appropriate their resources more efficiently and influence their CEO teams more effectively. Helping young entrepreneurs realize their value in creating value does not only create a business but also creates opportunities to inspire their communities.

An opportunity to travel with Effingham County CEO’s first class was Kristy Sayers introduction to the CEO program. As a Business Educator, the trip provided a unique look into the development of a student driven program and further sparked her passion for creating realistic experiences for students. After six years, the Effingham CEO program expanded to two classes and Kristy joined as an additional facilitator in the fall of 2015. The transformation and growth of the students from August to May was a highlight of facilitating the program.   

As a Program Developer, Kristy brings five years experience as a facilitator in Effingham County CEO and twenty years as a high school Business Educator to the Midland Institute for Entrepreneurship Team.  Kristy is a graduate of Eastern Illinois University with a Bachelors of science in Business Education and a Master of Science in Educational Administration. 

Kristy believes communities with CEO programs provide student development opportunities which in turn gives students a head start towards college and career. Additionally, the future economic development potential is increased when students have an awareness of what their hometown can offer. Kristy looks forward to working with CEO facilitators and community boards to expand the vision of the program. 

Melanie Smith is currently starting her 5th year as facilitator for Union County CEO and is excited to join the Midland team as a Program Cultivator. She and her husband have two daughters who are alumni of the UCCEO program and they have also had a rental business for over 30 years. She feels these different perspectives of CEO as well as her desire to work with people, will be helpful in her role as cultivator.

As an alum of CEO, Nick Smith has always been inspired by the entrepreneurial spirit and the opportunities created by this program. The lessons he learned led him to run his CEO business for five years after graduation, and have proven to be invaluable in his career as a marketer. He has stayed closely connected with the Midland Institute since his graduation from the program in 2014 to give back and help advance the organization's mission - he has appeared on national television representing the program, is regularly involved in speaking to students, and has sat as a judge for the Institute's national pitch competition each year.

Nick works as senior marketing manager at Advantage Capital and contributes his expertise to the Midland Institute on a strategic advisory level - helping to manage donor and executive communications and expand the CEO program to more communities. His work helps inform the Institute's external marketing and communications strategies, from leveraging impactful content to delivering key messages to a wide array of stakeholders.

Nick believes in the power of entrepreneurship education, and that not all learning has to take place in a classroom. He is eager to leverage his expertise to help expand the program to more students nationwide, empowering young people to embark on the same transformative journey that helped get him where he is today.

Rebecca Clayton fell in love with the CEO Program right out of college when she joined the Midland Team as their Development Assistant in 2016.

Even after moving away from the area, she remained passionate about the program, taking the lessons she learned from its approach to learning and growth into new roles with the American Heart Association and, later, the Make a Wish Foundation Texas Gulf Coast and Louisiana.  

In true CEO fashion, she failed her way to her own version of success, and in the summer of 2021, found her perfect-fit job when she decided to pursue freelance writing full-time.  

But her love for CEO has not changed, and she's remained heavily involved with Midland Institute's mission and vision for the CEO Program's growth across the nation. 

Since her first couple of years, Becca's role with MIE has transitioned into communications support for their team. With this support, she brings five years of experience in non-profit work related to donor communications, email campaign development, copywriting, social media, story development, and more. 

What she loves most about CEO is how it empowers young people with tools and a network that will support them as they go after their goals. In her conversations with Alumni, she often hears how CEO showed them what they were capable of, and that is an outcome she looks forward to supporting in her work with MIE each day.

Abby Tolley is an Effingham County native and a 2013 CEO alumnus, so she knows firsthand the transformative power of the CEO program. It was CEO that sparked her interest in the science and art of learning and what launched her into a career path centered around learning, leadership, and designing impactful experiences.

Abby brings experience and expertise in articulating messages, understanding perspectives of various audiences, and strategically planning and managing experiences and programs. Her formal education is in adult learning and organizational change. She began her career at a strategic consulting, marketing and communications agency and was most recently a learning analyst for Vivayic, a custom learning solutions company. At Vivayic, Abby worked closely with clients to develop and fine-tune educational content, ensuring it resonated with diverse learner audiences. This expertise in understanding stakeholder perspectives and tailoring content for specific outcomes directly informs Abby’s approach to communication, where strategic planning and careful message crafting play a central role in driving engagement and inspiring action.