Lee County CEO program now earns college credit

LEE COUNTY -  The Lee County CEO Board is excited to announce that beginning with the second year of the program for the 2025–2026 academic year, student participation will now qualify for dual enrollment credit through Southeastern Community College.
In light of this exciting development, the Board has voted to reopen the application period starting July 2 through July 28 to allow additional students the opportunity to participate this fall. The required reference portion of the application will be due by Aug. 1. 
“As a board, we felt that the ability to offer college credit for participating in Lee County CEO matched the participant’s exposure to this type of high level experiential learning,” Dr. Kathy Dinger, Keokuk Community School District superintendent, said. “
Selected students will be notified by Aug. 8 and will attend a student/parent orientation on Aug. 11.
Lee County CEO provides Central Lee High School, Fort Madison High School, Holy Trinity Senior High School and Keokuk High School juniors and seniors in Lee County with real-world experience in entrepreneurship, leadership and career development. With the addition of dual credit, students can now gain valuable college-level experience while engaging directly with business leaders across Lee County. This decision aims to accommodate students who may have previously opted for courses offering college credit and would now like to be considered for CEO under the new dual enrollment opportunity.
The program in Lee County was the first in the state of Iowa and kicked off in August 2024 with 10 students who were accepted through a blind application process to participate together from the four high schools in the county. The program’s facilitator is Keokuk native Kaci DeSpain and the board is composed of a variety of members that work in Lee County, including those in education, business and economic development.
In the program’s first class, three students from Lee County competed in the CEO regional pitch competition in Carthage in April, and Ethan Huffman, a Fort Madison, finished in second place and later was honored with an honorable mention at the national level with Midland for the 30-second video pitch of guitar lesson business that he submitted with more than 450 other students. At the national level there are 75 programs in 10 states that include 350 high schools and only eighteen received awards and 12 received honorable mentions.
Within the program, students explored and discovered new skills, as well as participated in the real-world learning activities. Students also met with community leaders, were exposed to more than 100 guest speakers, and provided mentors that coached the students through the process of starting and running real businesses of their own, which culminated in a trade show this spring. 

“Through participating in the CEO program, I was able to gain more confidence,” Brianna Six, a Fort Madison High School student and Lee County CEO participant, said. And Central Lee student William Kempker agreed and said that “one of the biggest things I have gained from the CEO program is confidence.”
Lee County CEO program first-year participant stats from Fall to Spring:
• Sense of Community Belonging: Grew from less than 50% to 100%
• Belief that the community invests in them and their potential: Grew from about 57% to about 83%
• Can see existing opportunities in Lee County: Grew from about 56% to 100%
After completing the program this year the Lee County participants completed a survey and 60 percent said they became more confident in communicating with others and expanded the comfort zones. Participants also stated they learned about the Lee County community, became more self aware of their strengths and challenges, owned their successes and failures, and developed their curiosity and desire to learn. Several students also intend to register the businesses they created in class with the state to continue after the program.
“I believe the personal development [I experienced] was the most important, because I can use those skills forever, while the business may only serve me for a few years,” one Lee County CEO participant stated in the survey.
The new application window is open from July 2 through July 28, 2025. For more information or as a Lee County junior or senior interested in applying to the Lee County CEO Program, go to leecountyceo.com.