Dickinson County CEO program tells Committee on Education it teaches students real-world business skills

The Committee on Education heard a presentation from Dickinson County’s Creating Entrepreneurial Opportunities (CEO) program on October 27, 2025, when Brandy Gray, facilitator of the Dickinson County CEO program, described a yearlong, hands-on entrepreneurship course for juniors and seniors that meets from 7:30 to 9 a.m. and awards two high school credits.

Gray told committee members the program brings students to different host businesses in Dickinson County instead of keeping them in a traditional classroom. “We get hosted at different businesses throughout Dickinson County, and, we have different style days where we have workdays at those host sites,” Gray said.

The program, Gray said, asks students to form one class business to raise seed money for individual projects, to develop individual business plans and financial statements during the second semester, and to present at a trade show. “By the end of this year, I’m gonna have my own individual business,” said Abigail Gaston, a student in the program, describing the course’s emphasis on creating a tangible product or service rather than a paper grade.

Why it matters: Committee members pressed on logistics and equity. Representatives asked whether the early start time interferes with home-school travel and whether the program is accessible to students in different school schedules. Gray said the program is coordinated with member high schools so students typically return in time for regular class periods, and that transportation is the family’s responsibility though community funds are available when travel costs would prevent participation.

Program structure and history

Gray traced the CEO idea to a mid-2000s origin: she said the concept began with a teacher-student interaction in 2005 and the first CEO class formed in 2008; an organization identified in the presentation as the Midland Institute provides training, technology tools and back-end support to local CEO programs. Gray said Dickinson County is in its fifth year of running CEO locally and that, overall, “we’re super excited to have over 40 kids through the program” to date.

Gray described local governance: a county-level board of directors made up of a school representative from each of the five county high schools and business investors oversees the program, and standing committees handle investor care, trade-show setup and class-business oversight. She said funding does not come from school districts: “$0 come from the schools. It’s all paid for by the businesses within our communities,” Gray said. The program invites businesses to be either investors (a minimum commitment of $1,000 a year for three years) or “friends of CEO” for smaller contributions.

Curriculum and student experience

Students and alumni told the committee the curriculum focuses on professional habits, networking and practice with business tasks. Kaylee Wybert, a current student, described the daily routine: “We meet from 07:30 in the morning to 9AM, and we’re never in, like, a classroom setting.” Gaston and other students discussed class business projects, mentor meetings with local business leaders, and frequent business visits that they said help them see local career options.

Alumna Grace Merritt, presented via a recorded reel, said the program helped her land leadership roles in college: “CEO has helped me to unlock my potential,” she said. Sydney Fridley, another alumna represented in the presentation, said CEO changed how she viewed her home community: “After CEO, you really get a feel for how the community supports each other,” Fridley said.

Questions from committee members and staff

Committee members focused questions on administration, scale and long-term outcomes. Representative Wolfe asked whether the program is open only to juniors and seniors; Gray said it is a one-year program open to juniors and seniors, and that enrollment is application-driven. She described a student-led recruitment process in which current students present to potential applicants and the board reviews anonymized applications and references.

Representative Steele asked how the early schedule works with different school calendars; Gray said the 7:30–9 a.m. slot is intended to give students two class credit hours before they return to their home schools, and that scheduling requires close coordination with each district. On capacity, Gray said Dickinson County has grown from seven students in an early year to 13 in the current class and that some established programs cap a class at around 18–20 students; she said a community could add multiple class sections if interest grows.

Representatives also asked about equity and financial barriers. Gray said families currently cover transportation, with a parental release for travel, but that the program’s “friends of CEO” fund can cover travel costs when needed so that money does not bar participation.

Local mentors and curriculum supports

Gray named several recurring local presenters who contribute specialized lessons, including Ross Taplin (sales process), Troy Leith (personality profiles) and Kyle Becker (business insurance). She said students meet monthly with business mentors to get one-on-one guidance on business plans and financial statements; one student said her mentor is a local car-dealership owner, Tim Holm.

Board members and lawmakers suggested additional connections — including regional investor networks and foundations — that might expand opportunities for students seeking capital or internships. Representative Stogd still offered to make introductions to potential partners in Kansas City, and Gray said the program would welcome such outreach.

What the committee heard about outcomes

Gray said the program measures student learning with pre- and post-impact surveys and tracks qualitative outcomes such as business knowledge, communication, self-awareness, ownership of successes and failures, community knowledge and professional networks. She said the program keeps informal contact with alumni and that Dickinson County has seen students use CEO connections for internships, summer jobs and college activities, though Gray did not present formal graduation-rate comparisons to nonparticipants.

Committee reaction and next steps

Committee members praised the students’ presentations and asked for contact information on Midland Institute for Entrepreneurship and the Dickinson County program as models for other districts. Gray encouraged other communities to contact Midland Institute, which she said provides a program-playbook and direct assistance for starting CEO in a new community.

The presentation lasted through a question-and-answer period and concluded with committee members thanking the students and program staff. The committee did not take formal action during the presentation.