Meet Our Board of Directors

School Counselor at Charleston High School

Courtney Conlin is the Event Coordinator of the Eastern Illinois Education for Employment System 340 (EIEFES).  She started her own business out of her living room and eventually opened a brick-and-mortar storefront in Charleston.  Her business was the first boutique in the area to launch their app.  After serving as a ClassE Mentor and being a site for ClassE tours, Courtney became part of the ClassE Board.

Even though Courtney still has a passion for fashion, she has enjoyed returning to her education roots at EIEFES.  Promoting career and technical education (CTE) for high school students in our region has been exciting. She is an active member on several advisory boards prom

Heather Kuykendall is an accounting professional with over 24 years of experience in
governmental and public accounting. Having passed the Certified Public Accountant exam in November
2000, she has experience in auditing, taxation, pension plan administration, financial reporting, budgeting, forecasting, and cash management. Heather is a proud graduate of Eastern Illinois University
with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting.

Heather grew up and resides in Charleston with her husband, Jim, and twin sons Alex and Andrew. She
has served on numerous boards and committees including more recently Charleston CAN Infrastructure
and Beautification Committee, Hedwig Haus of Hospitality, Class E Board of Directors, Charleston
Police Pension Fund, and Charleston Fire Pension Fund.

Jason serves as President and Chief Legal Officer of Melvin Management Company (MMC), where he is responsible for oversight of the Management Company and the businesses that fall under it, including Rural King Realty, Midwest Jet Charter, RK Foundation & charitable endeavors, and other investments. MMC also works closely with and serves Rural King, and Jason serves on the board for Rural King.

Kristen works at Washington Savings Bank as a credit analyst.

Laura Sullivan is the Director of the Eastern Illinois Education for Employment System 340. She has a Masters in School Business and a Specialist Degree in Education.  She serves on several local and state advisory boards geared toward improving Career and Technical Education. 

Having worked in education for over 19 years, Laura’s passions include creating opportunities for students, growing career awareness, and helping students achieve their goals. Her work in Career and Technical Education assists students and educators in 25 area school districts.