Linda Noell

I've been in my field for 30 plus years, starting as a homeschooling mom when my husband and I became missionaries in the 70s. We traveled with our children through different countries, and as we grew in our mission work, we started running mission schools in different places. The last one was in Puerto Rico where my husband was the lead director and I worked in training other teachers. I didn't actually graduate from college until after my youngest daughter was in early college high school. I decided to go back to school and got my associate's first, and then my business degree in Business Administration from Wayland Baptist University. We actually walked at the same time. I have my own Down syndrome daughter, and as she aged out of public school, there wasn't really anything here in the community for her. A few close friends suggested I start something, and even though I'd never started anything before, I did. I've been in this particular position for 4 years now. In this past year, having hired the right people has made my job a lot easier. I have a great team of 4 employees that work well together. This is the first year I've had 4 employees. I'm moving out of the direct classroom overseeing role and into more of a CEO position, expanding the program. I don't spend a lot of time in the classroom - I'm more just overseeing and administrating. We're a non-profit, so I'm looking for money and developing sponsorships, working on finding more support, meeting with parents, meeting with businesses, finding more space, and working on developing the program. I have 10 kids, so family time is a priority, along with daily exercise, church, and Bible study group.