When April Pinch-Keeler was 10 years old she sat next to a deaf student who was struggling academically and ridiculed by her peers. April began assisting her and writing notes home to her mother who soon requested a meeting with this new teacher’s aide. Surprised and impressed when the young student arrived, she invited April to work in her after-school reading program. April volunteered there after school and summers until age 17 when she assumed management. The Council for Exceptional Children recognized her leadership skills and supported her as she broadened her vision to include a customized Special Olympics event for her local school system. She has been managing and directing services for people with disabilities for more than 20 years. Her passion for service was honed before she even graduated high school and led her to complete a master’s certificate program in research development and independent living.
April Pinch-Keeler has been with MVLE, Inc. for 17 years and is the President and CEO. MVLE is an internationally accredited agency providing daily work opportunities and rehabilitation services to over 630 adults with disabilities in more than 200 metro area organizations. April has provided overall supervision and direction of the agency’s services, programs, and legislative initiatives since 2007, and has established it as a competitive leader in the field with profits growing from 5.6 million to 14 million. She has also forged a U.S. Department of Defense mentor-protégé agreement with Northrop Grumman to help develop their infrastructure and federal contracts to provide employment opportunities for people with disabilities.
Former Speaker of the House and General Chairman of American Solutions, Newt Gingrich, recently honored her as American Solutions’ 2009 Entrepreneur of the Year from Virginia for “advancing real solutions to help create more jobs and get our economy moving again.” MVLE received the Greater Springfield Chamber's 2010 Corporate Citizen Award and April was named Woman of The Year by the National Association of Professional Women.
One of her proudest achievements was being named Elon University’s Hometown Hero in 2008 for her years of service and advocacy. She now provides internship opportunities at MVLE for their Leadership Fellows Group. She also mentors from within by encouraging all of her managers to move into director and vice president positions, and is currently developing a middle management curriculum to further employee development. ?
She advises her interns and young professionals to gain as much experience as possible and to gather letters of support and recommendation along the way for a competitive edge.
"Experience matters most. As you acquire this experience “pay it forward” and help anyone you can, every time you can. These seemingly random acts of advocacy and assistance change my life as much as those I serve. When my children were young I taught Sunday school for several years. Now these kids are graduating and they still talk to me about some of our lessons. Advocacy isn’t just a job; it’s a way of life."
Despite remarkable growth and countless awards, April has a bigger vision for MVLE. She is building sustainability through new business initiatives like Good Scents™ and forging new partnerships to diversify revenues. She also has a bigger vision for the people she has served for over twenty years; as Legislative Chair for vaACCSES she intends to keep public policy in the forefront to assert their civil right to employment and services.
Pushing public policy issues forward on behalf of those with disabilities is bigger than MVLE; this is a community we must serve.
