Born and raised in the Kansas City metropolitan area, April attended the historic Lincoln College Preparatory Academy. Her parents are retired educators, and their lifelong dedication to the teaching profession nurtured and prepared April to pursue her career in education. April chose to run for school board because she believes in strong public education and has a passion for the next generation of emerging leaders in Shawnee Mission School District and beyond. 

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April has over 20 years of experience in academia and advanced technologies as a global keynote speaker, thought leader, and advisor on emerging trends and the future workforce. She is a professor of Cybersecurity, Computer Information Systems, and Health Information Management at the University of Saint Mary. 

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April serves as President of Cyber XR Coalition, where she leads a global network of organizations seeking to address social and technical biases. She serves as Global Diversity & Inclusion Advisor for XR Safety Initiative, leading the strategic implementation of global initiatives to establish baseline standards and discover novel cyber attacks in emerging technologies. She has strategically executed customized initiatives, programs, and events for organizations to meet their diversity and inclusion objectives while collaborating with urban communities for technology-based workforce development. 

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As the principal consultant for The STEM Broker; a training and consulting firm, April seeks to empower girls, women, and minorities to advance in science, technology, engineering, and math careers. She is the 2018 Educator of the Year award recipient from the International Consortium of Minority Cybersecurity Professionals (ICMP). 

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April serves on a number of civic and charitable boards and is an active member of Lenexa, KS Rotary Club. 

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April is the proud mother of three children, who all have STEM career aspirations in the fields of cybersecurity, behavior analysis, and aeronautics.