RVC CEO Challenge Raises $79K for Student Scholarships

RVC CEO Challenge Raises $79K for Student Scholarships

• Community
• 05/05/2026

Rock Valley College brought competition, and community impact together for its second annual CEO Challenge, held April 30, 2026, on the college's main campus.

The event welcomed leaders from across the region for an afternoon of friendly competition, all in support of expanding student access to higher education.

Participants representing 20 local organizations traded boardrooms for ballfields as they competed in a series of challenges, including a homerun derby, an Amazing Race-style scavenger hunt, and interactive health sciences activities delivering plenty of excitement and camaraderie.

Participating organizations raised nearly $79,000 in scholarship funding, with each organization establishing a named scholarship to directly support Rock Valley College students. These contributions provide immediate financial relief, helping remove barriers to education while strengthening the region's future workforce. With approximately 85 percent of Rock Valley College graduates remaining in the area, the impact of these benefits local businesses, industries, and the broader community.

"This is a great opportunity for companies in our region to support students while also investing in their future workforce," said Noah Goellner, President of Advanced Machine and Engineering. "These students can go on to become employees who contribute meaningfully to our local economy."

Although the CEO Challenge is quite literally designed to be a fun and games event, what Brittany Freiberg, Chief Development Officer of RVC Foundation loves most is that each participating organization accepted the challenge and chose to make a direct investment in student scholarship and educational access at RVC. "Through their collective generosity, these leaders and organizations donated $79K to support scholarships and each of them now has a named-scholarship in their honor. Our Challenge participants will also have the opportunity to meet their new scholarship recipients in October which helps make the mission behind the event both personal and rewarding for all involved."

At the close of the competition, top honors were awarded to:

• 2026 CEO Challenge Champion: Ryan Adleman, First Mid Bank & Trust
• Second Place: Roger Raley, Waldom
• Third Place: Josh Houghton, UMB
• Best CEO Fan Club: Midland States Bank

Scholarships will be awarded through the Rock Valley College Foundation, with donors set to meet their recipients at the Foundation's Scholarship Luncheon this fall bringing the impact of the CEO Challenge full circle.

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