Speaker l Strategist l Advocate
April Simpkins
Founder & CEO
Paragon Strategy Partners
“Thirty years of strategy, hundreds of workplaces transformed.”
As a workplace strategist, April helps small businesses transform their culture by aligning people strategies with organizational goals, creating workplaces where employees and performance thrive.
April Simpkins is the Founder and CEO of Paragon Strategy Partners, a leadership development consultancy grounded in a simple truth: leadership decisions directly impact mental health at work. With more than 30 years of HR leadership experience and 18 years running a successful consulting firm, April helps new and emerging leaders lead people with clarity, accountability, and humanity.
She has advised over 1,000 small- to mid-sized businesses across 15+ industries, translating complex people challenges into practical leadership strategies that actually stick. As a speaker and strategist, April focuses on the real pressures leaders face, such as burnout, disengagement, and communication breakdowns, and equips them to create cultures where expectations are clear, trust is built, and mental well-being is not an afterthought but a leadership responsibility.
Awards & Recognition
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2025 - Resilient Leadership Award - Career Mastered
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2024 - Jack Holladay Community Champion Award - NAMI Piedmont Tri-County
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2024 - Distinguished Service Award - Johns Hopkins Medicine - A Woman's Journey
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2024 - Top Movers And Shakers of the Accounting Industry - Visionary HR Leader - MyCPE One
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2022 – 100 Women To KNOW In America – KNOW Women
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2022 - Mental Health Advocate Of The Year - Family. Services of America Corp.
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2021 - President's Award - Women Presidents Organization (WPO)
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2020 – Unsung Hero Award (for Exemplary Leadership in DEI) – Greenville SHRM
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2020 – Women In Business Achievement Award – Charlotte Business Journal
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2018 - Fort Mill, Tega Cay Business Person Of The Year – York County Regional Chamber
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2016 - 50 Most Influential Women Award - Mecklenburg Times
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2016 – Woman of Color Award - Women Presidents Organization (WPO) and 100 Black Men
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2011 – Mover & Shaker Award – Business Leader Magazine
Professional Bio
April Simpkins, SHRM-CP, PHR, CDP
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Founder & CEO - Paragon Strategy Partners
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Founder - Cheslie C. Kryst Foundation
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National Ambassador - NAMI
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Board Member - South Carolina Small Business Development Centers
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Board Member - NAMI Piedmont Tri-County
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Board Member - York County Natural Gas
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Member - Duke Energy Advisory Council (Upstate, SC)
