April Angermeier
she/they
April believes in the power of community and centering the voices and experiences of the most marginalized people in society. “With the way our systems are set up, it’s really common to lose sight of the people you are supposed to be serving.” She hopes to see more transformative models of justice being used in the community over time and commits to working toward this goal in her work.
April has worked in the public and nonprofit arena for over a decade. She started her career with the Access to Recovery (now Recovery Works) program at the Indiana Division of Mental Health and Addiction, a multi-million-dollar grant originally awarded to the state to provide treatment and recovery supports to individuals in eleven of Indiana’s most populated counties. April originally joined the Community Solutions team in 2015 and provided clients with project management and technical assistance.
In 2018 April transitioned to The Bail Project and served as the national Training Manager, working with a team of trainers to develop onboarding and training protocols for staff at nearly 20 sites across the country. April returned to Community Solutions in 2020 and serves as the Vice President of Operations. April holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a Master’s degree in Public Affairs, both from Indiana University.
Why are you passionate about what you do at Community Solutions?
In my view, the work we do at Community Solutions is in service of a more equitable world. I love that we refuse to accept the status quo and try to actively change the social and systemic conditions that lead to inequity. We approach every issue/client/project with a fresh lens, while also tapping into knowledge that we’ve gained over our collective years of doing this work. I appreciate our ability to take complex issues and break them down into more manageable pieces that are approachable and actionable. I choose to do this work because I want to do meaningful and impactful work that facilitates my personal growth and the growth of the people around me.
What inspires you?
So many things inspire me, but when I look at the throughline, it seems to be growth/change/evolution that inspire me most. You see it in nature, in people, in community. We live in a challenging world at a challenging time, so for me it’s important to observe and really acknowledge moments of positive change while also staying focused on the work.
If you could offer advice to a younger version of yourself, what would you say?
I’d have so much to say to my younger self! I’d definitely encourage my younger self to stop trying to grow up so fast and just enjoy the journey. I’d encourage my younger self to explore, to travel, to play, to read, to try new foods, to build friendships and get to know people that are not like you.