April Weller Cantrell has lived in Williamson County for 27 years. She is a marketing professional with over two decades of experience in hospitality and tourism, with a passion for history.

She and her husband Mark, along with their four children, settled in Leiper’s Fork in 2001. They are active members of the community and have called Williamson County home since then.

Born and raised in central Kentucky, April is descended from one of the state’s most prominent distilling families. It should come as no surprise that she would find her niche in the whiskey industry!

April found her way into the whiskey industry when she met Lee Kennedy, owner and Master Distiller of Leiper’s Fork Distillery. She was presented as Director of Marketing, Event Planning, and Nose & Taster at this young distillery. In 2019, she was promoted to the General Manager position and is now the Vice President of Research & Development for Leiper’s Fork House of Spirits/L.L. Kennedy & Sons—their parent company. April has been with Leiper’s since the beginning, and she has helped build a business from the ground up. She is passionate about her work and loves what she does! The distillery has been open for over 5 years now, but April says that there is still so much more to do as they continue to grow their brand. In addition to her work at Leiper’s Fork Distillery, April has served on both the Agriculture & Events Committee for the Tennessee Distillers Guild and their Whiskey Trail Committee. She is currently serving on the American Craft Spirits Association (ACSA) Education Committee. 

Recognizing her earlier successes, April was able to become the Main Street and Tourism Director for Leiper’s Fork. She led her charming and tiny unincorporated village through a rebranding effort, turning it into an attractive destination for tourists.

 April continued her work for Leiper’s Fork, and she used the skills that she learned at the Heritage Foundation of Williamson County to help brand funding campaigns for historic preservation and tourism. Furthermore, she served on the Franklin Theatre Board during Reconstruction and helped hire its first director.

In addition, April has always had a passion for herbalism and healing.  Generations on her maternal side were well known in areas of Kentucky as being herbal doctors.  After dealing with family members health issues, April decided to move forward with knowledge and work towards being trained in naturapathy.