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Board Archives
April
2010
Humanities
boards announce new members
The Nebraska Humanities Council and Foundation
recently added new members.
New to the council:
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Carol Rempp of Lincoln is program
coordinator for multicultural/diversity education at the
Nebraska Department of Education and was the NDE statewide
coordinator of Native American Education from 2004-2008. She was
principal at St. Francis Indian School in South Dakota and
taught in public schools in Valentine, Lamar, and Stromsberg.
She is completing her Ph.D. in multi-cultural education at UNL.
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Dayle Wallien of Scottsbluff is executive
director of Western Nebraska Community College Foundation. She
formerly was a partner with Smith, Snyder, Pettit and Wallien
law firm and is a board member of the Western Nebraska Arts
Center and the Community Action Partnership of the Western
Nebraska Foundation.
Officers are B.J. Reed, chair; Carol Gendler vice
chair; Sara Crook, treasurer; Rhonda Seacrest, members-at-large.
New to the foundation:
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Patricia H. Scudder of Lincoln served on the
UNL Arts and Sciences Alumni Board, the University of Nebraska
Foundation Board of Trustees, UNL Parents Association board, the
NU President’s Club, UNL Chancellor’s Club, the City of Lincoln
Parks Advisory Board, the Haymarket Gallery Board, Junior League
of Lincoln, and the Project Youth of Lincoln Board of Directors.
She has a Ph.D. in medieval literature.
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Kathy Wilson of Omaha is a community
volunteer with a background in department store retail and
management. She is president-elect of Methodist Hospital’s
Volunteers in Partnership and a board member of CREW for the
Children’s Respite Care Center. Prior board service includes
Joslyn Art Museum, Nebraska Humane Society, Omaha’s YWCA, Camp
Fire USA, Omaha Community Playhouse and the Omaha Symphony
Guild.
Officers are Natalie Olson, president; Angenette
Meaney,
vice president; Densel Rasmussen, secretary; Lana Flagtwet,
treasurer.
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March 2009
Humanities
boards announce new members
The Nebraska
Humanities Council and the Nebraska Foundation for the Humanities
announce new board members and officers elected at the winter board
meeting in Lincoln Jan. 17, as well as a recent appointment to the
Council by Gov. Dave Heineman.
Elected to the
Foundation board are the following:
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Tawanna
Black, director of diversity for Cox Communications in Omaha, is
former director of Destination Midtown and has served on various
community boards, including Girls Inc. and the Omaha chapter of the
National Coalition of 100 Black Women, which she serves as
president. She was recognized by the Midlands Business Journal as
one of the 2006 40 Under 40 award winners.
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Christine
Harris of Lincoln has served on the board of directors for
Cedars Youth Services, the University of Nebraska Foundation, and
the State of Nebraska Nominating Commission for Juvenile Judges. Her
first novel, “The Gypsy in My Soul” was published in the fall of
2008.
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Marilyn
Hadley of Kearney is the former dean of the College of Education
at UNK and founder of the Senior College of Central Nebraska at UNK.
She has served on the board of directors for many local and
statewide organizations including the Judicial Nominating
Commission. She and her husband, Galen, are co-chairs of the Kearney
Public library expansion campaign.
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Molly
O’Holleran of North Platte is a community volunteer and serves
on the North Platte Public School Board and the Nebraska Association
of School Boards’ Legislative Committee. She has been active in
local cultural organizations and is president-elect of the Nebraska
Medical Association Alliance.
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Deb
Thomas is assistant vice
chancellor for business and finance at University of Nebraska
Medical Center in Omaha and serves on the C. Louis Meyer Foundation.
She was director of health and human services under Gov. Kay Orr and
was director of special projects for the University of Nebraska’s
Office of External Affairs.
Susan Watts is chair of the Humanities
Department at McCook Community College and is a charter member of
Leadership McCook and the McCook Arts Council, and has served on the
Southwest Nebraska Community Theater Association. She is a member of
the International Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers.
New to the
Nebraska Humanities Council are the following:
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Mary
Henning of Kearney, who was appointed by Gov. Heineman, is
president of the GFWC Kearney Woman’s Club. She has served on
several boards, including Good Samaritan Hospital Foundation, the
University Foundation Grants Committee, Kearney Literacy Council,
Kearney Public Library and Foundation, YWCA, and Buffalo County
Historical Society. She has received the Kearney Hub Freedom Award
and the MONA Guild Friend Award. Henning writes children’s books and
performs as a storyteller at the Minden Opera House.
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Steven
Achelpohl, an Omaha attorney, holds a J.D. from the University
of Nebraska College of Law, where he was on the Nebraska Law Review,
and a B.A. in political science from UN. He has also served for many
years as the state chair of the Nebraska Democratic Party and
previously chaired the Board for Visiting Nurse Health Services. In
2006, Achelpohl received the Omaha Bar Association Robert Spire
Public Service Award.
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Virginia
Aita is associate professor at the University of Nebraska
College for Public Health, Division of Health Promotion, Social and
Behavioral Health. She worked with grant funding for research
projects, has organized numerous humanities and arts programs
related to medicine, including the recent exhibit, “Here I Am And
Nowhere Else: Portraits of Care” at the Bemis. Aita has served on
various committees related to public health, music, ethics, and
gender-related issues. She has been active in community service
through various Omaha organizations, including the boards of the
Junior League of Omaha, Visiting Nurse Community Health Services,
and the Child Saving Institute.
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Andrew
Alexander is professor in the Department of Language and
Literature at Wayne State College. He holds a Ph.D. in English from
the University of Toronto. Alexander has published many articles on
literature and has made numerous presentations across the country.
He has served on multiple committees at Wayne State College and is
on the board of the Northeast Nebraska Humane Society.
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Taylor
Keen is in the Office of Entrepreneurship at Creighton
University in Omaha and teaches courses on Native American Studies.
He holds a B.A. in English literature with a certification in Native
American Studies from Dartmouth College, and holds two master’s
degrees from Harvard in public policy and business administration.
Keen has worked extensively with Native American communities on
business and community development. He has served on the Council of
the Cherokee Nation, on the board of the American Indian Chamber of
Commerce of Oklahoma and on the board of the Heart Walk in Tulsa.
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Michael
Nolan of Norfolk is executive director for the League
Association of Risk Management, through the League of Nebraska
Municipalities. He holds a master’s degree in public administration
from the University of Nebraska at Omaha, is a certified economic
development finance professional by the National Development
Council. Nolan has been active in Norfolk community organizations
and as former Norfolk city manager has worked closely with elected
officials on legislation and community development, publishing
numerous articles and presenting at many state and national
conferences and training programs related to his work.
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Rhonda
Seacrest has served with a wide variety of organizations ranging
from environmental organizations to those that serve women and/or
children to many focused on the arts and humanities. She was the
founding director of the Rape and Domestic Abuse Program and the
Healthy Start Program at the Great Plains Regional Medical Center in
North Platte. She also co-founded the Sheldon Statewide program
through the Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery in Lincoln and has been a
board or foundation member for numerous other organizations in
Lincoln, Omaha, and North Platte, including the Nebraska Cultural
Endowment Advisory Council.
New officers for
the Nebraska Humanities Council include Chuck Shoemaker of Hastings,
chair; B.J. Reed of Omaha, vice chair; and Carol Gendler of Omaha,
treasurer; and executive committee members Sara Crook of Peru and Don
Pederson of Lincoln. New officers for the Nebraska Foundation for the
Humanities include Kim Robak of Lincoln, president; and Natalie Olson of
Lincoln, vice president; Angenette Meaney of Omaha, secretary; Densel
Rasmussen of Grand Island, treasurer; and executive committee member
Trixie Schmidt of Lincoln.
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October 2007
Humanities boards
have 10 new members
The Nebraska Humanities Council and the Nebraska
Foundation for the Humanities have 10 new members.
The NHC board elected two new members.
Lourdes Gouveia is
professor of sociology and director of the office of Latino/Latin
American studies at the University of Nebraska at Omaha and author of
“From Columbus to ConAgra: The Globalization of Agriculture and Food.”
She serves on the board of the new Center for Immigration Integration
Policy in Washington, D.C., and the board of the Nebraska Appleseed
Center for Law in the Public Interest. Susan E. Honeyman is
assistant professor of English at the University of Nebraska at Kearney,
with a specialty in children’s and adolescent literature. She is author
of “Elusive Childhood: Impossible Representations in Modern Fiction.”
The Nebraska Foundation for the Humanities elected
eight new members.
Carol Cope is founder
and supporter of the Museum of Nebraska Art in Kearney, a board member
of the Cather Foundation and 2006 Governor’s Arts Award winner. Deb
Glenn is a longtime supporter of cultural life in Scottsbluff and a
board member of West Nebraska Arts Center. Fred Licon is deputy
assistant to Omaha Mayor Mike Fahey and liaison for numerous community
issues, including the Building Bright Futures citywide initiative.
Melissa Marvin of Cohen Brown Management Group, a global financial
services consulting firm based in Los Angeles, is a member of the board
of directors of the Joslyn Art Museum, the Nebraska Shakespeare Festival
and Joslyn Castle.
Joel Russell is vice
president and chief operating officer of Millard Lumber Co. in Omaha and
a board member of the Child Savings Institute. Barbara Schaefer
is senior vice president of human resources and corporate secretary for
the Union Pacific Corporation and serves on the boards for Children’s
Hospital, Lauritzen Botanical Gardens, Nebraskans for Research, and the
University of Nebraska Foundation. Gail Veitzer has taught and
served as a speech pathologist in the Evanston and Omaha public schools
as well as in her own private practice and is a member of West Omaha
Rotary, the Junior League of Omaha and the University of Nebraska
Foundation Advisory Committee. Carol Waring is an Ainsworth
native who serves on the board of directors for the Fremont Opera House
and the Hospital Service Club.
The Nebraska Humanities Council elected officers:
Don Pederson of North Platte, chairman; Chuck Shoemaker of
Hastings, vice chairman; and B.J. Reed of Omaha, treasurer.
Earl Mitchell of Norfolk and Carol Gendler of Omaha will also
serve on the council’s executive committee.
The Nebraska Foundation for the Humanities elected
officers: Trixie Schmidt of Lincoln, president; Meg Lauerman
of Lincoln, vice president; Angenette Meaney of Omaha, secretary;
and Densel Rasmussen of Grand Island, treasurer. Lana Flagtwet
of Lincoln will also serve on the foundation’s executive committee.
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October 2006
Humanities boards
have 10 new members
The Nebraska Humanities Council and the Nebraska
Foundation for the Humanities have 10 new members.
Elected to the NHC board are Tamara Buffalohead
McGill, director of student support services at Creighton University
in Omaha; Sara Brandes Crook, professor of social sciences at
Peru State College in Peru; and Mark Foxall, assistant director
for community corrections at the Douglas County Department of
Corrections in Omaha. Gov. Dave Heineman appointed Carol Gendler,
a community volunteer in Omaha.
Elected to the Nebraska Foundation for the Humanities
are Joanne Berkshire, a community volunteer in Omaha; Diane
Brownell, a community volunteer in Grand Island; Pat Jones,
owner of elements, a healing-arts center in Kearney; Angenette Meaney,
a community volunteer in Omaha; Natalie Olson, a community volunteer in
Lincoln; and Densel Rasmussen, director of human resources at
Principal Financial Group in Grand Island.
The Nebraska Humanities Council has elected officers:
Don Pederson of North Platte, chairman; D. Charles Shoemaker
of Hastings, vice chairman; and Earl Mitchell of Norfolk,
treasurer. Peter Longo of Kearney and Kim Dinsdale of
Grand Island will serve on the NHC executive committee.
The Nebraska Foundation for the Humanities elected
officers: Trixie Schmidt of Lincoln, president; Judy Ueda
of Omaha, vice president; Scott Moore of Omaha, treasurer; and
Meg Lauerman of Lincoln, secretary. Carol Russell of Omaha
will serve on the foundation’s executive committee.
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March 2006
Humanities boards have 11 new members
The Nebraska Humanities Council and the Nebraska
Foundation for the Humanities have 11 new members.
Elected to the NHC board are Kent Blaser, a
professor at Wayne State College; Linda Hillegass, co-owner of
Lee Booksellers of Lincoln; Dr. Glory Meakin, a Lincoln dentist;
B.J. Reed, dean of public affairs and community service at the
University of Nebraska at Omaha; and Nana Smith, a community
volunteer in Lincoln. Gov. Dave Heineman appointed Annette Eisenhart,
a community volunteer in Culbertson.
Elected to the Nebraska Foundation for the Humanities
are Karen Butler, a community volunteer in Valentine; Lana
Flagtwet, a vice president of Merrill Lynch in Lincoln; Jane
Kotsiopulos, a community volunteer in Lincoln; Meg Lauerman,
director of university communications at the University of
Nebraska-Lincoln; and Ellie McClymont, an educator in North
Platte.
The Nebraska Humanities Council has elected officers:
Peter Longo of Kearney, chairman; Tim Austin of Omaha,
vice chairman; and Earl Mitchell of Norfolk, treasurer. Kim
Dinsdale of Grand Island and Chuck Shoemaker of Hastings will
serve on the NHC executive committee.
The Nebraska Foundation for the Humanities elected
officers: Carol Russell of Omaha, president; Trixie Schmidt
of Lincoln, vice president; Scott Moore of Omaha, treasurer; and
Ed Cook of Kearney, secretary. Judy Ueda of Omaha will
serve on the foundation’s executive committee.
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December 2004
Humanities boards have nine new members
The Nebraska Humanities Council and the Nebraska
Foundation for the Humanities have nine new members.
Elected to the NHC board are Timothy A. Alvarez,
dean of student services at Nebraska Western Community College in
Scottsbluff; Dr. Diana Doyle, a pediatric anesthesiologist at
Children's Hospital in Omaha; Richard Lloyd, dean of the faculty
at Hastings College; D. Charles Shoemaker, an attorney with
Shoemaker, Witt and Burns in Hastings; and LaVon Stennis Williams,
an attorney with Stennis and Associates in Omaha. Earlier in the fall
Gov. Mike Johanns appointed Earl Mitchell of Norfolk.
Elected to the Nebraska Foundation for the Humanities
are Cindy Bay of Omaha; C.L. Landon III, senior executive
vice president of Security National Bank in Omaha; and Crickett
Simmons of Scottsbluff.
The Nebraska Humanities Council elected the following
officers: Peter Longo of the University of Nebraska at Kearney,
chairman; Barbara Haggart of Omaha, vice-chair; and Timothy
Austin, dean of arts and sciences at Creighton University,
treasurer. Kit Dimon of Lincoln and Kim West Dinsdale of
Grand Island will serve on the NHC executive committee.
The Nebraska Foundation for the Humanities elected
the following officers: Carol Russell of Omaha, president;
Trixie Schmidt of Lincoln, vice chair; Judy Wilcox of
Lincoln, secretary; and Ed Cook of Kearney, treasurer. Judy
Ueda of Omaha will serve on the foundation's executive committee.
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2003
Board
NHC elects
seven new members
The Nebraska
Humanities Council and the Nebraska Foundation for the Humanities have elected
seven new members. Some will serve on both boards.
Newly elected
board members include Mary Abel of Lincoln, Trish Davidson of Omaha, Kim Robak
of Lincoln, Thompson (Tom) Rogers of Omaha, Clay Smith of Lincoln and Harriett
S. Turner of Lincoln. Eric Brown of Lexington was appointed earlier to fill
a vacancy on the board.
Mary Abel,
a lifelong Lincoln resident, was with Union Bank for 17 years, retiring as
vice president in the commercial loan department. She is on the Union Bank
Private Banking Board, the NEBCO Board, the Abel Foundation, the LPS Foundation
Board of Trustees and the UNL Foundation Board of Trustees.
Trish Davidson
is a long-time advocate for non-profits in Omaha. She was head of Union Pacific's
Omaha-based foundation for many years, and worked with the NHC on several
projects, including bringing Ken Burns to Omaha in the early 1990s. She has
served on boards of many Omaha cultural organizations, including the Omaha
Children's Museum.
Kim Robak,
a native of Columbus, was a speech and drama teacher before becoming an attorney
with Rembolt, Ludtke & Berger in Lincoln. She served in the administration
of Gov. Ben Nelson. She was elected lieutenant governor in 1994. She is vice
president for external affairs and corporate secretary for the University
of Nebraska. She currently chairs Lincoln's United Way.
Thompson
(Tom) Rogers, a native of Omaha and a graduate of Hastings College, is
a principal with Stone Pine Capitol and Odin Capitol Group. He has been active
in Omaha's cultural organizations including Opera Omaha, the Bemis Foundation
and the Omaha Children's Museum, and he is founder of Omaha's summer festival,
Arts on the Green.
Clay Smith
is general partner of B&J Partnership and co-owner and managing director
of Speedway Motors in Lincoln. He is a trustee for Lincoln's Community Health
Endowment and serves on the boards of Bryan-LGH Medical Centers, Cedars Home
for Children Foundation and the Southwest Lincoln Business and Civic Association.
He has served on the boards of numerous cultural organizations.
Harriet S.
Turner is director of international affairs and global programs at UNL,
where she has also chaired the department of modern languages and literature.
The author and editor of five books, she also has written more than 40 published
essays and chapters on major Spanish writers, Central and South American
writers, as well as international language and literature organizations.
Eric Brown,
a native of Lexington, was for 10 years director of educational media at South
Dakota State, returning to Nebraska in 1979 to become general manager of
KRVN Radio, which covers most of Nebraska and half of Kansas. Brown serves
on the boards of the Nebraska Information Technology Commission, Tri-County
Hospital and Lexington Community Foundation.
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2002 Board
New board
members elected
Sept. 24, 2002
The Nebraska
Humanities Council and the Nebraska Foundation for the Humanities have elected
five new members to the NHC board and five new members to the foundation.
Elected to the NHC board are Timothy Austin of Omaha, Kim West Dinsdale of
Grand Island, Don Pederson of North Platte, Deb Trowbridge of Elkhorn and
Mary Vaughan of Broken Bow. Elected to the foundation are Mimi Ernst of Columbus,
Carey Hamilton of Grand Island, Helen Krause of Fremont, Roger Lewis of Omaha
and Teresa “Trixie” Schmidt of Lincoln.
Timothy
Austin is dean of the college of arts and sciences at Creighton University.
His major publications include “Poetic Voices: Discourse Linguistics and
the Poetic Text.” He previously was chair of the English department at Loyola
University in Chicago.
Kim West Dinsdale has been involved in numerous community activities,
including the Grand Island Community Foundation, the Crane Meadows Nature
Center, Leadership Tomorrow and Heartland United Way.
Don Pederson is an attorney and has been state senator representing District
42 since his appointment and later election in 1996. He serves on the Legislature’s
appropriations committee. His wife, Virginia L. Pederson, served on the NHC
board until her death earlier this year.
Deb Trowbridge is a Realtor with NP Dodge Real Estate. For four years
she was director of communications and development for Durham Western Heritage
Museum. Her volunteerism includes work with United Way of the Midlands, Joslyn
Art Museum and the Henry Doorly Zoo.
Mary Vaughan is a substitute teacher in the Broken Bow Public Schools.
She has served on numerous volunteer boards, including Parents as Teachers,
Custer County Friends of the Arts, the Nebraska Foundation for Children’s
Vision and the Central Plains Center for Services.
Mimi Ernst teaches sixth grade language arts at Columbus Middle School.
She was the first executive director of the Columbus Area Arts Council, from
1983 to 1995. She coordinated artist-in-residence grants for ESU No. 7 from
1990 to 1995 and has served on the board of directors of the Museum of Nebraska
Art. She has a B.A. in English education from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln
and an M.A. in secondary reading from the University of Nebraska at Kearney.
Carey Hamilton is president of Hamilton Chevrolet Cadillac in Grand Island
and Omaha and has served on many state boards and commissions, including the
Nebraska State Board of Education.
Helen Krause recently sold the Carey Cottage restaurant and tearoom in
Fremont, a business she owned and operated for nine years. She is the immediate
past chair of the Fremont Area Chamber of Commerce and recently retired from
the Fremont Area Community Foundation.
Roger Lewis is senior vice president and director of corporate marketing
for Commercial Federal Bank. He previously was vice president and communications
director for Omaha National Bank. Before that, he was the business reporter
for the Omaha World-Herald. He serves on numerous state and local boards,
including Midland Lutheran College and the Child Saving Institute.
Teresa "Trixie" Schmidt is on leave as director of public engagement for
the Lincoln Public Schools Foundation. She previously was grant coordinator
for the State Museum of Natural History and taught for more than 20 years
for LPS. She is on the boards of the Folsom Children’s Zoo and Bright Lights.
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2001 Board
New board
members
have
wealth of experience
The NHC
and the Nebraska Foundation for the Humanities elected six new board members
at their Sept. 21 meeting who bring a wealth of community and non-profit
experience to the humanities.
New foundation members include Colleen Adam, co-owner and treasurer
of Adam and Sons Cattle in Hastings, who serves on the Hastings Museum Foundation,
the Hastings College Community Campaign, the Ak-Sar-Ben Friendship Circle
and has just completed her national presidency of the American Medical Association
Alliance.
Howard Hahn
is an attorney with Gross and Welch and active in Omaha’s City Planning Board,
Metro Chamber of Commerce, Community Commission on Race Relations and Opera
Omaha.
Scott Moore
is director of government affairs with Union Pacific and formerly served
as Nebraska Secretary of State and a state senator and recently has been
elected to the Nebraska State Fair Board.
Dan Semrad
is an investment broker with A.G. Edwards and Sons in Lincoln and holds leadership
positions with Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital Foundation and the Conservation
Alliance of the Great Plains.
Judy Ueda
is an infection control nurse at Alegent Mercy Care Center in Omaha and serves
on the boards of directors of the United Way of the Midlands, Nebraska Women’s
Health Council, and Make-A-Wish Friends Council.
Peter Suzuki
is the Frederick W. Kayser Professor of Urban Studies at the University of
Nebraska-Omaha and coordinator of the UNO Urban Studies Program, where he
is also a graduate faculty fellow and a faculty research associate of the
NASA Nebraska Space Grant Consortium.
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Tom Rogers |
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“Personally, I think the humanities'
biggest problem should be the phones ringing off the hook with calls from
every county and town begging to be sponsors!”
-- Tom Rogers |
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July 2001
Tom Rogers
urges NHC financial
commitment
"The importance
of the Nebraska Humanities Council is that it provides enrichment in culture
and history beyond what educational institutions provide, although they are
also great partners with us. Chautauqua, for example, provides an interactive
opportunity to learn the history of our country.
Personally, I think the humanities biggest problem should be the phones ringing
off the hook with calls from every county and town begging to be sponsors!”
Omaha native Tom Rogers, a partner in the Odin Capital Group and a Nebraska
Humanities Council and Foundation member since 1991, shares his passion for
the humanities and the arts with everyone he meets.
Tom earned his BA at Hastings College and now serves on the college’s Board
of Trustees. He also serves on the Nebraska Arts Council and the boards of
many other cultural organizations.
Tom is the kind of board member who makes things happen, and he has been critical
to the success of such innovative cultural organizations as the Bemis Project,
Opera Omaha, and the new Arts-on-the-Green end-of-summer festival.
Tom believes that good board members must make a financial commitment to the
organizations they serve. He and his wife, Jane, have made two matching grants
to the Nebraska Humanities Council, challenging the Council and Foundation
members to give and/or to raise $37,500 in matching monies.
This year’s challenge grant extended that matching offer to Council and Foundation
alumni, so that former board members will stay involved with the institution
they helped develop.
“I’m very proud of our legislature for providing a public-private partnership
with the Nebraska Humanities Council and the Nebraska Arts Council through
the Nebraska Cultural Endowment to help expand their programs,” Tom recently
observed. “Now it’s time for the private sector to step up with its money
to support these exciting programs.”
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Bryan LeBeau |
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“We academics have grown too distant from our
constituencies, the general public, not just our students. We have learned
so much and communicated so little. The NHC allows me to re-establish that
communication and to do my job as an educator in the humanities.”
-- Bryan LeBeau |
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April 2001
Bryan
LeBeau brings
the humanities
to life
The humanities
are at the core of everything Bryan LeBeau does, from his work as professor
of history at Creighton University in Omaha to his public radio program,
“Talking History,” to his very active membership on the NHC board.
LeBeau wants no less for his students and for Nebraskans in general.
“The best preparation for any career is to learn critical reading and thinking
skills, effective communication and the substance of the culture in which
we live. An education in the humanities provides that.”
Even the pleasures of leisure time are enhanced by a better understanding
of literature, philosophy and history, the "stuff" of the humanities, he said.
Holder of the John C. Kenefick Chair in the Humanities and coordinator of
American Studies at Creighton, LeBeau plays a integral role on the NHC board.
“Because I am an academically trained humanist, I hope I represent the interests
of the humanities in a manner possible only by those formally trained in
the field,” he said.
But LeBeau says he also has a lot to gain from his experience on the board.
“We academics have grown too distant from our constituencies, the general
public, not just our students. We have learned so much and communicated so
little. The NHC allows me to re-establish that communication and to do my
job as an educator in the humanities.”
LeBeau said the council’s mission is to serve as a bridge between professional
humanists and the general public, to provide excellent programming and to
bring the latest and best scholarship to Nebraskans in as attractive and
entertaining a manner as possible.
“Talking History,” is a weekly, half-hour radio show hosted by LeBeau and
originating from KIOS-FM in Omaha. LeBeau wants to see more public radio affiliates
outside Omaha pick up the history-based show.
LeBeau has a book coming out this summer on the 19th century popular lithographers,
Currier and Ives. "Currier and Ives: America Imagined" will be published by
Smithsonian Institution Press.
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 Bob Nefsky |
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“The work of the Nebraska Humanities Council
not only enhances our state’s education systems, but it adds an essential
independent component, creating a true public-private partnership.”
--Bob Nefsky |
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January 2001
Bob Nefsky
helps preserve state’s
cultural heritage
"My first
attraction to the humanities is a love of history and culture and the connections
we discover by sharing our stories," says Bob Nefsky, an attorney and partner
with Rembolt, Ludtke and Berger.
“Through my work on the council I’ve developed a great respect for the council’s
ability to effectively and efficiently deliver humanities programming throughout
the state.”
Bob has chaired both the Nebraska Humanities Council and the Nebraska Foundation
for the Humanities and is vice president of the new Nebraska Cultural Endowment.
A native Nebraskan whose grandfather once served as a bodyguard for William
Jennings Bryan during a presidential campaign, Bob’s commitment to the council’s
work began even before he was elected to the board.
In 1992, when the Nebraska Foundation for the Humanities was reorganized to
meet changing financial needs, Bob volunteered to draft the bylaws restructuring
the Foundation. Bob’s early work with the NFH illustrates his legacy to Nebraska’s
cultural life: His ability to create nonprofit structures that endure.
His work as founding president of Lincoln Fine Arts Radio facilitated the
creation of the Nebraska Public Radio Network, and his care in drafting the
Nebraska Cultural Endowment’s founding legislation and bylaws has created
a public-private trust that will assure stability for both the arts and the
humanities in Nebraska.
As Bob recently observed, “The work of the Nebraska Humanities Council not
only enhances our state’s education systems, but it adds an essential independent
component, creating a true public-private partnership.”
Bob is married to Mary Nefsky and has four stepchildren and two grandchildren.
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Bette Anne Thaut |
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“Volunteering has always been a rewarding experience
for me and a wonderful way to meet some great people. This has been especially
true of my association with staff and board members of the NHC and NFH.”
-- Bette Anne Thaut |
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October 2000
Bette
Anne Thaut exemplifies
the value
of volunteerism
Alexis de
Tocqueville, the astute French observer of our nation in its early decades,
would have recognized Bette Anne Thaut as an exemplar of the uniquely American
virtue of volunteer association to achieve public goals.
The Beatrice resident was named to the Nebraska Foundation for the Humanities
in 1996 and now serves as president after chairing both the annual campaign
committee and the major gifts committee.
In 1999, she was elected to the Nebraska Humanities Council and serves on
its executive committee.
A former high school English teacher, Bette Anne provides leadership to a
long list of community and state organizations. She is secretary of the board
of directors for the Gage County Historical Society, vice president for Beatrice
Meals on Wheels, board secretary for the Beatrice Humane Society and a member
of the board for the Beatrice Educational Foundation.
Bette Anne is an elder in the First Presbyterian Church and newsletter editor
for Presbyterian Women of Homestead Presbytery.
She also coordinates a summer reading program, “Reading Buddies,” and volunteers
for the United Way.
Bette Anne is quick to claim that she benefits as much from her activities
as her beneficiaries do.
“Volunteering has always been a rewarding experience for me and a wonderful
way to meet some great people. This has been especially true of my association
with staff and board members of the NHC and NFH.”
Bette Anne and her husband, Dr. Hal Thaut, medical director of the Beatrice
State Developmental Center, have two grown daughters, Sarah and Jessie.
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Pamela H. Snow |
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“What really excites me is when a group of individuals
with a common cause gathers together and a constructive dialogue ensues,
one that weighs all the options, deliberately and respectfully, and that
dialogue results in a plan of action."
-- Pamela Hilton
Snow |
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July 2000
Pam Snow
offers leadership skills and
dedication
Pamela Hilton
Snow brings a wealth of experience to her role as chairperson of the Nebraska
Humanities Council.
Co-owner of Snow’s Floral Company Inc. with her husband, Mark, since 1978,
Pam combines her business acumen with a long and impressive record of community
service.
She serves on the board of directors of the Grand Island Community Foundation
and Moonshell Arts and Humanities Council. She is a past board member of the
Friends of Lied; the Grand Island Area Chamber of Commerce, where she chaired
the transportation committee; and the Quarter Horse Association of Nebraska.
For 10 years, Pam served on the board of directors of Saint Francis Medical
Center, chairing the board from 1994-1996 and chairing both its finance committee
and its quality assurance committee.
A member of her church choir at St. Stephens Episcopal Church, Pam also enjoys
writing, reading poetry and literature, music, tennis, photography, spending
time with her two sons and “pausing with my husband to watch a good sunset.”
Pam looks forward to the challenges she faces as chairperson of the Nebraska
Humanities Council because she knows that she is working with a dedicated
group of volunteers.
“I am routinely humbled by their insight, sensitivity to detail, and their
unselfish interest in furthering the mission of the Council.”
Asked for her philosophy of leadership, Snow said she is more likely to facilitate
than to dictate.
“What really excites me is when a group of individuals with a common cause
gathers together and a constructive dialogue ensues, one that weighs all the
options, deliberately and respectfully, and that dialogue results in a plan
of action. The fun part is down the road when everyone looks back on the
action taken and there is the realization that ‘Wow, we did a great job.’”
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