LeadDIVERSITY is designed to build a network of leaders dedicated to creating localized opportunities and solutions for diversity, equity and inclusion in the Midwest. During this program, leaders will engage in topics that will leave them well-versed and experienced in anticipating diversity and inclusion needs in the workplace as well as in the community. LeadDIVERSITY participants (referred to as Advocates) receive exceptional skills training to advance Midwestern workplaces and communities. LeadDIVERSITY will redefine leadership both for the individuals who participate and the organizations and businesses they represent. The program currently operates in partnership with the Omaha Public Power District (OPPD), The Greater Omaha Chamber, and the Tri-Faith Initiative.
Application Process
- Complete online Application Form
- Collect supporting documents (essay, letters of support, etc.)
- Submit online
- Selection process starts in July – Applicant interviews may be requested
What You Will Need
- Completed Application Form
- Up to 2 References (people who can speak to your interest in inclusion, diversity and equity)
- Participation note from Supervisor
- Resume – should detail in addition to your education and employment, your community involvement/engagement and any previous diversity and inclusion training.
- Essay – Write a brief, no more than 2 page, essay explaining why you believe your participation in LeadDIVERSITY would be valuable to you as an agent of change in your community and (if applicable) your employer as a person of influence and opportunity for collaboration
LeadDIVERSITY, is a ten- month intensive program designed to build a network of Advocates who are dedicated to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion cultures in the Midwest.
Session topics include Identity, Institutional Inequities, Ethical Leadership, Ability and Disability, LGBTQIA2S+ Rights, Interfaith Dialogues and more. The workshops are designed to take participants on a journey of self-awareness and education to empower them with tools and skills to become Advocates within the spaces where they hold power.
Cohort Meet + Greet – August 24, 2023, 8:30-11:30 a.m.
Session One – September 20, 2023
Session Two – October 11, 2023
Session Three – November 8, 2023
Session Four – December 13, 2023
Session Five – January 10, 2024
Session Six – February 21, 2024
Session Seven – March 13, 2024
Session Eight – April 10, 2024
Session Nine – May 8, 2024
Session Ten – May 16, 2024
Graduation – June 14, 2024
Meeting times and venues TBD
WHAT YOU GET
Greater awareness of personal identity + impact of internal and external dynamics
Expanded knowledge of local experts, organizations + resources
Tool kit for addressing issues of diversity in personal + professional settings
Ability to be an advocate for diversity and inclusion
WHAT EMPLOYERS GET
An increased pool of involved and educated DEI leaders
Employees with an increased understanding of the connection between inclusion and organizational success
Employees with enhanced organizational leadership skills and a vision for the future.
Advocates are leaders representing nonprofit, corporate, government, education, civic, and community organizations, with a passion for diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Cohort #4 2022-2023
Adia Brightman
Supervisor, Special Education Office
Lincoln Public Schools
Alicia Frieze
Director of Workforce Development
Council Bluffs Area Chamber of Commerce
Becky Nickerson
Senior Director – Division of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
Creighton University
Brittney Hodges-Bolkovac
Executive Director of Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion
Lincoln Public Schools
Chastin Bailey
Director of Talent and Culture
Koley Jessen P.C., L.L.O.
Cheryl Murray Kerst
Director of Development
Partnership 4 Kids
Chris Stratman
Community Engagement Manager
Kiewit Luminarium
Dominique Johnson
.
Union Pacific
Elizabeth Blanco Rodriguez
Economic Development Manager
Nebraska Department of Economic Development
Jamin Johnson
Division Chief, Health Equity and Planning
Douglas County Health Department
Jonathan Acosta
Director of Academic Advising
University of Nebraska at Omaha
Katie Kodad
Culture & Inclusion Program Manager
Children’s Hospital & Medical Center
Laura Fritz
Child Development Program Evaluator
University of Nebraska Medical Center
Leonor Fuhrer
Assistant Vice President of Community Response
Nebraska Children and Families Foundation
Lori Tatreau
Community Activist
Mariana Schell
Assistant Vice President of Cultural & Linguistic Response
Nebraska Children and Families Foundation
Michelle Deseure
Director of Corporate Audit
Omaha Public Power District
Mo Bailey
Community Organizer
Western Organization of Resource Councils
Ralph Kellogg
Vice President of People and Training
Lutheran Family Services
Reno Jameson
Principal & CEO
Jameson Consulting
Robert Aranda
Director of Student Services
Westside Community Schools
Rosalva Reyes
Director of CK26 Programs
Completely Kids
Rosey Higgs
Director of Programs
Nonprofit Association of the Midlands
Stephanie Tafoya Keyser
Sr. Data Insights Analyst
First National Bank of Omaha
Yesenia Valenzuela
Community Relations Coordinator
City of Omaha
Cohort #3 2021-2022
Daryl Anderson
Creative Director
Clark Creative Group
Cody Brookhouser-Sisney
Shareholder
McGrath North Mullin & Kratz PC LLO
Cruz Cabrera
Social Impact Manager
Mutual of Omaha
Shari Collins
DEI Consultant
Ana Diaz-Orozco
Community Engagement Coordinator
Office of Latino/Latin American Studies, University of Nebraska Omaha
Alexis Dickerson
Licensed Mental Health Therapist
Nebraska Medicine/Omaha Integrative Care
Julie Dierberger
Paul Sather Distinguished Director, Service Learning Academy
University of Nebraska Omaha
Lauren Foster
Director of Quality of Life
Greater Fremont Development Council
Ireydisa Gomez-Hall
Quality Child Care Partnership Specialist
Nebraska Early Childhood Collaborative
Wendy Hamilton
Chief Development Officer
Girl Scouts Spirit of Nebraska
Janique Hayes
Assistant Director – Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion/Mission and Ministry
Creighton University
Andrea Haynes
Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources and District Operations
Westside Community Schools
Gina Langel
Senior Vice President and Chief Operations Officer
Metropolitan Utilities District
Tess Larson
Program Associate
The Sherwood Foundation
Scott Lloyd
Co-Founder & COO
Miso
Vanessa Martinez-Hernandez
Social Impact Coordinator
Mutual of Omaha
Collette Nero
Omaha North High Magnet
Omaha Public Schools
Caitlin Osborn
Co-Director, Operations
Amplify Arts
Ericka Payton
Program Director
Westside Community Schools – West Campus
DerNecia Phillips
Assistant Principal
Nelson Mandela Elementary
Jamie Reyes
General Counsel
Nebraska Public Service Commission
Connie Schaffer
Associate Professor, Teacher Education
University of Nebraska Omaha
Debra Shaw
Diversity, Community, and Recruitment Leader
Partnership 4 Kids
Justina Struck
Senior Associate
Koley Jessen
Christopher Tooley
Senior Manager, HR Business Partner
Anaplan
Leah Whitney Chavez
Founder/Executive Director
World Speaks
Crystall Williams
Chaplain
Nebraska Methodist Hospital
Melissa Wurth
—
Wissam Zeineddine
Human Resource Director
Omni Hotels and Resorts
Cohort #2 2020-2021
Alex Foreman
Product Owner
Farm Credit Services of America
Christina Arellano
Inclusion and Diversity Experience Ambassador, Signature Performance Inc.
Damien Coran
Program and Curriculum Supervisor, Partnership 4 Kids
Deana Blount
Site Director, Boys & Girls Club of the Midlands
Kimberly C. Barnes
Director of Programs, Women’s Center for Advancement
Eric Ewing
Executive Director
Great Plains Black History Museum
Alejandra Sinecio
Senior Program Director
National Able Network
Amanda Martinez
Engineering Manager
Chromatic
Amanda Ponce
College Success Navigator
Metropolitan Community College
Ashley Rae Turner
Marketing and Communications Specialist
North End Teleservices
Astrid Munn
Child and Family Managing Attorney
Immigrant Legal Center
Comi Sharif
Senior Associate
Koley Jessen
Craig Moody
Managing Partner
Verdis Group
Dan Whisler
Manager Radiation Protection & Chemistry
Omaha Public Power District
Cynthia Gooch-Grayson
Associate Vice President for Equity and Inclusion
Metropolitan Community College
Denise Hall
Member
Delta Sigma Theta
Drew Weitz
Director of Equity Research/Portfolio Manager
Weitz Investment Management
Graciela Sharif
Cultural Diversity Coordinator for Leadership in Education and Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (LEND)
Munroe-Meyer Institute for Genetics, UNMC
Jannette Taylor
Executive Director
Women’s Center for Advancement
Jeffrey Southall II
Assistant Director for the Office of Civic and Social Responsibility
University of Nebraska Omaha
Kat Lopez
Director of Communications and Events
Centro Hispano Comunitario de Nebraska
Kathy Peissig
Senior Director of Talent Development
Werner Enterprises Inc.
Kimberly Thomas
Executive Director
CASA for Douglas County
Liz Kendall Weisser
Education and Community Engagement Manager
Omaha Symphony
Lonnie Michael Jr.
Database Marketing Manager
Mutual of Omaha
Lucy Puentes
Program Manager
Omaha Outward Bound School
Mindy Rush Chipman
Director of Equity & Diversity
Lincoln Commission on Human Rights
Nicky Sullivan
Homeownership Success Coordinator
Habitat for Humanity
Noah McClain
Product Development Managerr
Mutual of Omaha
Rebecca Forsyth
Creative Director/Master Stylist
Bungalow 8
Sarah Ericson
Director of Organizational Effectiveness, Mosaic
Steve Hogan
Attorney
Fraser Stryker PC LLC
Teresa Mardesen
Community Relations Manager
Farm Credit Services of America
Tracy Leavelle
Director of the Kingfisher Institute for the Liberal Arts and Professions
Creighton University
Wendy Goldberg
Executive Director
Tri-Faith Initiative
Cohort #1 2019-2020
Gina Ponce
Director – Latino Community Outreach
Bellevue University
Abigail Moland
Attorney/Shareholder
McGrath North Mullin & Kratz PC LLO
Al Hoffer
Behavioral Health Case Manager
Heartland Family Service
Amelis Long
Director, Inclusion and Diversity
First National Bank of Omaha
Angela Cooper
Vice President & Chief Diversity Officer
Mutual of Omaha
Angie Balsarini
Community Engagement Manager
Film Streams
Barry Thomas
Educator and Equity Advocate
TBS LLC
Bradley Ekwerekwu
CEO
Learning Community of Douglas and Sarpy Counties
Christopher Whitt
Vice Chancellor Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
University of Denver
David Scott
Director of Sales & Marketing
Peregrine Hotel, Curio by Hilton
Dulce Sherman
Chief Operating Officer
Whispering Roots Inc.
Erika Volker
HR Director
Prime Secured and Prime Connected
Jennifer Dietloff
Chief Diversity Officer
The Scoular Company
John Staup
Director, Talent Acquisition
Omaha Public Power District
Kara O’Connor
Financial Advisor
Edward Jones
Keesha Davis
Superintendent of Dispatching-Northwest
Union Pacific Railroad
Kirsten Case
Service Learning Academy Community Liaison
University of Nebraska Omaha
Molly Mullin Verble
Director, High School and Post-Secondary
Partnership 4 Kids
Nancy Melby
Vice President, Director of Operations
LEO A DALY
Peter Edwards
Director, Process Improvement
Conagra Brands
Polly Harris
AVP Workforce Operations
Union Pacific Railroad
Shawntal Mallory
Board Member, HR & Governance
Executive Director, Nebraska Legal Diversity Council
Stephen Osberg
Director of Transportation Development
Greater Omaha Chamber
Wayne Brown
President/CEO
Urban League of Nebraska
Become a LeadDIVERSITY Sponsor
You can support a new Advocate’s journey by contributing to the LeadDIVERSITY Advocate Fund. This fund is a legacy project of Cohort Three and provides scholarship opportunities for future Advocates. If your organization would like to sponsor the LeadDIVERSITY program on an operational level and receive brand recognition for your contribution, please contact Director of Strategic Partnerships Lachelle Rankins at Lachelle@inclusive-communities.org.