Olivia served as an Instructional Assistant Professor at Illinois State University for seven years. While in Illinois, she dedicated her time to community organizing around local justice issues. She planned and organized issue campaigns around policing and police accountability, ending for-profit systems in the local county jail, court-watching, and cash bail. She served as a representative on the Illinois Network for Pretrial Justice for more than four years, working with communities across the state of Illinois to end money bond.
In 2023 she joined the staff of Justice in Action, a local, grassroots interfaith justice coalition in Lancaster County, NE.
Fran Kaye, a retired professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a 25-year prison volunteer, said mental-health programs, addiction treatment and job-training programs can reduce crime and make communities safer.
Jason Witmer, a dedicated community advocate, with lived experience in Nebraska's foster and penal systems, managed a peer respite program for several years, offering an alternative to hospital crisis center, and serving as a Policy Fellow at ACLU-NE.
His focus is on the rights for individuals currently and formerly incarcerated towards a more just and compassionate society
Cindy Maxwell-Ostdiek, Former Candidate for Nebraska Legislature.
Cindy has lived in Omaha for over thirty years and has a career background in human resources, recruitment, and sales.
Cindy believes in service, rolling up her sleeves and getting to work for her neighbors and community. She volunteers with many organizations, including The Foodbank for the Heartland and OneWorld Community Center.
Cindy is President of Rank the Vote Nebraska, on the Advisory Board for Nonpartisan Nebraska, and has proudly volunteered as a Nonpartisan Election Observer through Civic Nebraska.
Dunixi Guereca, Executive Director, Stand for Schools,
Stand for Schools, is a Nebraska-based nonprofit dedicated to our state’s ongoing tradition of public school excellence.
The nonprofit supports policies that will further strengthen our public schools in order to allow every Nebraskan to develop the skills they need to thrive. Dunixi leads a team of experts in education policy who work to make sure all policy makers and voters are well-informed.
Dunixi is the proud son of immigrants, he lives in South Omaha, and is a graduate of the University of Nebraska. Dunixi studied Political Science at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and University of Nebraska-Kearney.
Deborah Neary, Nebraska State Board of Education,
She has spent the last 20 years working as the Executive Director of several education-focused nonprofits. Based on her experiences, Deborah, a former foster parent to eight youth, decided she wanted to make an even larger impact across our state as a policymaker, and ran for and was elected twice to the Nebraska State Board of Education (SBoE) for District 8.
In her role with the State Board of Education—Deborah tackles systemic issues to ensure we are developing youth who are well-prepared for not only post high school careers and college—but also for life.
In Deborah’s free time, she serves on several boards including the Holland Childrens Movement and the Omaha Institute for Nonprofit Journalism.
Deborah was appointed by Governor Ricketts to the ServeNebraska board in 2016 and again in 2020, and she is also a Trustee for the Business Ethics Alliance. Deborah is a long-time member of both Rotary and the League of Women Voters, as well as an active mentor to many youth and young adults.
Ken Winston is a man of many hats in the world of environmental advocacy. He is currently the Executive Director for Nebraska Interfaith Power & Light and a community organizer for the Nebraska Sierra Club.
He represented the Nebraska Sierra Club as a policy advocate before the Legislature for 14 years and led their successful opposition to the Keystone XL pipeline, both as an attorney and policy advocate.
He is currently engaged in efforts to increase investments in renewable energy, support for regenerative agriculture and programs to help people reduce their energy bills. He is the parent of three adult children and grandparent of one absolutely adorable grandchild. He loves to play guitar, sing in the church choir and go for walks with his dog JoJo.
Carol Nelson Bodeen, Director of Policy & Outreach, Nebraska Housing Developers Association
Passionate about building communities and protecting the environment and eco-systems of the Great Plains. Skilled in Nonprofit Organizations, Board Governance, Fundraising, Budgeting, Event Planning, Customer Service, Strategic Planning, Grant Writing, Grant Administration, Housing Development and Grassland Restoration.
Shannon R. Harner, J.D., Executive Director, Nebraska Investment Finance Authority
Harner is an experienced attorney with a long history in the housing industry. She is the former President and CEO of HomeServices of Nebraska, a Berkshire Hathaway affiliate, where she worked for 13 years in the areas of title, mortgage, insurance and brokerage, beginning as in-house counsel.
Prior to that, Harner was in private practice for 15 years, with a practice focused on real estate, banking and estate planning and probate.
She is active in the Lincoln community and sits on a variety of boards, including Humanities Nebraska, Lincoln Chamber of Commerce, and Bryan Medical Center, among others.
Patrick Kreifels is the Regional Administrator for Region V Systems, a behavioral health administrative organization that supports a recovery-oriented system of care in Southeast Nebraska and owner of a private practice with over 28 years’ experience.
Obtaining a master’s degree in clinical social work and a licensed independent mental health practitioner in Nebraska & California, Patrick works with children, families, and seniors experiencing distress.
Patrick has extensive experience working with all organizational levels of systems of care and non-profit agencies, creating, promoting, and delivering consultation, accreditation, outcomes, and training designed to support the best possible outcome for person served.
Patrick’s greatest motivations are his marriage, daughter, granddaughter, and instilling hope, knowledge, and healing as a service to humanity.
Melody Vaccaro is a founding member of Nebraskans Against Gun Violence (NAGV) and a community leader. Under her leadership,
NAGV has received national recognition. Most recently, she’s overseen the creation of Huskers Against Gun Violence, the state’s first college gun control club. Her commitment to public health led Lincoln’s mayor to invite her to contribute to the city’s task force focused on child access to firearms. The Biden-Harris Presidential administration has recognized her dedication to public safety and has invited her to inform the Biden transition team in 2019, celebrate the passage of the bipartisan Safer Communities Act on the White House lawn in 2022, and join in a Nebraska-centric conversation on Building a Better Nebraska with other local leaders in 2023. In 2020
Melody spearheaded a groundbreaking research initiative resulting in the Nebraska Firearm Report, a first-of-its-kind report, detailing the impact of firearms in Nebraska. Beyond her work to eliminate gun violence, she works full-time, writes for Seeing Red Nebraska, raises her children, and serves on the boards of Bluestem Montessori Elementary and the Unitarian Church of Lincoln.
She is originally from Papillion, NE., earned a Girl Scout Gold Award, UNOmaha graduate, and served in the United States Peace Corps in Bulgaria 2005-2007.
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