2025 Speaker Bios
Lou Ann Linehan - Education Panelist
Allie Christianson - Housing Advocate's Guide to Legislature
Tim Royers - Education Panelist
Lou Ann Linehan
Senator District #39
Nebraska Legislature
Elected to Nebraska Legislature: 2016; re-elected 2020
Born Lou Ann Lovitt, Sept. 16, 1955, in Beatrice.
Education: Graduate of Lewiston High School, Lewiston Consolidated Schools, 1973.
Family: Four children: Patrick B., Katie M., Meghan L. and Shannon P. Seim. nine grandchildren.
Former: Deputy principal officer, pillar director, deputy team leader, deputy assistant secretary, U.S. Department of State; chief of staff to U.S. Senator Chuck Hagel.
Member: St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, Elkhorn.
Champion of education, school choice, and tax reform.
Tim Royers - Education Panelist
Allie Christianson - Housing Advocate's Guide to Legislature
Tim Royers - Education Panelist
Tim Royers
President
Nebrraska State Education Asssociation
Allie Christianson - Housing Advocate's Guide to Legislature
Allie Christianson - Housing Advocate's Guide to Legislature
Allie Christianson - Housing Advocate's Guide to Legislature
Allie Christianson
Senior Community Organizer
Civic Nebraska
Senior organizer for the Collective Impact Lincoln (CIL) Initiative, where she works alongside Everett and Near South residents to support their dreams and schemes, from fostering skill-sharing and supporting creative place making projects to organizing advocacy efforts to keep our neighbors safe and housed.
Ruby Méndez López - Immigration
Keith Station - Sustaining DEI Impact in an Evolving Environment
Allie Christianson - Housing Advocate's Guide to Legislature
Ruby Méndez López
Community Oorganizer of Immigrants & Communities Program
Nebraska Appleseed.
Nebraska Appleseed is a statewide nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to justice and opportunity for all. For many years, Nebraska Appleseed has worked together with many partners across the state to support strong, vibrant, inclusive and engaged communities – while also building long-term leadership and participation.
Nick Grandgenett - Immigration
Keith Station - Sustaining DEI Impact in an Evolving Environment
Keith Station - Sustaining DEI Impact in an Evolving Environment
Nick Grandgenett
Staff Attorney, with the Immigrants & Communities Program
Nebraska Appleseed.
Nebraska Appleseed is a statewide nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to justice and opportunity for all. For many years, Nebraska Appleseed has worked together with many partners across the state to support strong, vibrant, inclusive and engaged communities – while also building long-term leadership and participation.
Keith Station - Sustaining DEI Impact in an Evolving Environment
Keith Station - Sustaining DEI Impact in an Evolving Environment
Keith Station - Sustaining DEI Impact in an Evolving Environment
Keith Station
Deputy Chief of Staff
Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert's office.
His role is to advise the Mayor on issues related to Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, develop and execute a strategic plan for Diversity & Inclusion for the City of Omaha, and help lead special projects and external affairs. Prior to joining the Mayor's team, he spent 5 years as Director of Business Relations at Heartland Workforce Solutions (HWS) where he helped to lead the strategic business engagement efforts for the local workforce investment board that serves Douglas, Sarpy, and Washington Counties.
Before joining HWS, he was an Executive Director within the YMCA of Greater Omaha Association. Keith holds a Master’s Degree from Indiana University, and Bachelors in Business Administration-Marketing from the University of Nebraska – Lincoln. Keith is a North Omaha native and a self-proclaimed "Girl-Dad." An avid golfer, he loves his Central Eagles, Cornhuskers, and Dallas Cowboys!
Keith serves as a member of the Board of Directors at Charles Drew Health Center, Business Ethics Alliance, Front Porch Investments, Omaha Public Schools Foundation, and Heartland Workforce Solutions. He is the current Chair for the MAPA Heartland 2050 Regional Planning Advisory Committee and serves on the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce Leadership Omaha Curriculum Committee. Keith also volunteers in support of the Omaha Press Club Education and Marketing Committees.
Rebecca Firestone - 2025 Tax and Budget Debate in the Nebr Legislature
Rebecca Firestone - 2025 Tax and Budget Debate in the Nebr Legislature
Rebecca Firestone - 2025 Tax and Budget Debate in the Nebr Legislature
Rebecca Firestone
Executive Director
OpenSky
Working at the intersection of data, evidence and policy impact for over 20 years, Rebecca is an applied social scientist passionate about translating high-quality evidence in ways that decision-makers can quickly use to take action.
After a career spanning four continents, Rebecca joined OpenSky in 2022. She leads a team focused on policy development that promotes shared prosperity and opportunity for all Nebraskans. Before joining OpenSky, Rebecca supported research and evaluation initiatives at the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation, and she served in leadership roles with Population Services International and the Harvard Global Equity Initiative. Rebecca holds a Doctor of Science in Health and Social Policy from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, a Master of Public Health from the University of Washington and Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology and Asian Studies from Vassar College.
Cammy Watkins - Building Common Ground with Elected Officials to Advance Issues
Rebecca Firestone - 2025 Tax and Budget Debate in the Nebr Legislature
Rebecca Firestone - 2025 Tax and Budget Debate in the Nebr Legislature
Cammy Watkins
Executive Director
Inclusive Communities
The conversation will be focused on tips and tools to utilize when meeting with Elected Officials who may not see eye to eye with you on the issues that you support. In this session we will review the concepts of coalition building and “strange bedfellows” relationship development to advance issues and promote positive policy change.
Rachel Gibson - Breaking News, How Bills are Passed
Rebecca Firestone - 2025 Tax and Budget Debate in the Nebr Legislature
Rachel Gibson - Breaking News, How Bills are Passed
Rachel Gibson
Vice President of Action
League of Women Voters of Nebraska.
She will highlight major bills that entered the Unicameral after this program was set. She also an overview of Nebraska Legislature's process and the necessary steps for a bill to become law. Rachel has spoken to this group each of the past 3 years.