Events

Lynn McCormack grew up in Alton, Illinois

After earning a degree in Elementary Education, she taught for two years before moving to Omaha.

She taught 4th, 3rd and 2nd grades for a few years before becoming a Gifted & Talented teacher for 7 OPS elementary schools. That required knowing information about many various topics; sharks, archeology, debate, math, science and the arts.

Lynn works as a sales consultant at her son’s company- Identity Marketing Group

In her free time, Lynn enjoys traveling, reading, playing golf and attending sporting events-especially volleyball at Creighton and College of Saint Mary.

Lynn is going to tell us about the special project the Millard Rotary has been doing this year at Cody Elementary.

Vokal is a familiar voice to advocates of limited government and the free-market system, having served as an Omaha City Councilman from 2001-2009 and as Omaha’s youngest City Council President from 2003-2005. Jim has spent over the last decade developing relationships with elected officials across the state and is the host of the Nebraskanomics podcast.

Jim Vokal is a highly accomplished leader, and adds to his record of public service a solid business and financial background. Jim left his post with Mutual of Omaha Bank as Vice President of Commercial Banking in November of 2012 to join the Platte Institute as Chief Executive Officer. Jim has an extensive background spearheading city revitalization projects with an unwavering commitment to community development through key civic board members positions. Vokal was on the Metropolitan Entertainment & Convention Authority (MECA) Board where he previously served as Chairman. 

Jim, a lifelong Nebraskan, has spent his entire life in Omaha.  Jim graduated from Creighton University in 1992 with a business degree and has been very active in the Omaha community.  In addition to the organizations mentioned previously, Jim is the father of two children, Kate and Will who are both in college, making he and his wife Liz, official empty nesters.

Please join us for New Member Orientation.
All are welcome, but this is specifically for our newest members.

Should only take 15-20 minutes after the regular club meeting.

RSVP using the link, or diretly to Adrian at aenzasti@amfam.com

William Carl Brown is an Omaha lawyer who is in his 41st year of law practice. He was born and
raised in Omaha and returned here after attending the University of Iowa for undergrad and law
school. He then practiced primarily in the areas of business, employee benefits, and estate planning
and administration. He served on the board of directors of several client businesses and
civic/charitable organizations. For many years as an adjunct professor, he taught business law to
Executive MBA students. He then spent two years as vice president and trust officer of a local
trust company, eventually returning to private law practice as a sole practitioner. Mr. Brown and
his wife will soon be celebrating 39 years of marriage, which has produced four children and three
grandchildren (so far). He now focuses his law practice on estate planning and administration. In
that pursuit he came across the life story of a Vietnamese refugee who made it to this country. At
the age of 67, Mr. Brown became a first-time author by publishing an account of that refugee’s
extraordinary journey to America.

Hello Millard Rotarians,

Millard Rotary is proud to offer scholarships to seniors at our 3 Millard High Schools.  The process of interviewing these fine young scholars is always fun!  Please consider volunteering for the afternoon of Tuesday, April 21, 2024 to come to Millard North, Millard South and Millard West High Schools.

Click on this link to sign up.  Reach out to Kim Saum-Mills with any questions.

Thanks!

Kim Saum-Mills, Ed.D.
Associate Superintendent for Administration
Millard Public Schools
402-715-8200    

Prepayment and pre-registration required to attend.

Please join us for a Rotary Field Trip on May 18th. We will be meeting at the 911 Call Center that date, rather than The German American Society.

Please sign up in advance so that we know how many lunches to order. We will not have a "No lunch " option that date. 

Final sign up date is May 11.

We can accomodate the first 30 resgistrations.

Address for the event: 15335 West Maple Road, within the Douglas County Office Building 

This will be a fun event! 

Don't miss it!

Please PREPAY for this event!  

Go to this site to prepay https://square.link/u/i70uLqBj

Thank you! 

Lunch will be catered by Hy-Vee and  includes a croissant sandwich (a selection of roast beef, turkey, or ham with typical cheese/meat combinations) and four sides including water, chips, fruit, and a cookie.)

Jessica Lacey, RN, BSN, is a private duty pediatric nurse with 16 years of experience across cardiovascular ICU, in-home nursing, school-based support, and community care. Her work has focused on supporting children and young adults with complex medical and developmental needs, not only in clinical settings, but in everyday life where access, safety, and dignity matter.

Through years of hospital care, home nursing, and school support, Jessica repeatedly witnessed a gap that medical systems do not address. Families could receive excellent clinical care, yet remain isolated once care ended because safe, accessible transportation and community support are limited resources.

Maggie Pop’Nz was founded from this professional insight.

Her background includes care coordination, risk assessment, and individualized support for medically complex individuals. She has served as both caregiver and advocate, supporting adaptive routines and medical needs that allow children to safely participate in school, community activities, and daily life beyond traditional care settings.

Jessica also brings a strong creative perspective to her work, using storytelling and visual design to shape the welcoming, sensory-friendly environment that defines Maggie Pop’Nz. Her approach blends clinical knowledge with imagination, helping create experiences that feel safe, engaging, and inclusive for the children and families served.

Her leadership is grounded in clinical integrity, safety, and dignity. Maggie Pop’Nz is being built as a response to real barriers families face every day, restoring access to moments of connection, participation, and joy that too often remain out of reach.

Dr. Ernie Goss is a prominent regional economist known for making economics clear and relatable to diverse audiences. He directs the Institute for Economic Inquiry and is a professor at Creighton University’s Heider College of Business, holding the Jack A. MacAllister Chair in Regional Economics. He also leads The Goss Institute for Economic Research in Denver, a bipartisan think tank focused on business and economic research and actionable policy recommendations.

In the classroom, Goss uses real-world case studies to connect theory to practice, equipping students with practical insights to interpret, predict, and influence economic outcomes and policy debates. As an economist, he is a nationally recognized expert on the Mid-America economy who explains how regional conditions affect national and global trends—and vice versa. He is a trusted voice for government and business leaders, fellow economists, and the media, and is often at the forefront of regional and national public policy discussions.

Sarina first joined the organization in 2023 as a Resident Advocate for the women’s program and later completed her doctoral capstone with us, exploring the role of Occupational Therapy in survivor recovery. After earning her Doctorate in Occupational Therapy from Creighton University, she stepped into the role of Program Director, where she further strengthened our support systems for survivors and began developing the new program for teen girls.

Now, as Executive Director, Sarina remains deeply committed to providing survivors with the tools they need to heal and build meaningful lives.

With a background in pediatric nursing, I have seen firsthand what a child and their family goes through when diagnosed with a life-threatening condition. This became a reality for our family when our niece Gabby was diagnosed with cancer at age 5. Her determination and kind, giving spirit spilled over into her wish to bring a Bag of Fun to every child fighting a battle. It is our wish to bring Bags of Fun to the Omaha area and continue spreading the joy and love that Gabby would have wanted. It is in her spirit that we bring happiness wrapped up in a backpack to those children going through a really tough time in a world where just being a kid and playing is their job! It is with great honor that we are able to bring this foundation to the Omaha area and are extremely grateful for the opportunity to provide joy to children living with a life-threatening illness.

Our speaker today is District Governor Gretchen Bren.  Gretchen is a member of the Rotary Club of Omaha Night and has been a Rotarian since 2007.  Her husband Gary Bren is a past District Governor and is owner of Turner Technology where they both work.  Today, Gretchen is going to tell us more about herself, Rotary's theme and her own personal theme for the year.

Tiffany Regan joined the Omaha Parks Foundation as Executive Director in 2021. Regan is a former educator who ran the first public-private partnership – the “Metcalfe Park Playground Project” through the Omaha Parks Foundation. Seeing what an impact a new playground made in her community, she joined the Omaha Parks Foundation board in 2013 to continue to “Play it Forward” until term completion in 2018.  Prior to joining the OPF, she worked at Lauritzen Gardens as part of their development team.  Regan and her husband Kevin live in Omaha with their three daughters.