Events

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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.