Commissioners - (click commissioners name for additional information)

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Ernie Abariotes – Washington County Board
Marcia Babcock – Lower Platte South Natural Resource District (NRD)
Mary Ann Borgeson – Douglas County Board 
Paul Cook – Sarpy County Board
Dean Bussing – Saunders County Board 
Rich Janssen – Sarpy County Board
Brenda Gunn - NIZC Vice-Chair - from LaVista representing Class I Cities
Bernie Heier – Lancaster County Board
Kyle Hutchings – Douglas County Board
Peter Kotsiopulos – University of Nebraska Board of Regents
Dr. Jack Huck / Jim Grotrian– Nebraska Community College Association 
Brad Stauffer – representative for Class II Cities
Phil Mullen – Lancaster County Board
Dave Nielsen –- Cass County Board
John Plucknett – Cass County Board
Chuck Sigerson-Omaha City Council
Ken Svoboda – NIZC Chair - Lincoln City Council
Jeff Weak – Douglas County Board 
John Winkler – Papio-Missouri Natural Resource District

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Marcia Babcock

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Mary Ann Borgeson

 
 
Mary Ann was elected in 1994 to the Douglas County Board of Commissioner's representing District 6. She was the first female to be elected Chair of the Board. Mary Ann is on the Douglas County Board of Health and Chair of the Region 6 Governing Board. She is a recipient of several awards with the latest being in 2006- as the Nebraska Association of Counties President's Award for Leadership in Health and Human Services and her work with the evacuees from Hurricane Katrina. Within her community she is on the Board of Directors for the College World Series, Domestic Violence Coordinating Council, Valley DV Task Force, Our Healthy Community Partnership, Hope Medical Outreach, Coalition to Protect Aging Adults and Omaha Metropolitan Medical Response System Mass Care Committee.

Mary Ann resides in Omaha with her husband. They have four children and one grandson. Mary Ann is a graduate of Gross High School, and has a BGS from the University of Nebraska at Omaha.

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Inez Boyd

Inez was elected to the Sarpy County Commission in 2000, and was re-elected in 2004. She served as vice-chair in 2003, chair in 2004, vice chair in 2006. She serves on the Metro Area Planning Association Board of Directors, and Finance committee.
Other elected offices:

Mayor of Bellevue 1986 through 1998
Bellevue City Council 1972-1982
Boards and positions held:

League of Nebraska Municipalities – Board Membership, 1975-1981, President in 1980
Great Plains Girl Scout Council – Board of Directors, 1976-1980, President 1978-1981
Financial Secretary of Bellevue Animal Hospital, Ltd 1961-2004
Graduate of Kansas State University. Mother of three adult children and four grandchildren.

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Brenda Gunn
NIZC Chair 

Brenda Gunn was appointed City Administrator for the City of La Vista, Nebraska in April 2006. She began working for the City in July 1997 as Assistant City Administrator and served as Interim City Administrator following the departure of Cara Pavlicek in November 2005. Brenda has nearly 13 years of professional local government management experience and is a Credentialed Manager by the International City/County Management Association (ICMA). In 2005, she received the ICMA Assistant Excellence in Leadership Award. She began her career in local government with the City of Concordia, Kansas in 1993 as the Director of Community Development and Assistant to the City Manager.

Brenda received a Bachelor of Science in Social Sciences from Kansas State University in 1991, and a Master in Regional and Community Planning in 1993 also from KSU. In 2003 Brenda was recognized by Kansas State University’s College of Architecture, Planning and Design as one of five alumni honorees.

Throughout her career, Brenda has been active in professional associations and community organizations, including: International City/County Management Association (ICMA); ICMA Awards Evaluation Panel 2005 – 2008; ICMA 2003 & 2004 Conference Planning Committee; Nebraska City Management Association; Nebraska Innovation Zone Commission Member ─ Representing 1 st Class Cities; La Vista Chamber of Commerce Board Member; Sarpy County Economic Development Board Member; American Planning Association; Sarpy County Chamber ¾ Leadership Sarpy III; North Central Regional Planning Commission Executive Committee (Vice Chairman); KSU RCP Curriculum Advisory Council; St. Joseph Hospital Auxiliary; Brown Grand Theater Advisory Board; Hanover High School Alumni Association (Secretary); Community Youth Volunteer

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Bernie Heier

Bernie Heier was appointed to the Lancaster County Board of Commissioners in 1998, elected in 2000 and re-elected in 2004.  He served as Chair in
2003 and is currently Vice Chair.

A life-long resident of Nebraska, Bernie grew up in rural Walton.  He graduated from Nebraska Wesleyan University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology and received his Master’s Degree in Counseling Psychology from the University of Nebraska - Omaha.
Bernie was a juvenile state parole officer prior to working for the Omaha Home for Boys where he was Dean from 1979 to 1985.  In 1978, Bernie and his family returned to Walton where he has been engaged in farming for the past thirty years.  He is a member of the Nebraska Corn Board, the Nebraska Corn Growers Association, the National Corn Growers Association and the National Drought Task Force.

Bernie also has a strong interest in land development and the criminal justice system.  In addition to the Nebraska Innovation Zone Commission, he serves on the Lancaster County Board of Corrections, the District Energy Corporation, the Lincoln-Lancaster County Ecological Advisory Committee, the Lincoln-Lancaster County Juvenile Justice Review Committee, the Nebraska Association of County Officials Board of Directors and the Lancaster County Youth Services Center Advisory Committee.

Bernie and his wife, Connie, have one daughter, Tiffany, and one grandson, Max.  They are members of First Plymouth Church in Lincoln

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Peter Kotsiopulos
NIZC Vice Chair

"I believe the 19 members of this Commission, who represent diverse interests across these six counties, have the potential to deliver a dynamic blueprint for future generations.  Our work can serve as a model for other geographic regions of Nebraska planning their economic and social quality of life goals."

Peter G. Kotsiopulos assumed the position of vice president for university affairs on July 1, 2005. He is responsible for the division within university administration devoted to economic development and university engagement, strategic communications, public relations, marketing, and state and federal government relations.
Kotsiopulos brings extensive business and community service experience to his position. Even before he graduated from college, Kotsiopulos had taken out a loan to open his own business in Kearney, Nebraska, Varsity Formalwear. He contracted their cleaning to his father’s business, Liberty Cleaners, and a few years later opened a linen and uniform supply company. The three businesses merged in 1981, and when his father retired, Kotsiopulos took up the helm as General Manager and President. Today, the company includes ten dry cleaning stores, four routes, eight agency sites and three formalwear locations throughout central Nebraska. Kotsiopulos is a member of the International Fabricare Institute, the Nebraska-Iowa Fabricare Association, the Mid America Management Bureau, the International Formalwear Association, and the Chambers of Commerce and Development Councils in Kearney, Hastings, North Platte and Grand Island.

From 1994 to 2002, Kotsiopulos served as mayor of Kearney; prior to that he was on the city council. He is a former chairman and member of the Nebraska State College Board of Trustees and the Nebraska Postsecondary Education Commission. He is a member of the Chancellor’s Advisory Council at the University of Nebraska-Kearney and a former member of the Board of Counselors at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. He has served on the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce and Industry education committee and the board of directors of the Kearney State College foundation. He has been involved in his community through the Boys Scouts of America, the Kearney Area Arts Council, the Museum of Nebraska Art, Sertoma International, and numerous community-based task forces and committees.

A third-generation Greek American, Kotsiopulos was born and raised in Kearney. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in business administration from Kearney State College, now the University of Nebraska-Kearney, in 1970. He and his wife Jane have two adult daughters.

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Dr. Jo Ann McDowell

Dr. Jo Ann C. McDowell accepted the Presidency at Metropolitan Community College (MCC) in Omaha, Nebraska on July 1, 2005. MCC is the largest community college and undergraduate institution in the state of Nebraska. Dr. McDowell holds the distinction of being the first woman community college president in the state of Nebraska. Prior to accepting the position in Omaha, Dr. McDowell spent thirteen years as the President of Prince William Sound Community College (PWSCC) in Valdez, Alaska (1992-2005). Upon her resignation from PWSCC, she was conferred the title of President Emeritus by the Alaska Board of Regents. Prior to her tenure in Alaska, she served in several senior administrative positions at Independence Community College from 1979-1992, including serving as President from 1988-1992. She served on the Kansas Board of Regents from 1989-1992.

She holds a Ph.D. from Kansas State University in Education and was named Alumni Fellow (Outstanding Alumna) from KSU in 1992. She holds a Ed.S., M.S., and B.S. from Pittsburg State University where she was named Outstanding Alumna in 1984 and received PSU’s Meritorious Service Award (the most prestigious award PSU confers on alumnus) in May of 2005. McDowell also holds an A.A. degree from Independence Community College. She received the Alaska Governor’s Arts for Distinguished Cultural Service Award in 2003 and has been honored nationally by Phi Theta Kappa twice. Initially, in 2000 when she received the Phi Theta Kappa Shirley B. Gordon Award at the national convention in Denver and again in 2005 when she received the Michael Bennett Lifetime Achievement Award which was presented at the international convention in Dallas. Upon the occasion of her tenth year of employment in the University of Alaska system, the Dr. Jo Ann C. McDowell Theatre Scholarship was established at the University of Alaska, Anchorage Theatre Department. It is conferred annually on a student majoring in theatre.

McDowell has founded two nationally prominent theatre conferences, the Edward Albee Last Frontier Theatre Conference in Valdez, Alaska which she founded in 1992 and the Edward Albee Great Plains Theatre Conference in Omaha, Nebraska which was inaugurated in May of 2006.

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Ron Melbye

Ron Melbye is the representative for Class II cities and the Mayor of Waverly. Ron has been the mayor since 1996, prior to that he served on the Waverly City Council from 1986-96. He is a past president for the League of Nebraska Municipalitites, and a current member of the National League of Cities, serving on the Small Cities Legislative Committee. Ron is also an account representative for Ayars& Ayars.

Other areas of interest for Ron are Governor's Mansion Restoration Commission 1997-1999, Greater Nebraska Private Industry Council, Life member of the Waverly VFW, Waverly American Legion and Waverly Kiwanis, as well as a current member of the Ashland Country Club.

Ron graduated from Wilcox High School, served in the U.S Army 1966-68, is a graduate of University of Nebraska -Kearney, and partner with PDC LLC Inc and HSM,LLC Inc. He is married to Gloria (VanDyke) Melbye they have a son and daughter-in-law and a granddaughter.

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Philip Mullin

Grew up in Valentine, Nebraska
Graduated from Nebraska Wesleyan University in 1967 with a Bachelor of Arts in Business
Employment History:

Garner Industries 1968 to 1990 - Vice President/General Manager Purchased Lincoln Machine in 1990 - President
Purchased Garner Industries in 1992 - CEO
Purchased Nebraska Mold in 1992 - CEO
Sold Lincoln Machine in 1995
I currently serve as director on the following boards:

National Association of Manufacturers
Food Bank of Lincoln
Vocational Foundation of Nebraska
Nebraska Center for Excellence in Electronics
Two privately held manufacturing companies
I am also Chairman of Manufacturing Council for Lincoln Partnership for Economic Development
Garner Industries is a Lincoln Manufacturing Company and has received numerous Business & Community Awards
Two grown children

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Dave Nielsen

Nielsen is a life long resident of Weeping Water where he graduated from high school. After graduation he served 3 years in the U.S. Army. While stationed in Germany for one year he received his Sergeant stripes. He came home to farm after an honorable discharge.

Dave helped to organize the Otoe County Rural Water District #3 as Chairman. He is currently Director of NRD District #2 and his term will expire in 2 years. Dave also serves as Treasurer on the Board of the Rural Fire District.

Dave and his wife Beth, reside in Weeping Water, where they’ve owned and operated the Nielsen Fertilizer business the past 40 years.

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John Plucknett

Commissioner Plucknett is the current President of the Home State Bank in Louisville, NE. He also serves as

Chairman of Cass County Economic Development Council and is the

Treasurer of B.U.I.L.D. (local Chamber of Commerce / Economic Development) in Louisville.

John is a member of the First United Methodist Church in Louisville.

He was recently elected as Chairman of the VEBA Board of Trustees (the Health Insurance Affiliate of the Nebraska Banker’s Assoc,)

John was appointed to the NIZC by the Cass County Commissioners as a Member at Large Position representing Cass County

A few of John's past affiliations include:Branch President of Adams Bank & Trust – Ogallala, NE.,Chairman of Keith County Economic Development Corporation,Chairman of Community Redevelopment Authority of Ogallala,Chairman of United Methodist Committee on Finance & Administration – Nebraska Conference and a graduate of the Nebraska L.E.A.D. Program (LEAD XI)

Member of the State of Nebraska Affordable Housing Commission.Treasurer of Nebraska Education Service Unit #16,as well as the Treasurer of Board of Education – Sutherland Public Schools.

John has been married for 30 years to his wife Lynn. They have 3 grown children:

Leticia – Creighton Law School Graduate, now in New York City, Jared – UNO MIS graduate, now in Omaha, NE

and Justin – now attending UNL in Lincoln, NE.

John serves as the NIZC Co-Chair for the Economic Development and Marketing Committee.

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Chuck Sigerson

Councilmember Sigerson is a twice elected representative of District #7 on the Omaha City Council. District seven includes the historic Keystone, RambleRidge and Maple Village as well as newer annexed subdivisions of Hillsborough, Bent Creek, Barrington and Windridge. The area includes neighborhoods from 72 st to 168 th and Blondo/Dodge North all the way to Standing Bear and Cunningham Lake. It includes Esther Pilster, Democracy, Hefflinger, Tranquility, Northwest, Standing Bear and Cunningham Lake Park.

Chuck and his wife, Elizabeth, have two children, Andrew and Anthea along with five grandchildren. Elizabeth is a “Master Gardener” and devotes much of her time to the gardens at the 4H Camp by Louisville Nebraska. The family lives in Omaha and they are very fortunate for their success.

Chuck was formally a Staff Sergeant in the Air Force and spent 7 ½ years in the military. He participated in the Vietnam War (oversees from 1965 to 1968) and continues to be involved as a member of American Legion Post #1 and AmVets, a life member of the DAV and a Merit Badge Counselor for Citizenship across the Omaha community, nation and world.

Councilmember Sigerson has served as a Board member on the Metropolitan Area Planning Agency, the Omaha Police and Fire Pension Board, the Omaha By Design Board, the Omaha City Charter Review Board and the Omaha Street Construction Committee. He is especially proud to be an Eagle Scout and has passed this on to his son Andrew as well.
 

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Ken Svoboda

Ken Svoboda was born in Wahoo, Nebraska on his father’s birthday. The family moved to David City, Nebraska and then to Lincoln a couple of years later. He grew up in Lincoln attending St Mary’s and Holy Family Catholic grade schools, and graduated from Southeast High School in 1974. He attended the University of Nebraska for three years majoring in Architecture. He started working for his father’s grounds maintenance company when he was eleven years old and returned to the family business following his departure from the University. Today he is a co-owner of Ray’s Lawn & Home Care with his parents and his brother Larry.

Ken’s commitment to public service began at an early age serving a variety of community services including the Boy Scouts, the Explorer program and several church organizations. His commitment to the city continued into his adult life serving on a variety of boards and commissions including the Lincoln-Lancaster County Board of Health, Keep Lincoln and Keep Nebraska Beautiful and served as the first Secretary/Treasurer of the National Association of Local Boards of Health. He is a member of the Lincoln Independent Business Association, The Lincoln Chamber of Commerce and several industry related associations. He was first elected to the Lincoln City Council in May of 2001 and won re-election in May of 2005.

His community service continues through his work on the City Council serving as chairman of the council as well as the Internal Liquor Committee. He is a member of the Railroad Transportation Safety District, the District Energy Commission and has just been elected as the Chair of the Nebraska Innovation Zone Commission. He and his wife Pam have two children and three granddaughters. He enjoys golfing and of course contributing to the golf ball inventory of the various lakes and ponds of our city’s public golf courses.

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Jeff Weak

Jeff is owner and President of Emjay Consulting Company. A life long Nebraskan, he graduated from Harry A. Burke High School and then continued his education at the University of NE-Lincoln where he graduated with high distinction in Speech Communications and Broadcast Journalism. Jeff has been involved with start-up companies and development of organizations on a national scale. Currently, his clients include Wild Escape Theme Park LLC, White Lotus Development, Sheltering Tree Development and Lionheart Sports.

During his career, Jeff has been responsible for creating development models and timelines to track trends and incentive changes for state governments and has coordinated new legislation and partnerships with local, state and federal representatives. He has created strategic marketing and business plans for organizations including budget and forecast packages.

Jeff currently serves on the boards of a number of community organizations including the Omaha Food Bank, the Omaha Children’s Museum and the Hope Center for Kids. Previously, he served on the board of the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) as well as on the Elder Board of West Hills Presbyterian Church.

Jeff is m arried to Emily Eckblade Weak and have four children: Charlie 13, Rudy 9, Lilly 5 and Naomi 3.

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John Winkler