About the MCC Foundation

Gerry Tomka is the executive vice president and chief operating officer at Security National Bank. Tomka has been in the banking industry for nearly 40 years with a focus in lending. As an executive member of a community bank, Tomka is an advocate for community-based organizations and has teamed up with the Intercultural Senior Center, Children’s Respite Care Center and The Durham Museum to help support their missions to serve the Greater Omaha area.

Tomka currently serves on the MCC Applied Institute of Finance Advisory Board and has enjoyed learning about the educational resources MCC provides its student population. He hopes to help create awareness for all programs that MCC offers by becoming more involved with the foundation and connecting with others who share the same passion for furthering educational development.

Born and raised in Omaha, he attended Omaha Creighton Prep High School, and graduated from Creighton University with a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration with an emphasis in finance management and marketing.

Outside the office, Tomka enjoys traveling with his wife (Rosie) and spending time with their daughter (Kate), son-in-law (Dan) and son (Greg). His hobbies include time spent in the outdoors—hiking, biking and fishing. Aiming to help people achieve their dreams and reach their full potential in all aspects of life is what Tomka lives by.

Kurt Meisinger began working for Frankel LLC in 1992 having previously worked for Blue Cross / Blue Shield of Nebraska and KPMG. His primary focus is accounting and auditing services with significant experience with not-for-profit organizations. Kurt is a member of Frankel's business valuation team and has received accreditation in business valuation for the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). Kurt graduated from Wayne State College, is on the CPAmerica National not-for-profit team and is a member of the Nebraska Society of Certified Public Accountants (NSCPA) not-for-profit committee.

He is a member of the AICPA, the AICPA Not-For-Profit Section and the NSCPA and also is an associate member of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners. Currently, Kurt serves as treasurer of a local not-for-profit and is chairman of the board for a local governmental unit. The Plattsmouth Optimist Club previously recognized Kurt as their "Friend of Youth" in honor and recognition of his outstanding and unselfish service to the community. Kurt is married to Angela and they have three daughters, one granddaughter and two grandsons.

Nick Jensen has a B.A. in Business Management from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Nick has lived in Omaha his entire life. Nick serves as the Vice President of Retail Sales at Jensen Tire & Auto. Jensen Tire & Auto has provided automotive repair and tire services to the Omaha and surrounding communities for over 46 years. Nick and the Jensen Family provide jobs for over 250 people in the community.

Nick is determined to bring career awareness about trades to the youth in the Omaha community. Nick is involved with several automotive related committees not only at the Trade School level, but also at the high school level as well. Nick enjoys developing these programs so that the students/ future workforce in Omaha is ready for the years ahead.

Nick values being part of the MCC Foundation board because he thinks the innovative programs that MCC provides its’ students are the necessary skills to help the Omaha community thrive for years to come.

Karen Pesek is the Director of Finance and Community Liaison at Pesek Law, a bilingual personal injury law firm in Omaha. Born in Chihuahua, Mexico, Karen moved to Columbus, Nebraska in 2003 after graduating high school with the goal of becoming bilingual and then returning to Mexico to complete her college education. She enrolled in Central Community College and earned her Associate of Arts Degree. At this time, she also met her husband, Ross Pesek, an attorney at Pesek Law. Karen went on to earn a Public Accounting degree in 2007. After college Karen worked as an auditor with Deloitte, an international accounting and consulting firm. As an auditor she had the opportunity to travel all over the United States, Mexico, and Spain.

Karen eventually left Deloitte to help operate the business side of the newly formed law firm, Pesek Law. In 2013, Karen and her husband co-founded the True Potential Scholarship program to help young immigrants achieve their true potential through quality, affordable education. This scholarship program focuses on providing opportunities to attend local community colleges for immigrants residing in Nebraska and Iowa. Karen is not only an advocate for immigrants, but is also an advocate for low-cost, no-debt, college education. In the past six years, True Potential has awarded over 100 scholarships to approximately 85 unique individuals using private funds raised under the Pesek's leadership.

Today, Karen's role at the law firm has evolved to include not only finance, but she's also the community liaison of the organization, collaborating with partners that serve the immigrant community in Nebraska and Iowa. For three years, Karen was the treasurer of the board of directors at the Heartland Workers Center an organization that promotes civic engagement amongst underrepresented communities. Karen is on the board of the non-profit Urban Abbey.

Karen and Ross, along with their three children, reside in South Omaha.

Stephen B. LeGrand holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Northern Iowa, an MBA from the University of Iowa, certification in Integrated Supply Chain Management from the University of Tennessee, CPIM certification from the American Production & Inventory Control Society and a certification in Technology from the Society of Manufacturing Engineering.

LeGrand joined the Valmont Company in 2007, as the VP of Global Operations for the Irrigation division with plants in US, Brazil, Spain, South Africa, China and Dubai. Prior to coming to Valmont, he was with the Kohler Company, serving as the director of operations, Worldwide for Power Systems division, producing small and large industrial grade generators for the standby power generator market. In this position, he led a growing global operations team in Singapore, China, India and the U.S. He was responsible for managing, integrating and capturing worldwide operational synergies in all operational disciplines. Stephen has a strong background in lean manufacturing, quality, customer service, cost management and safety.

LeGrand has held several community positions in youth organizations to help foster athletic development, sportsmanship and positive management of young athletes. In addition, he has been involved with school fund raising, education and neighborhood management. His hobbies include golf, exercising, hunting and reading.

LeGrand joined the MCC Foundation to help foster the development of students wanting to enter the workforce with skills that are relevant to the needs of the working environment. To accomplish this, he believes it is imperative that business professionals get involved to help colleges with infrastructure, equipment, tools and guidance needed to equip our teachers and faculty members with the right vision, direction and best available resources to aid the learning process. As new technologies evolve throughout our world, we need workers who are well prepared to implement these concepts, leading our country to keep the fabric of America strong for generations to come.

George Martin III has a B.A. of Arts, History from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a Juris Doctorate with distinction from the University of Nebraska College of Law. Currently, he is an attorney for Baird Holm LLP, where his practice includes employment and workers’ compensation litigation, governmental litigation and relations, general civil litigation, and human resources training and counseling.

Martin’s volunteer experience includes Mock Interview program (Papillion/La Vista School District), Mock Trial program (Nebraska State Bar Foundation), MCC Foundation board member (2005-11), pro bono legal work, Sigma Nu Housing Corporation of Nebraska (current) and a member of the Nebraska Diplomats (current).

Martin is interested in serving on the board because he is enthusiastic about MCC and wants to assist with the impending capitol campaign, along with other Board initiatives. He believes MCC is one of Omaha’s greatest assets and is interested in any issues related to the College.

Hina Agarwal arrived in Omaha during the summer of 2019 after spending most of her life in Chicago. She attended University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and received a BS in Bio-engineering and a BS in Biochemistry. She followed up her undergraduate studies by earning her MS in Education at Northwestern University.

Hina taught high school science for fourteen years in the Chicago-land area and coached volleyball during ten of those years. During her years in the classroom, she presented at Northwestern University’s Annual STEM Summit, attended Seeds of Peace Camp for two weeks in Ottisfield ME, was a Fulbright Fellow in the Teachers for Global Classrooms Program, presented at NSTA & participated in Summer Research Experience for Teachers at Northwestern University.

Hina currently works at the Kiewit Luminarium and sits on the Completely Kids' Guild. She believes that communities flourish and neighborhoods thrive when citizens are able to earn a living doing what they love and feel safe in their space. Education, for many, is the first step to that happiness and she is grateful to be a part of that journey for the students that attend MCC.

Dr. Jennifer Allen is the current owner of Cohen & Kelly's Lounge. She has 25 years of experience as a public educator and administrator. She is a certified Speech, Language Pathologist and was a supervisor for Speech, Language & Hearing for Omaha Public Schools, Assistant Principal at Bryan High School from 2010-2012 and Assistant Principal Millard West High School from 2012-2022. She has a background with teaching college and career skills and enjoys working with counselors, teachers, parents and students on sharing how to access vital information to support their post-secondary goals. Dr. Allen has a strong passion for supporting continuing education that is the right fit for each individual student. She recognizes that there is no one right path for finding a trade or career that is the right fit for each one of us. She encourages all students to be lifelong learners and to pursue the dreams that are right for them.

An Omaha native, Andy Alloway has been the owner and President of Nebraska Realty since 2009. He started his real estate career in 2001 after graduating from Northwest Missouri State University. In 2004, he was promoted to general manager of DEEB & Associates Real Estate and eventually purchased the company in 2009—renaming it Nebraska Realty in 2015. He stated, “It is a privilege for me to help guide our outstanding team of people that has grown into one of the largest real estate companies in the country. Our Mission at Nebraska Realty is, 'Real Estate is our What, but people are our Why.' I am passionate about growing Nebraska Realty to be as impactful as possible in the lives of our Employees, REALTORS®, Clients, and the Communities in which we serve, and I am grateful to all of the people that have helped make Nebraska Realty what it is today."

When Andy isn’t working, he enjoys coaching youth sports, working-out, traveling, and attending live events. He loves spending time with his family going to Creighton basketball games, Husker football games, watching movies, playing golf, and going out to dinner.

Andy has served in many capacities to the real estate industry including as a member of the Nebraska Real Estate Commission, the President of the Nebraska REALTORS® Association and as a Federal Political Coordinator for the National Association of REALTORS® to Congressman Don Bacon. Andy’s greatest service, however, is as a Christian and a dedicated family man.

An old friend once told me the greatest challenge in life is learning how to work with people. My time in management reveals there is great truth to this. The challenge is much harder if one puts forth little effort in learning the skills to become an effective communicator.

I’ve always been a bit of a dreamer. As a dreamer, I did not know precisely what I wanted to do, but knew so many areas of life fascinated me. Within me there was a longing for connection and to be a source of help to others.

After years spent figuring out what I wanted to do with my career, little did I know the career I would be best suited for was right in my own backyard.

I began working for Cornhusker International Trucks, Inc. (my family’s business) in the early 2000s. During my summers off in college I worked as a receptionist. I graduated with a degree in Journalism from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Three days later, I accepted my dad’s job offer and began work as a full time Human Resources Assistant.

After a while, I found great meaning in the field of Human Resources. Eventually I grew into the role of Human Resources Manager in 2012. This field allows me to build connection with others, enhance communication skills, be creative while being organized, and continually strive for improvement.

Helping people advance in their careers so they can live their best lives is my greatest motivator.

A little about me: I prefer the finer, quaint, and quieter side of life. My days are spent learning, researching, organizing things, listening to podcasts, sipping on hot coffee, crafting, spending time outdoors, taking walks with my husband and our two dogs and venturing out on our bicycles.

Sheila Fields, MBA CPLC is a Nebraska-based entrepreneur, philanthropist, professor, writer, certified life coach and speaker whose passion is to help others live a legacy of vision, hope, and empowerment. She does so by leveraging her education, professional background, and life experiences with her unique approach to storytelling and belief in her clients.

Fields is the founder and CEO of The Bobby Byars Foundation, Incorporated, which focuses on strengthening families and local communities. Initiatives such as Community Safety Day, endowments and trade scholarships, the foundation has awarded over $50,000 in scholarships and provided tools to help families to thrive through empowerment. The organization's leadership development project, Project W.O.R.K. (Winning = Opportunities, Resources and Knowledge) — aims to increase opportunities for unemployed or underemployed individuals by partnering with small businesses and mentors. Project W.O.R.K. provides a toolkit that helps participants become more empowered while supporting small businesses who partner as mentors.

As the owner of BFields Solutions, Incorporated (BFSINC), her company fills a critical gap for businesses and layperson by providing technical services for those who lack technical knowledge or do not have the time to develop solutions efficiently. BFSINC has delivered courses, coaching, training, and technical solutions for organization and business across the U.S.

As a writer for the historical Omaha Star newspaper and her virtual discussion platform, Unobstructed Views, Sheila Fields used her "comeback coach" style storytelling to speak boldly on issues that matter. Her goal is to provide tools to help listeners and readers become more confident as they navigate through life, careers, challenges, and successes.

Mrs. Fields holds a bachelor's degree in Computer Science from the University of Nebraska and a Master of Business Administration from Creighton University. She is a certified professional life coach and speaker and recently completed a certificate – Women Entrepreneurship - from Cornell University. You can find additional information at www.sheilabfields.com , on Instagram @coachsheilafields or www.linkedin.com/in/sheilabfields.

Twenty years ago when mapping out a plan for my future, I never imagined it looking as it does now! After a BME degree from The University of Kansas, design school in Nashville, and an interior design degree from MCC here in Omaha, jh Interior Design was officially started in 2007! As a one person company, I set out to conquer the design world from my basement!

We have since continued to grow and have worked with well over 800 clients on various types of projects around the country. As a person who likes new ventures and a challenge, I could not help but open another business in 2014: a full service floral design studio named bouquet. We are creating unique and gorgeous floral designs all around Omaha! Flowers are a natural extension of interior design, and the two businesses marry so well together. As of 2020 we officially share a studio in Clocktower Village. Come see the way fresh floral and interior design pair together so beautifully!

To date at jh Interior Design, we have ten designers and recently expanded, for the fifth time, into a new studio featuring an unreal shopping boutique and design offices! I am so inspired and grateful each day when I walk in here, it rarely feels like I am going to work. I thought about what makes us unique. . . we work hard, and we have fun! We keep things in perspective and stay positive. We deliver exceptional customer service and follow through for our clients. We treat people with respect and create stunning atmospheres for them to live and work in! We love what we do, and it shows!

We will celebrate 13 years this summer, and I could not be more proud of the design work we have produced in the Omaha area and in cities around the country. I am so fortunate to not only have an extremely supportive family, but also an incredibly talented team of designers at both jh Interior Design and bouquet. Each of them bring unique and amazing gifts to the table each and every day!

I can’t wait to see what the future holds. . . full speed ahead, here we come!

Matt is a Project Executive at Turner Construction Company. He graduated from the University of Nebraska – Kearney, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Construction Management and has over 20 years of construction experience on projects in Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, Colorado, and South Dakota.

Prior positions he has held throughout the course of his career include Superintendent, Preconstruction Engineer/Estimating, and Senior Project Manager. Some of his previous projects include Arrowhead Stadium Renovation – Kansas City Chiefs, Hollywood Casino at Kansas Speedway, College of Business – University of Nebraska Lincoln, Discovery Hall – University of Nebraska Kearney, Interdisciplinary Building – Southeast Community College Beatrice Campus, Verizon Data Center Omaha , and Radius Omaha.

Current volunteer commitments include Construction Industry Advisory Committee for Metropolitan Community College, CAT Advisory Board for Wayne State College, Academic Advisory Council for University of Nebraska Kearney, Heartland for Hope, and Habitat for Humanity. He also volunteers time at his local church with his family. Matt leads the Higher Education and Industrial Market Segment Groups at Turner and enjoys working with others in this realm and making new connections.

Through his experience, Matt is driven to help others reach their full potential on the project teams he is working on including all stakeholders and business partners. He enjoys watching the projects come to life and revisiting them when they are in full use for the client.

Born on a Dairy Farm in Pickrell, Nebraska, he now resides in south Lincoln with his wife, son, and daughter.

Banti Iteffa is currently employed at Charles Schwab as a Product Manager focusing on strategy and continuous improvement. He has over 25 years of experience as a continuous improvement practitioner. He is a certified Six Sigma blackbelt. Banti is a graduate of the University of Nebraska in Lincoln with a degree in Industrial Engineering. His passion for learning and education comes from his mother a retired schoolteacher. His professional experience includes 15 years as a Manufacturing Engineer and 5 years of managing a Tool Room. His manufacturing experience gave him a firsthand interaction with many talented trade professionals in the state. As a father of two school aged daughters, he encourages them to learn inside and outside of the classroom.

Tracy Madden-McMahon is the president and chief executive officer of Methodist Hospital Foundation. She focuses on major gifts, grateful patient programs, and physician outreach along with supervising marketing, communications and other areas.

Madden-McMahon joined Methodist Health System in June 2011 as a director of development. Prior to that she was an anchor/reporter for WOWT-TV, the NBC affiliate in Omaha. She has been recognized for her work with a regional Emmy and Edward R. Murrow among other awards.

Madden-McMahon earned her bachelor's degree in communications from Illinois State University. She earned her Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy (CAP) designation through The American College in a year-long program organized by Omaha Community Foundation. She received certification from Indiana University's Fund Raising School and is a graduate of the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy's Madison Institute.

Madden-McMahon is a member of The Rotary Club of Omaha, sits on the Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy Advisory Board and serves on the Advisory Council for Assistance League of Omaha.

Anayeli is a Project Executive for Kiewit Building Group.

She joined Kiewit Building Group, Inc. in 2007, her first project was renovation of the Lasting Hope Recovery Center in Omaha, Nebraska. Anayeli worked on several different projects and departments throughout her career; Project Management, Project Engineering, Special Projects, Commissioning, InEight, Client Services Group Manager, and was Project Manager for a multi-million-dollar building job in Lincoln, NE prior to becoming a Project Executive. She has 15 years of construction experience in Nebraska, Colorado, Wyoming, Arizona, California, Hawaii, and is currently performing project executive functions on vertical building construction projects in the greater Omaha metro area. As Project Executive, Anayeli ensures budget, schedule, and quality meet or exceed client’s expectations for overall successful projects.

Anayeli graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Construction Engineering with minor in Mathematics from the University of Nebraska – Lincoln (Omaha Campus). She currently serves on Small Business Outreach – Volunteer Instructor for MCC Contractor & Business Academy, Latino Economic Development Committee, Kiewit Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee, United Hispanic Contractors Association, and UNL National Diversity Advisory Board Meeting.

Born in Mexico, spent her childhood in California, she now resides in Omaha, Nebraska with her husband, son, daughter, and cockapoo.

Jill Panzer originates from Alliance, a small town in the panhandle of Nebraska. Mrs. Panzer received her Bachelor of Science from Southwest Missouri State University, where she studied recreational therapy. Upon graduation, Mrs. Panzer spent several years working in Rehabilitation Hospitals as a Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist, reintegrating spinal cord injured patients back into the community.

Mrs. Panzer ventured into corporate America after her move to Omaha in 1996, where she embarked on a career in sales. Her sales career took her into the arena of data sales, event sales and eventually into pharmaceutical sales. After leaving Corporate America to focus on her family she stayed active as a volunteer and fundraiser in the community. Jill has been very active in the Omaha catholic school system, with special attention given to St. Stephens the Martyr, St. Patrick's in Elkhorn, Mount Michael and Duchesne Academy. Where she has chaired annual fundraisers and countless committees. Other organizations that are close to her heart are the Make-A-Wish foundation and Merry Makers. She is a proud member of the American Legion Auxiliary.

As the mother of a Type 1 Diabetic and a T1D herself, she has be a dedicated supporter of JDRF. Jill and her husband Jon were the fundraising Chairs for the 2017 Gala. In addition to raising their son, Jackson and their daughter, Joslyn, they have been international foster parents for 10 years to their "son" Alex Sunwoo.

In 2018 Mrs. Panzer took a leap of faith and made her passion a reality as she and her husband became owners of the historic V. Mertz restaurant in the Old Market. With this endeavor she is currently a member of the Old Market Association and the Omaha Restaurant Association.

Mrs. Panzer is looking forward to working on the MCC Foundation to make education obtainable for those seeking to learn. The strength and confidence gained from success in education, knows no limits.

Carol Russell is a community advocate and former cancer study manager at University of Nebraska Medical Center. She is highly involved in the community, working with the Assistance League, Nebraska Children and Families Foundation, Nebraska Public Media, Partnership4Kids, Youth Care and Beyond, Holland Children's Institute, Union for Contemporary Arts, Nebraska Coalition for Lifesaving Cures, and the UNMC Scientific Review Committee, among others.

Carol earned a bachelor's degree in Zoology and Chemistry from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a master's degree in Pathology at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. She is married to Rick Russell, President of Millard Lumber.

Carol has previously served on the MCC Foundation Board of Directors for six years.

Michelle Settles is the Senior Director of Business Operations for First National Bank of Omaha. Michelle has worked for FNBO the past 24 years. Her new position with the bank brought her to Omaha via North Platte five years ago. After growing up in Paxton Nebraska, Michelle graduated from Eastern Wyoming Community College and Hasting College where she majored in business administration, management, and marketing.

Michelle has previously served in both a leadership role and as an active board member on the Lincoln County Community Development Board, AYSO Soccer Board and the Domestic Violence Intervention Board. Michelle has first-hand knowledge of how a community college can provide an affordable outlet for a student to continue their higher education. Michelle looks forward to serving on the MCC Foundation Board to help ensure that MCC can continue to provide flexible educational opportunities to students while providing a skilled workforce to employers.

Outside of work, Michelle loves to try new food while traveling to new places with her husband (Nate) and spending time with her son (Austin), daughter-in-law (Kate) and their dogs (Oakley & Moose). Michelle and Nate are anxiously waiting for the arrival of their first grandchild in March 2021.

Nick Shannon, CRPC® is a Magna Cum Laude graduate of California State University, Bakersfield. He earned a Business Administration degree while playing on the NCAA Division 1 baseball team. He is also a lifetime member of Beta Gamma Sigma – an international honor society for collegiate schools of business. Additionally, Nick earned an Organizational Leadership certificate from Harvard Business School. The College for Financial Planning has also awarded him with the Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor designation.

As a Vice President, Relationship Manager with Bridges Trust, Nick develops customized strategies for wealth preservation, strategic asset growth, family office services, trust services and philanthropic services to high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth individuals, families, non-profits and foundations.

Prior to joining Bridges Trust, Nick was the founder of Prestige Wealth, LLC – an independent wealth management firm in Omaha. Over the course of his career, he has excelled in progressive roles with some of the largest financial institutions in the country (LPL Financial, Merrill Lynch, Edward Jones, Prudential Financial, and Ameritas).

Nick and his wife Lindsay have 3 wonderful boys – Austin (2016), Cameron (2019), and Jordan (2022). Outside of work, Nick is proud to serve his community. He serves on the Investment and Finance committees for the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Omaha, he serves on the board and as a mentor for TeamMates of Elkhorn, he serves as a board member for the MCC Foundation, he serves as a board member of Salvation Army Echelon – Omaha, he serves as a volunteer baseball coach for Elkhorn Athletic Association, he volunteers at Life.Church Omaha and he is a member of the Nebraska Financial Planning Association. With his rare spare time, Nick enjoys attending his boys’ sporting events, golfing, going to the College World Series and rooting on the Nebraska and Creighton athletic programs.

Joe Strickland serves Valmont as Vice President – Global Irrigation Operations, a role in which he is responsible for manufacturing operations around the world supporting the Irrigation business. Prior to that Joe served for 3 years as Vice President & General Manager for North America Irrigation. Joe joined Valmont from Ecolab where he spent the last 10 years in a variety of roles in Corporate Finance and General Management. His most recent role at Ecolab was Vice President–Agribusiness. Joe has his MBA from the University of Michigan, with an emphasis in Finance and Corporate Strategy, and his Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue University. Joe serves on the board of the JDRF Nebraska-Iowa Chapter, and previously the Minnesota AgriGrowth Council, as well as volunteered as an executive mentor as a part of Menttium program. Joe and his wife Lindsay, have two children.

Deputy Chief Thomas began her law enforcement career with the Omaha Police Department in October 1998 after graduating from the University of Nebraska at Omaha with a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice degree. She rose to the rank of Deputy Chief in 2022 after various assignments, including patrol officer, School Resource Officer, detective in Domestic Violence, Internal Affairs Sergeant, Training Unit Sergeant, and Commander of Internal Affairs and Public Information Office.

She earned her Master’s in Public Administration from Bellevue University in September 2012.

Deputy Chief Thomas was a part of Leadership Omaha Class 41 and the inaugural class of the Empowerment Network’s Redefine the Game Institute. She advocates for community engagement, believes in giving back to the community, and volunteers regularly. She serves on the Board of Directors for Special Olympics Nebraska, Youth Emergency Services, Metropolitan Community College Foundation, and Girls Incorporated of Omaha. She also was appointed by Governor Ricketts to serve on the Police Standards Advisory Council in 2022.

Deputy Chief Thomas is the President of the Nebraska Chapter of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives. She serves on the executive board of the Black Police Officers Association of Omaha. She is a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated.

Deputy Chief Thomas was the recipient of the City of Omaha’s 2021 Living the Dream Award, the 2021 Lynda Shafer Leadership Omaha Distinguished Alumni Award, the 2019 Rising Star Alumni Achievement Award from the University of Nebraska at Omaha School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, and the 2019 Julia D. Anderson Visionary Award from the Omaha Section of the National Council of Negro Women, Incorporated.

Deputy Chief Thomas is committed to mentoring the next generation of leaders in the Omaha Police Department.