Board Member Biographies

 

Nicolette Amundson

Ms. Amundson is an Associate with Bahr Vermeer Haecker Architects and has two decades of experience in the design profession. Nicolette holds a BA in Architectural Sciences from the University of Milwaukee and is a US Green Building Council LEED Accredited Professional.  She has helped propel her organization into the sustainable field and has managed the LEED certification submission process for clients. She has been instrumental in the formation of the Flatwater Chapter of the US Green Building Council and the Green Omaha Coalition.

Tracy Bohrofen

Tracy Bohrofen is the Program Officer with the Peter Kiewit Foundation with over two decades of professional experience in the business and banking industry. She is an advocate for city wide recycling, protecting and increasing green space, and educating the community on beneficial choices. Ms. Bohrofen holds a BA in Marketing from the University of Iowa and a Masters in Public Administration from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. She is an urban gardener promoting the use of native landscaping and is passionate about improving Omaha’s mass transit system into one that is energy efficient while providing service to all sectors of the city, particularly economically depressed areas.

Ron Duce

Ron Duce is a Project Executive with Kiewit Building Group Inc. and has 20 years of commercial building construction experience. Ron holds a BS in Construction Engineering Management from Oregon State University and is a US Green Building Council LEED Accredited Professional. He has been active in the USGBC Flatwater Chapter and is a Regional Council Representative.  He has helped implement and management the Kiewit Green program and works to educate employees and clients about green construction opportunities. Ron has presented on numerous occasions about the benefits of sustainable construction and business practices.

Ken Finch

Mr. Finch is the President and founder of Green Hearts Institute for Nature in Childhood and has 34 years of experience in environmental education and conservation work. He holds a BA in Sociology from Dickinson College and a MST in Environmental Education from Antioch-New England Graduate School. He has served in a multitude of directorships including the National Audubon Society, Fontenelle Nature Association, Glen Helen Nature Preserve and Outdoor Education Center and the New Canaan Nature Center. He has held middle management positions at The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis and the Children’s Museum of Hartford and has extensive board membership experience.

Barbi Hayes

Ms. Hayes is President and Founder of Hayes Environmental LLC an environmental science and regulatory business. She has taught environmental biology collegiately at both the University of Nebraska at Omaha and College of St. Mary and has helped managed family farming operations as well. She holds a BS in Biology from College of St. Mary and is trained is Implementation of NEPA, Wetlands Evaluation Technique, and Federal Wetland Regulation Policy. Barbi has extensive board experience including The Nature Conservancy, Board of Trustees, Douglas County Board of Adjustment, and the Douglas County Planning Commission and has dedicated her career to wetlands and conservation issues.

Denise Kuehn (OPPD seat)

Ms. Kuehn is the Manager – Demand Side and Sustainable Management for the Omaha Public Power District and has 20 years of experience in the energy and power market. Denise holds a BS in Electrical Engineering from the University of Nebraska Lincoln and has EIT professional certification in the State of Nebraska. She has held numerous leadership positions within the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air Conditioning Engineers and is active the International Facilities Management Association, Building Owners and Managers Association, Junior League of Omaha, and the ICAN Defining Women Program.

Katie Torpy

Katie Torpy is the Program Coordinator for the Joslyn Institute for Sustainable Communities, an organization based out of Omaha and Lincoln that advocates regional planning and the sharing of local best practices. Katie holds a BA in Philosphy and a minor in Environmental Issues from the Colorado College. She is also a member of the Activate Omaha leadership team.

Connie Spellman

Ms. Spellman is the Director of Omaha by Design, a group focused on enhancing the city’s natural setting, improve the city’s civic and public image, and preserve city residential neighborhoods. Connie holds a BS in Secondary Education from the University of Nebraska Lincoln and has spent the bulk of her career with the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce. She serves on advisory committees for Clean Solutions for Omaha, the Papillion Creek Watershed Partnership, and Watershed by Design, Stormwater Masterplan Policy Development and has held extensive board leadership positions in the greater Omaha area for the past fifteen years.

Scott Keep

Scott Keep is the Senior Vice-President of Operations at the Metropolitan Utilities District with 27 years of public utility experience. He oversees the systems that provide safe drinking water and natural gas to customers in the metro Omaha area. A registered professional engineer, he holds a BS in Civil Engineering from Iowa State University. He is president of the Sarpy County Economic Development Corporation and the Ralston Schools Foundation. He serves on the Western Douglas County Chamber board and is a member of the Community Basin Panel for Clean Solutions for Omaha. He also is active in the Ralston Chamber, Suburban Rotary, the American Society of Civil Engineers, the American Gas Association, the American Water Works Association, Midwest Energy Association, and the American Public Gas Association.

Jay M. Palu

Jay is a registered Architect, a US Green Building Council LEED Accredited Professional and a member of the American Institute of Architects. Jay holds of BS in Architecture from the University of Nebraska and a Master of Architecture degree from the University of California-Berkeley College of Environmental Design. He is a board member of the Greater Omaha Chamber Young Professionals Council and a member of the Voice Omaha steering committee. Jay is a Senior Associate with DLR Group and a member of the firms national sports practice. Recent projects include work with the New York Yankees, Texas Longhorns, and the Omaha Royals.

David Dover

Dover, 26, Policy Advisor for the Omaha Mayor's office. He has a Bachelor's Degree in political science from the University of Nebraska at Omaha and is currently working on a Master's Degree in public administration. Dover will advise on administration policy.

Annette T. Artherton

Ms. Artherton is the Planning, Research and Special Projects Coordinator with Omaha Economic Development Corporation.  She holds a B.A. in History from the College of White Plains in New York and an M.S. in Urban Studies from the University of Nebraska Omaha.  She is a member of the American Association of Grant Professionals.  She is an advocate of sustainable development and is passionate about improving the quality of affordable housing through the integration of energy efficiency and healthy built environment design elements.

Craig Moody

Craig Moody is principal of Verdis Group and has an MBA from the University of South Dakota. He is chair of the Earth Day Omaha Coalition, a member of Environment Omaha’s core committee and natural environment sub-committee and serves on VOICE Omaha’s steering committee. Moody was a member of Omaha’s Downtown Master Plan Advisory Group, served as the 2009 chair of Omaha’s Young Professionals Council and was named to the 2009 list of Ten Outstanding Young Omahans by the Omaha Jaycees, who gave him a distinguished service award.

Don Preister

Don Preister is the cofounder of Joy Creations Greeting Card Co. Inc. who serves on the Bellevue city council.  He served for 16 years in the Nebraska legislature, advocating for clean renewable energy, sustainable family farm practices, open accessible government and environmental stewardship. He co chairs the state Wind Working Group, Chairs the South Omaha Environmental Task Force and the Green Bellevue Committee.  Don is a Vietnam veteran, former Boys' Clubs of Omaha worker, and Deputy Omaha city clerk, who earned a BS in Education from UNO.

Kerri R. Peterson

Kerri R. Peterson is a graduate of Iowa State University with an undergraduate degree in Biology.  She moved to Omaha after college and worked at Methodist Health System for four years as a corporate recruiter.  During this time she earned her Masters Degree in Health Promotion with an emphasis in human resource Management. In 1996 Kerri began working for Live Well Omaha, a healthy community movement in Omaha.  In her duties as Executive Director, Kerri has been responsible for direction of the collaborating efforts of the major hospital systems, health insurance companies, major corporations, and several public/private entities.  In addition to producing a community health indicator project, LWO is a catalyst organization, providing a table for dialogue about community health and how to sustainably impact health across the community. LWO is also the organization at the head of a community convergence- melding prevention and wellness into measurement, corporate wellness, and community action.  Kerri participated in the 2001 Health Forum’s Creating a Healthier Communities Fellowship and received her certification in health ministries.  She graduated for the Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Omaha program and Non-Profit Executive Leadership Institute.

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