2019 Speakers

Kate Ryan Brewer

Independent Writer and Filmmaker

Born in Seattle and raised in Southeast Asia, Kate is an independent writer and filmmaker, avid traveler, and macaroni and cheese connoisseur. Since graduating from Florida State University film school in 2007, she has lived and worked around the world in Los Angeles, Marrakech, London, Sydney, Washington DC, and Omaha.

In addition to the passion projects she is developing herself, she works for a range of companies and clients on feature scripts, short scripts, advertising copy, advocacy campaigns, blogs, and everything in-between. Hyperion published her first YA novel – “I Heart Vampires: Birth” under the pen name Siona McCabre in 2011. From writing comedic pop-culture parodies for Disney to developing communications for The Tahirih Justice Center to raise awareness about gender-based violence, Kate is always seeking out new and interesting ways to put her storytelling skills to use.

Currently she is directing and producing a feature documentary on forced and child marriage in the United States called “Knots: A Forced Marriage Story,” and directing a short horror film called “The Murder King.” She enjoys shenanigans, learning languages, snow surfing, and French malbec with good friends.

Gary Clark

Author

Garry Clark has been in the economic development field for over 12 years. In early 2019, Clark published his memoir, Unlikely Viking – From the D.C. Projects to Rural Nebraska. He currently works as the Executive Director at the Greater Fremont Development Council (GFDC), in Fremont, Nebraska. Clark joined the Greater Fremont Development Council in September 2017. Prior to his GFDC role, He worked as the NIFA Opportunity Fund Manager out of the Omaha and Lincoln, NE offices and before that served as Cuming County Economic Development Director and Zoning Administrator for 5 years in Northeast Nebraska.

Garry is the second Vice President of the National Rural Economic Developers Association and has served as the Northeast Development Network Chair in 2015. In late 2018, he was awarded the Midland Business Journal’s 40 under 40 award for his aggressive workforce housing efforts in Fremont, Nebraska. He received his BA in Sociology from Dana College, Blair, N.E. and his Master of Science in Urban Studies/Public Administration from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Although his Alma mater (Dana College) is no more, He was inducted into the Dana College Hall of Fame for Track and Field in 2010 and received the Outstanding Young Alum Award in 2018. He holds 11 records (most ever in the school’s history) and was the first male National Champion for Dana College. Prior to his work in Nebraska, he started out as a City Planner- Main Street Manager and Economic Development Specialist in Florida and Washington, D.C.

Theola M. Cooper

Crime Prevention Specialist, Omaha Police Department

Theola Cooper has been a Crime Prevention Specialist with the Omaha Police Department’s Northeast Precinct for eight years. As a Crime Prevention Specialist, she coordinates Neighborhood and Business Watch groups and community relation activities, such as Fun in the Park, National Night Out, Cops and Bobbers, Coffee with a Cop, and the Youth Citizen Education Training Program. She also assists in planning cultural events – NAACP Juneteenth Parade and Native Omaha Days.

Theola is a member of the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s Chancellor’s Board of Counselors, University of Nebraska Medical Center’s Biobank Community Board, Cinco de Mayo Omaha and currently serves as President of the American Heart Association’s Together To End Stroke Ambassadors.

Ms. Cooper started a program, REALationships, to addresses an issue of straw purchasing – where young women are coerced into buying guns on behalf of someone who cannot pass a background check. REALtionships aims to decrease the involvement of young women in criminal activity, and equip them with skills to make right choices in their lives, whether it is about their own health or relationship.

In her free time, Theola volunteers with the Omaha Performing Arts, enjoys listening to live music, and spending time with her friends and family. She has one son named, Mychal Davis.

Sidney Gnann

Executive Director at the Joslyn Castle

Sidney Gnann runs your neighborhood Castle. He is very interested in how places become part of individuals’ lives and take on a life of their own. For the past eight years, he has worked to improve lives by building community centered on a physical place. The best places have the power to bring diverse groups together in harmony. As Executive Director at the Joslyn Castle, he is gathering a coalition of people who love the historic urban estate so much that they are willing to invest in keeping it for the future.

With a degree in Financial Services, Gnann worked in banking and investments for a decade before his career took a turn toward working with more passion. He managed the business affairs of a Catholic parish for several years then took his career work outdoors by overseeing the activities of an urban park in Dayton, Ohio. It was then that he really started to learn what made people attach to a place.

When Sidney is not at work trying to gather a crowd, he escapes to the outdoors by hiking or camping with his wife and two sons. He also enjoys outdoor concerts and festivals.

Ashley Gorham

Fitness & Wellness Coach

Ashley Gorham graduated from University of Nebraska Omaha with a BA in Communications, emphasis in Business Marketing. She’s currently a Career Consultant for Medical Solutions, but spent the last seven years building a fitness business where she had the opportunity to transform hundreds of lives through health coaching.

She has presented on the topic of physical wellness to local groups such as HDR, Project Harmony, LinkedIn, Securities America, Girl Scouts, MOPS, Fit Girls Inc., Blue Cross Blue Shield of Nebraska, ENCOR, Methodist Hospital, Kat 103, and has written several articles for local and national publications.

Ashley’s passion for overall health has given her the knowledge and confidence to speak with integrity about weight loss and diet culture. Her platform has granted her the opportunity to compete successfully in Mrs. Nebraska America earning the Patty Steele Local Woman Achievement Award and Volunteer of the Year Award.

Additionally, in 2016 Ashley co-founded the Fit Foundation, a non-profit organization that raises money for local charities. Fit Foundation has donated proceeds to The Hope Center for Kids, City Sprouts, Make-A-Wish Foundation, and Hugs for Harper.

Ashley is married with two girls, Demi and Mila who all share a love for their black lab Zeus.

Dr. Elizabeth Hermsen

Head of Global Antimicrobial Stewardship at Merck & Co., Inc.

A native Omahan, Dr. Elizabeth Hermsen is the Head of Global Antimicrobial Stewardship at Merck & Co., Inc., where she focuses on optimizing antimicrobial use through education, research, and advocacy. She received her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Nebraska Medical Center followed by a pharmacy practice residency at The Nebraska Medical Center, and an infectious diseases fellowship and master’s degree in business administration at the University of Minnesota.

Dr. Hermsen is a Board Certified Pharmacotherapy Specialist with added qualifications in Infectious Diseases and is a Fellow and Past-President of the Society of Infectious Diseases Pharmacists. She has published in a variety of peer-reviewed journals and books, and has given over hundred presentations across the globe.

Elizabeth enjoys spending time with her husband, two children, and two dogs. She can frequently be found chauffeuring her little ones around town for various extracurricular activities. In her “spare” time, she runs an online fitness and nutrition coaching business.

Jocelyn Anderson

Singer and Songwriter

From busking on the streets of her hometown in Omaha, Nebraska, to wowing the audience at Harlem’s world- famous Apollo Theater, the singer-songwriter Jocelyn knows how to shine for a crowd. The 22- year-old musician, armed with her powerful voice, mesmerizing stage presence, rhythmic guitar playing, and tireless work ethic, puts the heart into Heartland, utilizing her natural talent and mature perspective to connect with listeners no matter what venue she plays. Jocelyn has captivated audiences around the world through her earnest music videos and performances and is soon to earn more fans with her first single, “Speak Up.” And with more music on the way, she will be sure to win over fans of performers like Alessia Cara, Jason Mraz, and her hero, Ed Sheeran, as she brings her inimitable style to the masses.

Her first single, the uplifting and infectious SPEAK UP, is about a personal bullying experience she endured and how she worked to overcome it. With its righteous chorus (“I’ll speak up so you can hear me/I’ll speak up ’cause it’s my life”) and catchy guitar work, driving bass, and bombastic beat, listeners can hear traces of her major inspirations—from Shawn Mendes and Gabrielle Aplin to Ben Howard, Bon Iver, and, naturally, Sheeran. Written during a session in Los Angeles with producer Denny White, the song came to Jocelyn like lightning and the pair had it finished in under an hour. SPEAK UP is about turning negativity into positive energy instead of letting the bullies drag you down,” she says. “It’s about realizing that you are your own individual, so speak up and live by example.”

That theme of self-empowerment carries across not only her new music but her entire life. Jocelyn has made her career possible by putting in the work required to find her audience and grow her abilities. Finally, the time has come for her to spread her talents wide. “I want to sell records, sell out arenas, make great music for people to connect to, and inspire a movement of self-love,” she says, before adding with a laugh, “and, of course, to meet Ed Sheeran and write songs with him.” Until that day arrives, Jocelyn is prepared to speak up, sing loudly, and to keep putting in the work to perfect her craft.

Jeffrey Koterba

Award-winning Cartoonist

Jeffrey Koterba was born in Omaha, Nebraska, and during the summer before his senior year of high school, he was struck by lightning. Instead of taking him to the hospital, his dad gave him his first shot of Jack Daniels.An award-winning cartoonist for the Omaha World-Herald, his work is syndicated to 850 newspapers worldwide, and has appeared in publications such as The New York Times, the Washington Post, and USA Today. His cartoons have also been exhibited in the U.S. and in Europe alongside Picasso, and in the Austrian embassy in Paris. His original drawings have also traveled around the globe on board space shuttle Discovery.

For his video series for CBS affiliate KMTV he has been a Heartland Emmy Award finalist twice. In his previous TEDx talk, he connects Tourette’s Syndrome, vulnerability, and creativity.

His memoir, Inklings, traces Koterba’s path on his journey to become a cartoonist, and more so, to rediscover the love of his family. Entertainment Weekly called Inklings “… a powerful and moving portrait of an artist.”

He is a lead singer, guitarist, and songwriter for his swing band, Prairie Cats, which has performed at the South by Southwest Music Festival and beyond.

Dr. Lance Kugler

CEO of Kugler Vision

Lance Kugler, MD, is a specialist in vision correction surgery and CEO of Kugler Vision. A proud Omaha native, he is passionate about improving lives through clear vision. Dr. Kugler serves on several national boards, and his practice is recognized internationally as a center of excellence. Dr. Kugler is one of the original founders of the Refractive Surgery Alliance, an international organization comprised of over 300 of the world’s leading vision correction surgeons; he also served as its first president. Dr. Kugler is an associate professor of Refractive Surgery at the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s Truhlsen Eye Institute. He has been published in numerous medical journals, and participates in numerous clinical studies to advance the field of vision correction surgery.

Dr. Kugler and his wife are proud parents to five active kids. When he has a spare moment, he enjoys skiing, tennis, travel, and fine coffee.

Ruth Meints

Executive Director of the Omaha Conservatory of Music

Ruth Meints has been the Executive Director of the Omaha Conservatory of Music (OCM) since 2005 and authored the String Sprouts curriculum launched in 2013. She currently teaches violin and viola at OCM and conducts various workshops around the country in violin pedagogy and music education, integrating current neuroscience findings into music teaching. While at OCM, she has created many music education programs, such as OCM’s Summer Institute, Winter Festival Orchestra, a full music program at the St. Augustine Indian Mission School on the Winnebago reservation, as well as the Inside the Mind of the Artist recital and master class series. Her teaching experience has included head of the string department at Azusa Pacific University and faculty at Biola University in the Los Angeles area. In 2016, Ruth was given the Governor's Arts Award for excellence in arts education sponsored by Nebraska Arts Council and Nebraska Cultural Endowment.

Ruth received her Bachelor of Music in Violin Performance from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and her Master of Music degree with an emphasis in Suzuki pedagogy from Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville with John Kendall, pioneer of the Suzuki philosophy in the United States.

Bill Moore

Founder of QUIKBYKE

Born in Germany and raised in Omaha, Bill has led a varied career path. After his graduation from Ambassador College, north of London, he was ordained, pastoring congregations in West Virginia and Illinois. Returning with his young family to his Nebraska roots, he worked in customer service for Continental Airlines, then began creating some of the earliest websites in Nebraska, including AIM CareerLink and Ameritrade. He has spent the last two decades covering the world of electric vehicles through his website, EVWorld.com. His 2015 startup, Quikbyke.com, created the world’s first solar-powered electric bike rental “popup-shop-in-a-box” targeting cruise ship, resort and national park visitors. These days, his embryonic Toons Technology startup is exploring the use of Augmented Reality to enhance the educational and entertainment scope of rental bike experience.

Over the course of his seventy plus years, Bill has been to the four historic walls of the world: Hadrian’s Wall in Scotland, the Berlin Wall in Germany, the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem, and the Great Wall of China. His travels for EVWorld have taken him from the geothermal fields of Iceland to the world’s first experimental nuclear power station and into the bowels of Toyota’s secret design lab.

He is the 2016 recipient of the Nebraska Chapter of the Sierra Club’s Environmental Innovation Leadership Award. He has also appeared on China’s English language station in Beijing, and has been interviewed by NPR, Thom Hartmann, BBC, Australian radio, and Coast-to-Coast AM with George Noory.

Bre Phelan

Founder and President of Felius Cat Café

Bre Phelan is a Founder and President of Felius Cat Café, a local nonprofit, whose mission is to revolutionize the cat adoption experience. Bre launched Felius in 2017, inspired by her love of animals and desire to give back to the community. But Felius is just her side-hustle.

Over the last decade, Bre’s day job in the advertising industry has led her to many roles in both corporate and agency environments. She is currently a Senior Project Management Lead for Verizon Media’s Ad Creative Technology team, focusing on global ad innovation. She has served on the planning board for Women in Tech of the Heartland, Omaha Chamber’s YP Summit, and is currently on the board of directors for Omaha’s chapter of the American Advertising Federation. She spends her free time traveling with her husband and snuggling her rescue cats, Street Bob and Remi.

Todd Saylor

Chief, Organizational Development and Innovation at U.S. Strategic Command

Words matter. Todd Saylor knew that.

When he helped facilitate the path to NATO membership for several eastern European nations, Todd saw firsthand how a message could quickly change from negative to positive, simply based on the language used. Throughout his career, he has witnessed trust, collaboration, and problem-solving succeed by deliberately using affirmative words and phrases – whether dealing on a personal or a global level. This attention to verbal detail boosted Todd’s effectiveness in building and improving relationships across bureaucracies when working as a liaison between combatant commands and the Joint Staff. He uses it today in his role as Chief of Organizational Development and Innovation at U.S. Strategic Command.

In addition to his professional pursuits, Todd had a Master’s Degree in Leadership from Bellevue University and is a graduate of the Citizen’s Academy for Omaha’s Future. As president of Trails Have Our Respect, Todd advocated for, educates and created an exciting mountain biking community in the Midwest. He also served as regional chairperson for the Combined Federal Campaign in both 2017 and 2018 and proudly coached his daughter’s select softball team to a state championship in 2018.

Sadly, Todd passed away in September 2020 after a lengthy battle with cancer.

Cathy Solarana

Principal, Designer, Brand & Equity Strategist,

Wheelhouse Collective

Cathy Solarana’s passion for design and love of solving branding problems is infectious. When meeting with her for the first time or fiftieth, you can’t help but get excited at the possibilities of what can and should be done. That irrepressible passion was the catalyst for starting Wheelhouse Collective. Cathy believes that the creative process should be as enticing as the outcome. She understands that her first job is to listen, then co- create with her clients and team, working through their brand challenges.

With more than 27 years of experience in branding, strategy, and design, Cathy has built an impressive client roster and body of work that has been recognized on a national scale. Her vast knowledge has allowed her to lead branding workshops, including the standing room only Brand Therapy workshops at the 2015 AIGA National Design conference in New Orleans and the On Brand 2018 conference in Omaha. She has been active in the local design community since 1999, serving on the AIGA Nebraska chapter board in several positions, including as president.

More than anything, Cathy’s sense of social justice runs deep. She integrates her diversity and inclusion experience into the design thinking of Wheelhouse with a focus toward equity in our teams, process, and projects. She also served as the very first Diversity and Inclusion Director for AIGA Nebraska and continues to mentor local young designers of color.

Cathy’s talk is about using what she knows best, the design thinking process, to tackle things that are much greater than herself: race, raising a child in a divided country, making sure her daughter has opportunities, and helping to create equity in a profession that is still 93% Caucasian.



Ron Woerner

President and Chief Trusted Advisor at RWX Security Solutions

Ron Woerner has over 25 years of IT and Security experience and is a noted consultant, speaker and writer in the Security industry. As President and Chief Trusted Advisor at RWX Security Solutions, he works as an IT Security consultant performing security audit and risk assessments for small, medium, and large organizations. Ron established the Cyber Security Studies program at Bellevue University, an NSA Center of Academic Excellence where he still teaches. He has been a featured speaker at many of the world’s security conferences. His crowning achievement was being selected as the AFA CyberPatriot Mentor of the Year in 2014 for his work with high school students.

Ron loves to talk to others who are passionate about Security and Privacy.