Women of Distinction 2018

OF DISTINCTION 2018 AMANDA McDOWELL • KARA ALEXANDER • LYNETTE JANSSEN DORENE SHERMAN • PAM BUETHE • DR. ELLEN WEISS • LOIS ERICKSON

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WOMEN OF DISTINCTION

October 10, 2018

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WOMEN OF DISTINCTION

SUBURBAN NEWSPAPERS INC.

October 10, 2018

Community-minded Honoring those who make a difference This year’s Women of Distinction are pillars in their communities, actively taking part and leading to make a difference.

Passion drives them to step in and make an impact.

We introduce you to them here.

OF

DISTINCTION

DR. ELLEN WEISS Optometrist Ellen Weiss gives back in a manner that is related to her profession. Using her expert skills, she helps bring better sight to those in need locally and across the globe.

KARA ALEXANDER Kara Alexander created Matt’s Music Memorial in her late husband’s honor. The organization makes sure that students in music programs have the instruments they need to participate in band.

LYNETTE JANSSEN As pastor at Ralston United Church of Christ, Lynette Janssen serves the community in moments of joy and sorrow. Though she doesn’t reside within the city limits, she has come to love the people and community.

MASTER SGT. AMANDA McDOWELL The South Dakota native has found a home in the Offutt Air Force Base community. Amanda McDowell and her family have felt welcomed and embraced the area. An instructor and mentor, she enjoys helping younger generations learn the ropes.

PAM BUETHE The city clerk in La Vista, Pam Buethe hadn’t intended to have a career in government. But she enjoys serving the community in her role. Beyond that, she also volunteers for various events and organizations, including the Gretna Volunteer Fire Department.

CONGRATULATIONS

Kara Alexander

We thank you an and all the Honorees for your dedication and service to our communities!

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LOIS ERICKSON As business partnership coordinator for the Papillion La Vista Community Schools, Lois Erickson enjoys showing students the wide range of career possibilities. She fosters relationships with businesses across the area so students can have a variety of opportunities.

DORENE SHERMAN Dorene Sherman, who grew up on a farm in northern Nebraska, has enjoyed “a blessed life.” After retirement from a long civil service career at Offutt Air Force Base, volunteering has brought new meaning to her life.

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WOMEN OF DISTINCTION

SUBURBAN NEWSPAPERS INC.

October 10, 2018

Sherman makes mark as community volunteer

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Eugene Curtin/Suburban Newspapers

Dorene Sherman

By Eugene Curtin Staff Writer

orene Sherman marvels at the places life has taken her.

As a farm girl from the northernmost reaches of Nebraska, she milked cows, slopped hogs, planted and harvested crops, walked miles to and from a oneroom schoolhouse, slipped cardboard into the soles of her worn-out shoes and wore dresses made from feed sacks.

Now chipping away at her 87th year, Sherman is a ubiquitous volunteer both in Bellevue, where she lives, and in Omaha, where she is widely known for civic involvements.

In Omaha, she’s been involved with the Omaha Community Playhouse, the Durham Museum, the Rose Theater, the Mormon Trail Center, Opera Omaha, the Salvation Army and The Advocates of the Fred and Pamela Buffett Cancer Center.

In Bellevue, too, she’s a familiar sight at Bellevue City Council meet-

ings, where she monitors the city’s controversies; at the Bellevue Little Theatre, where she ushers people to their seats; and at events sponsored by the Greater Bellevue Area Chamber of Commerce, where she is an ambassador and a past recipient of the Volunteer of the Year award.

But these are all second acts for Sherman, who established herself as a presence in the Bellevue community decades ago, in 1960 to be precise, when she took a civil service job as a receptionist at Offutt Air Force Base.

By the time she retired in 1999, Sherman had risen to be secretary to the commander in chief of the storied U.S. Strategic Air Command and deputy director of protocol responsible for ensuring that VIP visits ran smoothly.

In this role, Sherman found herself greeting, and often befriending, some of the great mid-century names, including actor and comedian Bob Hope, Presidents Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford, pioneer aviator Jimmy Doolittle, British

Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, Saudi Arabia’s influential ambassador Prince Bandar bin Sultan, the Osmond Brothers, comedian Bob Newhart, Academy Award-winning actress Rita Moreno, author Tom Clancy, and a long parade of generals and chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

It has been, she said, “a blessed life,” in which the urge to volunteer has brought meaning to life after retirement.

“I have inside of me that I will help anybody, anytime, anyplace, which was perfect for Protocol because when you’re in Protocol that’s what you do,” she said.

“I’m very adamant in my mind and in my heart that when people come to something, anyplace or anywhere, that they want to be welcomed, and they want to know what’s going on.

“I feel that very strongly, and to this day, I’ll open a door for anybody, anytime. That’s how I’m made.”

ABOUT THIS SECTION Content coordinator and designer: Tom Knox

DISTINCTION

Congratulations Dr. Ellen Weiss and recipients of the 2018 Women of Distinction awards.

Advertising manager: Paul Swanson

Thank You & Congratulations!

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Contributing writers: Eugene Curtin, Eric Taylor, Adam Furley, Rachel George, Ashley Quintela, Cheyenne Alexis, Brody Hilgenkamp

WOMEN OF DISTINCTION

SUBURBAN NEWSPAPERS INC.

October 10, 2018

Weiss brings improved sight to those in need

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By Adam Furley Staff Writer

iving back to the community is what optometrist Ellen Weiss does every day.

She joined Millard Family Eyecare in Omaha in 1995 and has worked to have a positive impact ever since.

“Community involvement, that’s one thing I take great pride in,” Weiss said.

Ellen Weiss knew she wanted to be involved in the health profession since she was a child.

“My local optometrist when I was a kid told me I should be an optometrist,” she said. “As I got older, I took the idea more seriously and figured out that was the route I wanted to take.”

Weiss helps children who struggle to see clearly in the classroom. She wants to make sure children are as successful as they possibly can be.

“My specialty over the years has been seeing special-needs kids who are struggling in school,” she said.

“They may have an eye focusing problem or an issue with their eyes working together.”

“If you have a child with vision issues, a lot of the time the classroom teacher doesn’t know how to adapt the environment for them. I see those kids and help the teachers so they are successful in the classroom.”

Weiss is the immediate past president of VOSH (Volunteer Optometric Services to Humanity) International, a nonprofit that travels to different countries to give eye exams.

“Our Nebraska chapter has been very active in the Dominican Republic doing eye exams on people,” she said.

Weiss also is active in her local community and has made an impact over the years.

“I’ve been very active since I grad-

uated from school in the Millard Lions Club,” she said. “We saw a need with the school district with children who didn’t have insurance that covered eye exams, but the school identified them with vision problems. I see them for no charge, and the Lions Club covers the cost of the glasses for the children.

“I also take great pride in my involvement with the Special Olympics.

Part of the state games is the Healthy Athletes Initiative. That’s where the athletes go to different stations where their health needs are addressed and they are educated on that. I started that program here in Nebraska.”

Weiss always wants to help out the community any way she can.

“I don’t do my volunteer work because I want to be recognized,” she said. “I do it because I feel like I make a difference.”

Adam Furley/Suburban Newspapers

Dr. Ellen Weiss

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Congratulations To All Of The Women Of Distinction

CONGRATULATIONS

Thank you to all the passionate and dedicated women who continue to make our communities ggreat!

Dorene Sherman

Amanda McDowell

and to all of these deserving women.

Congratulations, Pam! Thank you for your dedication and professionalism in serving our community. We are proud of you!

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WOMEN OF DISTINCTION

SUBURBAN NEWSPAPERS INC.

October 10, 2018

Buethe helps in any way she can

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By Eric Taylor Staff Writer

rowing up with a father who served as a mayor, Pam Buethe didn’t think then that being involved in city government was a career choice for her.

“My dad was the mayor in Valentine (Nebraska) and after all the calls he used to get, I swore I would never work in city government,” Buethe said. “But when the opportunity came to work in government, I knew it was a great way to serve my community.”

Buethe has more than 18 years of experience as a city clerk, the past 12 in La Vista after serving more than six years in the same role in Gretna.

“I didn’t know that I’d be in the long term when I first started, but it really grows on you,” Buethe said.

“I like being behind the scenes. Each day is challenging because you’re

looking for ways to spend taxpayers’ dollars wisely. It keeps you hopping.”

If being a city clerk isn’t enough to keep Buethe busy, one of her many volunteer efforts likely will.

Buethe’s husband, Rod, has served as chief of the Gretna Volunteer Fire Department for 20 years.

Pam has spent much of that time as secretary for the department, taking minutes and sending out notices.

It’s a theme that runs deep for the Buethe family. Her father served as fire chief in Valentine, while her son Josh serves on the Papillon Fire Department. Josh also serves on the GVFD. “Serving for the fire department is how I grew up, and it’s a way for me to show my support,” Pam said.

“My function is not only to provide support for my family, but for my community.”

Pam and her family, which in-

cludes her youngest son, Jason, have lived in the Westridge Farms subdivision outside Gretna for 18 years.

She is beginning her second term as a member of the SID board. She also likes to help out at her church when she can.

Buethe believes it’s important to play a part in your community.

“I started volunteering when the boys were younger, getting involved with the PTO and helping the teachers,” she said. “I think it’s important to get involved because there are so many things going on. It’s a way to serve and help others.”

Some of Pam’s best volunteer work is done right at home with her family.

“I have a grandson who’s 6, and on Thursdays when they have fire meetings, that’s our date night,” she said. “He keeps me busy.”

Pam Buethe

CONGRATULATIONS!

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2018

Lois Erickson

Papillion La-Vista

Kara Alexander Gretna

Pam Buethe LaVista

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WOMEN OF DISTINCTION

SUBURBAN NEWSPAPERS INC.

October 10, 2018

Alexander works to make Gretna a better place to live

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Rachel George/Suburban Newspapers

Kara Alexander

By Rachel George Staff Writer

he Gretna community can find a familiar face in Kara Alexander. “I always just thought there was something about this town,� said Alexander, who moved to town at 8 years old. “This was always home. People waved to you on the street; they said ‘hi’ at the grocery store. The whole town was like a little family. I always appreciated that. I liked knowing my neighbors.�

She remembers walking everywhere when the town didn’t have a single stoplight. She remembers graduating high school from the building now known as Gretna Middle.

Growing up here, Alexander was your everyday member of the community.

The 2007 death of her husband, Matthew Alexander, emboldened her to become more involved, which eventually inspired her to do more.

Matthew was killed overseas on his first military tour. Money donated to the family at Matt’s funeral inspired his family to keep his memory alive while giving back to a community that had taken such

good care of them in their time of need.

From that tragedy Matt’s Music Memorial was created. The nonprofit organization provides instruments to students who want to learn to play but would otherwise not have the opportunity. “Matt and I met in band,� Alexander said. “He played percussion, and I played the flute and piccolo. We often talked about how we were different kids because of band. Every kid needs an outlet, and music is an outlet that gets expensive fast. It’s important for every kid to have something. Matt really had two passions in life – music and the military – and you don’t need money to join the military.�

Community involvement through Matt’s Music Memorial opened Kara’s eyes to what else there was to get involved in. When the organization saw exponential growth upon joining the Gretna Area Chamber of Commerce, Alexander said she felt inspired to be a part of it.

The face of the chamber since 2014, Alexander works part time carrying a full load of work. From event planning and referrals to sharing information, Alexander’s goal is to ensure the chamber is a place where people can find out what’s

Gretna Public Schools

going on in the community.

She is particularly proud of the gretnaevents.com calendar — a joint effort between the chamber and the Gretna Public Library — as well as the successful #GretnaLife campaign. “Very few people both live and work in the community,� Alexander said. “This is an initiative to keep people focused locally. There are a lot of great things here in town that people don’t realize we have.�

Aside from work with Matt’s Music Memorial and the Gretna Area Chamber of Commerce, Alexander sits on the Gretna Downtown Association board and also has been involved in behindthe-scenes work for numerous local organizations.

When Alexander received the phone call that she had been named Gretna’s 2018 Woman of Distinction, she was surprised. “I’m incredibly appreciative, honored and thankful,� Alexander said. “I never in my wildest dreams thought I’d end up on this list. My job is to keep my head down and make Gretna a better place to live, work and play.�

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WOMEN OF DISTINCTION

SUBURBAN NEWSPAPERS INC.

October 10, 2018

Lynette Janssen preaches, teaches and more

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Ashley Quintela/Suburban Newspapers

Lynette Janssen

THE CITY OF PAPILLION CONGRATULATES LOIS ERICKSON!

hough her house is located in Papillion, Lynette Janssen’s heart resides in Ralston.

Whether she’s enjoying the annual Wine Walk or preaching in front of 200 people on Sunday morning, Janssen loves being surrounded by people, especially those in the Ralston community.

“I just feel right at home here in Ralston,” she said. “It’s still a hometown.”

When Janssen became the first woman pastor at Ralston United Church of Christ, she fell in love with the job as well as helping those in the community.

One aspect of the job where Janssen feels she has great impact is helping families get through the devastation of a tragic loss.

“I feel like my faith has reached out to them in their time of need and I can give them compassion and I can do a service that is meaningful to the family,” she said.

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In the past, Janssen has written guest columns for the Omaha World Herald, given evocations at city council meetings and parades, and led prayers on Veterans Day and for the American Legion.

“I think that is important to do, to be involved in the community that you’re working in,” Janssen said.

She was even featured in a Bethany Funeral Home commercial.

Throughout her years committed to community, Janssen had the opportunity to get to know her fellow citizens.

“I feel warm fuzzies when someone waves at me,” she said.

Though Janssen said she was excited to be named Ralston’s Woman of Distinction, she was also surprised.

“I know there are a lot of deserving women here in Ralston,” she said.

Community has always been a key element in Janssen’s life, and throughout the years, she hopes to positively affect Ralston.

“Hopefully I’ve done some good,” she said.

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From 2002 to 2007, Janssen served as the pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Papillion before accepting the Ralston position.

Janssen is the only woman pastor in Ralston and since 2007, she has received only one negative comment about being a woman pastor.

“One out of all the people I minister to is not a very good percentage,” Janssen said, laughing.

Janssen said she has always been active in the church. At age 3, she started attending Sunday school. For 15 years, she never missed a class.

In addition to living a faith-driven life, Janssen has taught Nutrition and Food I and II for the past 48 years at Papillion La Vista South High School.

Aside from her teaching in Papillion and preaching in Ralston, Janssen is known around the community for much more.

Janssen said she and her husband, Joel, support local businesses by eating at local restaurants. The two have also been known to sponsor the youth baseball program in Ralston.

Congratulations!

THANK YOU LOIS FOR HELPING TO CREATE A STRONG, CONNECTED COMMUNITY! WWW.PAPILLION.ORG

By Ashley Quintela Staff Writer

“Thank you and all the 2018 Women of Distinction Honorees for your dedication and leadership in serving our community!”

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WOMEN OF DISTINCTION

SUBURBAN NEWSPAPERS INC.

October 10, 2018

Air Force sergeant dedicated to work, volunteering

By Cheyenne Alexis Staff Writer

Cheyenne Alexis/Suburban Newspapers

Master Sgt. Amanda McDowell

In her second time at Offutt Air Force Base, Master Sgt. Amanda McDowell exemplifies the saying, “Once you’ve been to Offutt, you never get off it.”

Originally from Sturgis, South Dakota, McDowell boarded a plane to attend basic at Lackland AFB in San Antonio, Texas, 17 years ago. She was stationed at Offutt fresh out of basic training from 2011-2017, and returned 14 months ago.

“Apparently, this is where I need to be, so I will start my career and end my career here,” she said.

McDowell is a member of the Logistics Readiness Squadron, which gets the planes in the air, transports pilots to the aircraft, moves people from base to base and fuels the planes.

“It’s really the support squadron,” McDowell said.

McDowell, whose father was in the Navy, said she joined the Air Force because she wanted to do more to help people in the community.

“I needed to be somewhere I could do more,” she said. “Also, just to travel and I’ve seen the family the military is.

You’re family, and that’s what I wanted to continue to be part of.”

Since being at Offutt, McDowell has been involved in mentoring and in several organizations at the base.

McDowell said mentoring other airmen and women is important because the younger generation is “the future.”

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“To be able to mentor someone, you’re guiding that person,” she said.

“Those younger airmen, those NCOs (non-commissioned officer), those officers who came in after me, I feel it’s our responsibility to make sure they’re not only set up for success, but to take over for myself, to succeed that.”

Along with mentoring, McDowell has been involved in Booster Club, Comprehensive Airman Fitness (CAF) classes and Green Dot. Before coming back to Offutt, McDowell worked as a CAF instructor, where she taught coping mechanisms and skills to help people through adversities and times of stress.

“At the time it (CAF) came out in 2012, I was in that position where I looked around me and decided there needs to be more,” she said. “There was a lot of negativity, we were at the highest point of the Iraq War, and people were coming back.

“In my particular career field, people were coming back from doing convoys, and they’re not the same. Relationships, families were being torn apart because people weren’t able to deal with the stressors, so I wanted to help out with what I could.”

Along with CAF, McDowell teaches Green Dot, sexual assault, domestic violence and suicide prevention courses.

She said these courses are important because they have helped many people.

“I feel that just being there and talking and explaining and telling peo-

ple, ‘This is important, it’s not something you just brush under the rug,’ it opens up doors,” she said. “I’ve had people after different classes come up and say, ‘Thank you, you made a difference. I had a hard time talking about this. You helped me understand and see that people do care.’”

McDowell and her husband, Dale, have three children — Hayden, 15, Ethan, 11, and Kalynne, 8. Her husband is also stationed at Offutt in the Aircraft Maintenance Squadron.

McDowell said she wants to stay in Bellevue until her Air Force career ends.

“When I received the order to come back to the Midwest, I was ecstatic,” she said. “The community of Bellevue and the surrounding areas, we support each other. You look around and we see the smiles and helpfulness from neighbor to neighbor or complete strangers willing to step forward and help. That’s what I wanted to be part of — the community support they have.”

McDowell said what’s kept her in the Air Force has changed over the years.

“In the beginning, it was to support my family, to be able to put food on the table,” she said. Today it’s about stewardship and leadership.

“I have a mantra that I use: Cultivating CARE (Civilians, Airmen, Responsibility and Example). I want to take care of the civilians and airmen, lead by example, because they’re my responsibility. That’s why I do what I do now.”

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WOMEN OF DISTINCTION

SUBURBAN NEWSPAPERS INC.

October 10, 2018

Erickson connects schools, businesses in the community

By Brody Hilgenkamp Staff Writer

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Brody Hilgenkamp/Suburban Newspapers

Lois Erickson

ultiplication tables, spelling bees and recess will always be a central part of a child’s education, but Lois Erickson is making sure students also get a glimpse of their futures.

Erickson, business partnership coordinator for the Papillion La Vista Community Schools, has been in her role for 11 years.

Under her watch, the district’s Cooperation BEST — Better Educating Students for Tomorrow — business partnership program has grown to around 240 partners across the Omaha metro area, eight of which were introduced last month.

The goal of the program is to enhance what’s already happening in the classroom by providing students with real-world examples. Through the partnerships, first-graders studied the vehicles used in different industries, business professionals visited marketing classes, and students attended the Berkshire

Hathaway shareholders meeting with Coca-Cola.

Students also toured eCreamery’s warehouse and other facilities.

Erickson said the examples provided by the business partners show the opportunities and jobs behind the scenes that make a business function.

Erickson said eCreamery isn’t just ice cream. “It’s manufacturing, it’s sales, it’s marketing, and to see the bigger picture is a great opportunity,” she said.

“Sometimes it makes the connection that is the lifelong connection for the kids.

“I get to connect the community to our schools and our schools to our community.”

Building bridges with local and metro-area businesses, from a physical therapy clinic or bank to Cox Communications or Oriental Trading Company, leads to symbiotic relationships, Erickson said.

“I know businesses are in business to make money, so we want them to be successful so

they stay involved in the greater Omaha area,” she said. “They need employees in the future.

They need people to be at their businesses to buy their products.”

Each of the district’s elementary schools has a partnership with a financial institution, a retail business and a food-service business.

Erickson has experience in both the business world and education. Her mother was a teacher, and her father was a businessman. She went into education out of college and eventually became the associate dean of students at a liberal arts college in Pennsylvania.

After her family moved to Nebraska in 1991, she worked in real estate before returning to education as a substitute teacher for PLCS in 2005.

She says higher education, real estate and public education are similar in that they provide a service to the community, and community is what Erickson is all about.

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SUBURBAN NEWSPAPERS INC.

WOMEN OF DISTINCTION

October 10, 2018

Who’s Missing?

_ _ VOL NTEE “Anyone Looking to serve in their community, consider becoming a CASA” - R.Sexson

I am for the child

The child who lived in motels, cars and shelters. The child who now stands in the entryway of a group foster home. Clutching a makeshift suitcase. A garbage bag filled with everything she owns. That is the child I am for. And because I am, she will be half as likely to languish in foster care, and that much more likely to find a safe permanent home. I am a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) volunteer.

I am

YOU

Lift up a child’s voice. A child’s life.

Get involved at www.sarpy.com/casa 2053469-01