Speakers

Michelle Suarez is a life-long educator who has served young children for her entire career. She taught preschool age children, kindergarten, first grade and sixth grades over 15 years in three school districts.  She joined Lincoln Public Schools in 1984 and served in three different schools. She was a school principal for the next 19 years at Calvert and Everett Elementary Schools.  Michelle specializes in parent engagement and community partnership to support strong schools. Michelle earned her bachelor degree in elementary education and her master degree in educational administration from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Title: Director of Workforce Development, Lincoln Partnership for Economic Development and Prosper Lincoln Employments Skills Developer

 

Bio: Bryan Seck serves as the Director of Workforce Development for the Lincoln Partnership for Economic Development and as the Developer of the Prosper Lincoln Employment Skills initiative.  His mission to connect people from part-time jobs to full-time careers. Previously, he was the Homeless Outreach Specialist for Lincoln Public Schools. He has his Masters in Public Administration from New York University and served in Peace Corps Kazakhstan. At LPS, he helped the 500 homeless students each year in Lincoln meet basic needs, get to school, and coordinate with resources. He serves on the boards of the Homeless Coalition, Suicide Prevention Coalition, Child Advocacy Center, Educare, and Foundry

Community. He is married to a newly minted PhD, owns a business, has two dogs, and delivers mattresses for newly housed families donated by Spreetail and Duncan Aviation.

Paul Illich, President Southeast Community College

Dr. Paul Illich was elected as Southeast Community College president, effective July 1, 2014.

Immediately prior to this position, Illich, was the vice president for research, planning and information technology at McLennan Community College in Waco, Texas. Prior to that he was at McLennan as the senior director of institutional effectiveness and planning at the school.

He earned an Associate of Arts degree from Blinn College in Texas, a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from Texas State University, and a Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees in Experimental Psychology from Texas A&M University.

Ellen Weisinger, Board of Governors Southeast Community College

EDUCATION
College(s) and Degrees from Each: Ph.D., University of Maryland, 1985; M.A., University of Iowa, 1982; B.S.Ed., University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 1980.
High School: Omaha North, Omaha, NE.
Professional Development, Conferences/Workshops Related to Community Colleges or Higher Education: Attended Association of Community College Trustees Legislative Seminar February 2011
PROFESSIONAL
Current Employer:Retired
Past Employment Summary: Professor, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 1986-2017; Dean of Graduate Studies, UNL, 2002-2009; Senior Vice Chancellor, UNL, 2009-2015.
HONORS/AWARDS: Lincoln Journal Star “Inspiring Woman,” 2017; Distinguished Alumni Award, Omaha North High School, 2017; Honorary Letterwinner Award, UNL Athletics, 2015; Alumni Fellow Award, University of Iowa, 2003; UNL College Teaching Award, 2002.
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
Community Health Endowment, Board of Trustees, 2017-2018; UNL Federal Credit Union, Board of Directors, 2015-2018; Lincoln Fire and Rescue, Stakeholder Taskforce, 2017.

Amanda has written exhibition catalogs for Bone Creek and other museums in the Great Plains region. Her articles have also been published in magazines including American Art Review and she continues to pursue publication opportunities as a freelance writer. Her crowning achievement is her service as project manager, curator and author of Dale Nichols: Transcending Regionalism, Bone Creek’s traveling national exhibition and book.

She has been awarded first place for the past four consecutive years by the Mountain Plains Museums Association in the category of books and publications. Originally from California, Amanda graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a bachelor’s degree in art in 2008 and a master’s degree in journalism and mass communication in 2012. She lives in Lincoln with her husband and two daughters.

 

Bone Creek Museum of Agrarian Art in David City, NE is the nation’s only exclusively agrarian art museum presenting art that connects people to the land. Exhibitions and related events such as artist talks, panel discussions, art workshops, poetry readings, humanities presentations, and musical performances  celebrate the heritage and current themes of rural and farm life. David City is the hometown of nationally recognized Regionalist artist Dale Nichols whose work is the heart of the permanent collection.

In 2007 a group of volunteers founded the museum.  David City is the hometown of Regionalist artist Dale Nichols.  In May 2011 Dale Nichols: Transcending Regionalism opened.

In 2012 Henry Adams of The Smithsonia blog Articulations described Transcending Regionalism this way:  “One of the most provocative exhibitions in the United States right now was organized by an institution that’s a bit off the beaten track: The Bone Creek Museum of Agrarian Art in David City, Nebraska…It’s impressive that such a small community has produced an ambitious exhibition and book of this scale, roughly on a par with those produced by America’s largest museums.”

This exhibition brought 2,800 visitors from throughout the nation to David City and involved 600 students. The exhibition toured to:  the Georgia Art Museum, Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, and Utah Museum of Fine Arts.

In 2014 AAA Living magazine listed the four top art museums in Nebraska.  They included the Joslyn, Sheldon, Museum of Nebraska Art, and Bone Creek.

The museum has offered 42 exhibitions since 2007.  Examples of artists from beyond the Midwest include Jean Terry who focused on farming in upstate New York.  Canadian artist Denise Lemaster’s exhibition, “Canadian Foothills” was the museum’s first exhibition from beyond U.S. borders.

The museum has drawn visitors from 50 states and 7 countries in its first seven years.  The museum is supported by 292 members representing 30 states. Thirty volunteers serve as board members; educators; docents; receptionists; maintenance staff; and event set-up crews.