Who We Are

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Jade R. Rogers

Founder/Chief Innovation Officer

Jade Rogers is a Historian, an adjunct professor at Metropolitan Community College and the University of Nebraska at Omaha and the Founder and Chief Innovation Officer of The House of Afros, Capes, & Curls.
After receiving a B.A. in Black Studies and Elementary Education, she obtained a Master’s in African American World Studies from the University of Iowa. She has also completed all course work towards her PhD in History at Morgan State University and has training as an Archivist and Oral Historian. 
Jade has taught on the elementary level in the District of Columbia Public Schools, and the University of Iowa as well. She has worked with numerous non-profit youth serving organizations including Boys & Girls Clubs of Omaha and Greater Washington in Maryland, Girls Inc., The Center for Holistic Development and most recently served as the Youth Engagement Manager at The Union for Contemporary Arts.  
Building community and service are a part of Jade’s strong belief system. A Class XIX graduate from Heartland Blueprint, a United Way of the Midlands program to help increase minority racial/ethnic volunteer leadership, and she has served on many education and non-profit executive boards.
​With over 20 years of teaching and community engagement experience, she strives to raise the visibility of the tremendous contributions and accomplishments of African Americans in the Midwest. For The Great Plains Black History Museum, she has served as its Archivist, facilitates public programs on a variety of historical topics and also conducts Oral History and Genealogy workshops.
And...she's a blerd at heart. Science fiction, fantasy, World of Warcraft, The Sims and Octavia Butler. Star Wars + Star Trek + the X-Men hold equal space in her heart.

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The House Executive Board

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Wayne Brown 
CoFounder/President

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Wayne Brown is Vice President of Programs for the Urban League of Nebraska. A native of Omaha, Wayne joined the Army after graduating from Benson High School. After an exciting ten years in the service, he graduated magna cum laude from East Tennessee State University. In 2009, he graduated from Creighton Law School. He has served the Omaha community in a variety of non-profit capacities, from Chief Career Officer of the Avenue Scholars Foundation to Vice President of the Omaha Community Foundation. In his spare time Wayne enjoys biking, reading comic books and mentoring his three daughters in the ways of the force.

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Katrina Adams
Vice President

Katrina Adams is the Community Investment Program Manager at the Omaha Community Foundation. Ms. Adams facilitates the Foundation’s resident-led grant making programs; serving as a conduit between nonprofit organizations, community members, and the generous supporters that make these programs possible. She is passionate about advocating for nonprofits, especially those working with and alongside communities of color and underrepresented populations. Ms. Adams believes there is something intrinsic that connects us all. As a servant-leader, this perspective is the foundation on which she builds relationships within the Omaha-metro’s diverse, intersectional community.

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Julia Parker
Executive Member + Financial Committee Chair

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​Julia Parker just recently began an MBA program in Business at Boston University in Boston, Massachusetts. Prior to leaving Omaha, she was the Executive Director of the Omaha Small Business Network (OSBN), an Omaha-based nonprofit whose mission is to assist historically undercapitalized entrepreneurs achieve financial inclusion. Prior to this role, Ms. Parker was the Director of Operations and Communications at Building Bright Futures for six years. Her connections within the community and lived-experience as a black female business owner were the catalyst that led her to become an advocate for underserved, local entrepreneurs and nonprofits; providing the tools needed to become successful and sustainable entities. Ms. Parker believes community-based micro-lenders, such as OSBN, provide access to proven pathways for success, thus resulting in community and economic development.

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Victoria Jones
Secretary

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Victoria helps bring the House of Afros, Capes, and Curls mission and vision to life through graphics and design. Before joining The House, Victoria did work with local nonprofits Voices for Children and Holland Children's Movement and Institute. She graduated with her B.S. in Communications from the University of Nebraska at Omaha in December of 2015.
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Not Pictured: Rolanda Horton, Treasurer

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The Support Team

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Mariah Person
Social Media + Marketing 

Mariah Person is a dancer, builder, and collaborator who deeply values community. She uses dance as a tool to navigate mental illness and sexual assault, inspire confidence in people of all ages, and affirm the creative capacity in everyone. Mariah has collaborated with the Omaha-based dance group Afromah, Peartree Performing Arts, and Purpose Driven Advocacy Center. She is currently creating new choreography in collaboration with local artists.

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The House Advisory Council

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Nancy Williams

Nancy Williams has been practicing agriculture for a long time: first as a 4-H member in elementary school then as an FFA member in high school. Her family raised most of the produce they consumed; at one time maintaining as many as six gardens to feed themselves and share with neighbors. Nancy earned scholarships to study Horticulture. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree at Louisiana State University then pursued a master of science in Weed Science with a minor in Plant Pathology at Cornell University. Nancy has diverse experiences in agriculture, from corporations, serving as an agronomist for local farmers and entrepreneurs to grassroots organizing and management for nonprofit community organizations. For nearly 15 years, Nancy served as an IT leader for Boys & Girls Clubs of the Midlands; where she led award winning programs, increased technology integration, and supported improved organizational outcomes.

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Denise Chapman

Denise Chapman is an adjunct professor at Metro Community College. She is a performer who enjoys finding and sharing the universal truths that connects us all as human beings and sharing the stories that are often overlooked or hidden in plain sight. As a theatre educator, Ms. Chapman creates safe spaces for students of all ages to explore self-expression, creativity and step outside of themselves into the unknown. She is an active member of the North Omaha community working with organizations such as the North Omaha Summer Arts (NOSA) and the FLIYE arts party. She believes that art changes our lives for the better, amplifying unheard voices, and bestowing hope within all who are touched by it.

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Jessica Ehule

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​Jessica Ehule, MS, MSPH (she/her/hers) serves as a Senior Public Health Project Coordinator at CityMatCH. Her primary project is the Institute for Equity in Birth Outcomes under the umbrella of the BEST Cities Initiative.  Jessica earned her Master of Science in Public Health from Meharry Medical College in Nashville, TN. Prior to joining the team at CityMatCH, Jessica served in a variety of teaching, coordination, supervisory, and leadership roles. She has experience in program planning and implementation, program evaluation, and building authentic partnerships.  Jessica is passionate about equity for all and addressing the root causes of disparities, such as racism. In her spare time, this Ohio State Buckeye enjoys exploring cuisines of the world, reading, and spending time with her dog, a black pug named Onyx.

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Volunteers

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We are grateful for all of our volunteers that devote time and energy to building our community! If you would like to join our team of talented, creative passionate nerds + blerds, go click the link below!

Volunteer Form