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.
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.
The House Executive Board
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Wayne Brown
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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 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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Victoria Jones
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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
The Support Team
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Ashley Salem
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Ashley Salem Ashley Salem is a Linguistic Artist, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Practitioner, and Storyteller. As she is always interested in the "why of the why", she frequently finds herself asking the hard questions. With a sincere and warm demeanor she thrives when speaking, and working with professionals in communities of diverse backgrounds. Inclusion and equity are a driving force in her work. She aims to tell stories that are often untold from voices that are seldomly heard. With the objective to open up a perspective that the "other" may not be used to hearing or acknowledging. A College of Saint Mary alum, she is able to blend her business and social science education with her work in her community centered around planning, guidance, and healing. |
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Nik Whitcomb
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Nik Whitcomb is a host, artist, content creator, and emerging thought leader born and raised in Omaha, NE. The bulk of Nik's work has been in the world of entertainment and he was recently named a "Theatre Worker You Should Know" by American Theatre Magazine. Currently Nik is based in his hometown of Omaha, NE where he works as a freelance artist and can often be seen playing at The Union for Contemporary Art.
Nik is the creator and host of the new online multi-platform talk show
"THE COME UP with Nik Whitcomb" which provides a unique opportunity for the audience to spend quality time with working artists. Through stories of trial, success, pain, and victory viewers get a chance to hear how artistic work is fueled by the conversations happening in the world and meet artists, humans, and world changers.
Nik has had a successful career as an actor, director, educator, and administrator at a number of major theatrical institutions around the country and has been able to mix and mingle with the best and brightest. He now uses his natural gift of gab and philosophical worldview to engage in authentic conversations and investigate solutions to issues plaguing our society. Nik's natural charisma, honest approach, and willingness to ask the tough questions with a smile has made him a leader and rising voice for positive change.
Nik is the creator and host of the new online multi-platform talk show
"THE COME UP with Nik Whitcomb" which provides a unique opportunity for the audience to spend quality time with working artists. Through stories of trial, success, pain, and victory viewers get a chance to hear how artistic work is fueled by the conversations happening in the world and meet artists, humans, and world changers.
Nik has had a successful career as an actor, director, educator, and administrator at a number of major theatrical institutions around the country and has been able to mix and mingle with the best and brightest. He now uses his natural gift of gab and philosophical worldview to engage in authentic conversations and investigate solutions to issues plaguing our society. Nik's natural charisma, honest approach, and willingness to ask the tough questions with a smile has made him a leader and rising voice for positive change.
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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