Emerging Nonprofit Leader Award
About the Program
The purpose of ynpnGO’s Emerging Nonprofit Leader award is to recognize a current ynpnGO member who has a strong sense of vision, has passion and commitment, and inspires passion and commitment in others. Emerging nonprofit leaders are early or mid-career nonprofit professionals. The awardee must work for a nonprofit or public sector organization and be a member of ynpnGO to be considered.
Meet the 2021 Honoree
2021 Emerging Nonprofit Leader Award Honoree: Patrick Kilcoyne
Patrick Kilcoyne works in Donor and Corporate Relations for United Way of the Midlands where he manages their major giving ($10k+) portfolio and also manages relationships with over two dozen organizational partners. A graduate of Creighton and UNO, he spends a great deal of his time volunteering with various groups around town. Currently, he is a Board member at Circle Theatre and serves as Chair of the Retention Committee for the Greater Omaha Chamber Young Professionals Council. He previously served as Board Member and Treasurer for the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network of Greater Omaha and as a Board Member, Treasurer, and President for the Theatre Arts Guild of Omaha. He is a Graduate of Leadership Omaha Class 43 and was recognized as 2020’s Emerging Fundraiser by the Nebraska Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals. He has stated his personal mission is to make giving back to the community as fun and engaging as possible; he is humbled and honored by this recognition.
Meet the 2020 Honorees
2020 Emerging Nonprofit Leader Award Honoree: Brittany Parker
Brittany Parker is an Omaha native, known as an Elite Boxer ranked #2 on Team USA. She is a five times National Champ. In winter 2019, she competed in the Olympic Trials and placed 2nd.
Brittany Parker transferred her skills from the corporate world to non-profit to serve others in 2018. Brittany started as a Shift Advocate but soon worked her way to an Self Sufficiency Case Manager at the Women’s Center for Advancement. She quickly became a leader in her department. As a case manager she provide assistance and support to clients working towards self-sufficiency, facilitating and monitoring their progress using tools provided; to support clients in identifying and developing employment and financial goals; to participate in outreach activities with individuals and groups; to assist potential participants overcome barriers as they move towards self-sufficiency program participation; and to do related work as required. Recently, she was promoted to the Housing Project Manager.
Brittany is also the CEO and co-founder of Brittany’s Balance. Brittany’s Balance is creating wellness programming designed specifically for black women.
Brittany is currently completing her AA in Business Management at Metro Community College.
2020 Emerging Nonprofit Leader Award Honoree: Katherine MacHolmes
Katherine MacHolmes is a native North Omahan, born and raised. A graduate of Benson High School, a community theatre artist, writer and lifelong activist and advocate, Katherine also works as an anti-oppression and antiracism educator and trainer. Incredibly passionate about liberation, community healing and art, she finds that collective community processes are the closest form of liberation that we can come to in imperfect systems.
2020 Emerging Nonprofit Leader Award Honoree: Caitlin Little
Caitlin Little is a performance artist, arts advocate, and karaoke star. They are passionate about the essential function art plays in sustaining places economically and culturally and has worked to advocate for arts and culture districts in Nebraska and other incentives to support them.
Caitlin is a co-founder of Petshop Gallery and currently serves as Development Director for BFF Omaha, an arts non-profit that builds community through arts engagement. Over the last 8 years, they have provided free arts programming to the Omaha area and created hundreds of economic opportunities for working artists.
Along with their work in the non-profit sector Little values community engagement and gives their time to amazing organizations that support femme futures such as Omaha Girls Rock and the national TTT Society.
Caitlin lives in an adorable flat with her two cat children, Lewis and Lucy.
Meet the 2019 Honorees
2019 Emerging Nonprofit Leader Award Honoree: Katie Cunningham
Katie Cunningham is a nonprofit professional driven to ensure educational equity and access to higher education in Omaha. Since 2013, Katie has worked for College Possible, a college access and success organization that supports talented, capable students from low-income backgrounds to and through college graduation. As Program Director, Katie leads both the high school and college programs serving nearly 750 high school and 1,500 college students this year.
A graduate of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (B.A.) and the University of Missouri-St. Louis (M.Ed.), Katie taught 3rd in 4th grade in St. Louis Public Schools with Teach For America and credits her time with AmeriCorps as a life changing experience.
Katie is an active member of the Junior League of Omaha, a member of the Omaha Chamber of Commerce YP Council, a 2019 New Leader’s Council fellow, and enjoys distance running. Katie and her husband Chris welcomed their first child, Julian, this May.
2019 Emerging Nonprofit Leader Award Honoree: Teresa Riesberg
Teresa serves as the Marketing & External Affairs Manager for MENTOR Nebraska, a nonprofit that fuels the quality and quantity of mentoring relationships throughout Nebraska. In her role, Teresa is focused on creating a culture of mentoring through community collaboration. She leads a city-wide mentor recruitment campaign, engages organizations and businesses in the mentoring movement, and brings public awareness to the value of mentoring young people. In addition, Teresa leads trainings on deepening relationships, mentoring best practices, screening volunteers, and trauma-informed care. She also supports advocacy efforts, external affairs, fundraising, and organizational operations.
Outside of work, Teresa is a member of the Junior League of Omaha, Young Nonprofit Professionals Greater Omaha, and the Friends of Nebraska Children Board of Directors.
Teresa earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism & mass communication and kinesiology & health from Iowa State University. As part of her education, she interned for Muscular Dystrophy Association, HCI Care Services, and Iowa State’s Community Partnership for Health. Teresa is a proud graduate of Portland University’s Summer Institute on Youth Mentoring.
2019 Emerging Nonprofit Leader Award Honoree: Itzel Lopez
Recent graduate of the Nonprofit Leadership Institute, 40 Under 40 recipient, Currently serves on Mayor Stothert’s Millenial Advisory Committee and is participating in Leadership Omaha.
Itzel Lopez is the VP of Operations & Corporate Communications at the AIM Institute, Omaha’s only non-profit dedicated to local tech talent education and career development. Founder of Maria Bonita Mexican Cuisine, Itzel has taken traditional Mexican cuisine to another level, operating food trucks. Those who know Itzel personally, say she’s an active member of the Hispanic community and has played a key role in the growth of the annual Cinco de Mayo Omaha festivities. Born and raised in Mexico, Itzel and her family moved to Omaha when she was 12 years old.Meet the 2018 Honoree
2018 Emerging Nonprofit Leader Award Honoree: Rebecca Armstrong Langle
Born and raised in Omaha, Rebecca Armstrong Langle has committed herself to improving the community where she lives, works and plays. Right out of college, Rebecca served as a staff assistant to Sen. Nelson for two years where she worked on issues that affect all people, from large nonprofit organizations to individuals navigating the federal government. This experience gave her passion to help others.After getting her undergraduate degree in political science, Rebecca went on to get her master’s degree in public administration at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Upon Sen. Nelson’s retirement in 2012, Rebecca began working for local nonprofits. She has focused on fundraising and marketing in her nonprofit roles. Currently, Rebecca is the Vice President of Development at Nebraska Children and Families Foundation.
Outside of work, Rebecca is active with the League of Women Voters and sits on the alumni advisory board for UNO’s MPA program. Rebecca is a proud alumni of the New Leaders Council, and also served on their board as communications chair.
Rebecca is passionate about education and equality issues. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her husband, Ryan, and dog, Delilah.