Board & Staff

Roger Howard, CPA, is a founder and full-time volunteer CEO of Omaha /Council Bluffs Bridges Out of Poverty. Until his retirement in 2015, he was a managing partner of an Omaha CPA firm, where he chaired the healthcare consulting division. Roger is certified as a facilitator in Bridges Out of Poverty, Strategies for Professionals and Communities, and Getting Ahead in a Just Gettin-by World.

Sharon Jackson is the program director for Omaha Bridges Out of Poverty. Sharon previously served in the military, was a team manager for a national consumer credit reporting company, and the regional manager for a digital marketing company. She also was a case manager at an Omaha homeless shelter where she piloted the Bridges Out of Poverty curriculum. Sharon is certified as a facilitator in Bridges Out of Poverty, Strategies for Professionals and Communities, Getting Ahead in a Just Gettin-by World, Getting Ahead in the Workplace, Workplace Stability, and The R-Rules (helping middle school and high school students to identify and build resources).

Cheryl Perry holds a bachelor’s degree in education and has extensive experience in the classroom. As a program specialist, Cheryl facilitates multiple Getting Ahead ten-week cohorts and supports planning, growth, development, and coordination of all programs. Cheryl is certified as a facilitator in Bridges Out of Poverty, Strategies for Professionals and Communities, Getting Ahead in the Workplace, Getting Ahead in a Just Gettin-by World, and The R-Rules (helping middle school and high school students to identify and build resources).

Carl Jackson, PhD, is the director of Life Skills Coaching for Omaha Bridges. Experienced in group counseling, Carl has a passion for helping under-resourced individuals in our community to gain the skills needed to establish a stable, self-sufficient lifestyle. Carl is a certified Life Skills Coach and is certified as a facilitator in Bridges Out of Poverty, Strategies for Professionals and Communities, Getting Ahead in a Just-Gettin’-By World, and Getting Ahead while Getting Out.

Walter Garcia Rodriguez is the director of Community Partnerships and oversees our Community Coordinators to develop and nurture Community Partner relationships, recruit participants (Investigators), and coordinate all the needed class resources. Walter has a background in both nonprofit social services and financial services. Walter holds a master’s degree and is bilingual. He is certified as a facilitator in Bridges Out of Poverty, Strategies for Professionals and Communities, and Getting Ahead in a Just-Gettin’-By World.

Joanie Soverns holds a bachelor’s degree from Creighton University and has extensive experience in donor relations and donor database management. She manages most of the administrative functions at Omaha Bridges, along with working in development. Joanie is a Getting Ahead graduate.

As a program specialist LaShantra facilitates multiple Getting Ahead ten-week cohorts and supports planning, growth, development, and coordination of all programs. She is a certified life coach, Game Changer, podcaster, author, and businesswoman. LaShantra is certified as a facilitator in Getting Ahead in a Just Getting-by World.

As the bilingual program specialist Samira facilitates multiple Getting Ahead ten-week cohorts and supports planning, growth, development, and coordination of all programs. She brings a passion for helping individuals find the resources they need to thrive. Samira is certified as a facilitator in Getting Ahead in a Just Getting-by World.