Board & Staff
Meet the board members and staff who are helping Omaha Bridges build solutions to defeat poverty once and for all.
2023 Officers and Board of Directors
John Langwith
President
Retired TD Ameritrade
Laurie Baedke
VP & Secretary
Barry Major
Treasurer
Kelly Nielsen
Member
Tara Slevin
Member
Jamalia Jones
Member
Roger Howard
Volunteer CEO
Omaha Bridges Staff

Roger Howard, CPA
CEO
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
Program Director
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).

Kendra Cain
Program Coordinator
Kendra Cain holds a bachelor’s degree in social work and came to us originally as a practicum student. As our program coordinator, Kendra supports planning, growth, development, and coordination of all programs. This includes organizing enrollment, orientation, and program delivery for multiple cohorts each trimester. Kendra is certified as a facilitator in Bridges Out of Poverty, Strategies for Professionals and Communities, and Getting Ahead in a Just Gettin-by World.

Cheryl Perry
Program Specialist
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
Director of Life Skills Coaching
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.

Julissa Rivera
Life-Skills Coach
Julissa Rivera is our Council Bluffs Life Skills Coach. She studied business administration and accounting in college and has extensive experience in medical billing and claims administration. Julissa is a Getting Ahead graduate, and before joining us as a Life Skills Coach, she facilitated several Getting Ahead cohorts. Julissa is our bilingual certified Life Skills Coach. She 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 in the Workplace.

Walter Garcia Rodriguez
Director of Community Partnerships
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
Director of Administration
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.

Sue Gerding
Donor Management Specialist
Sue Gerding brings more than thirty years of donor relations experience to Omaha Bridges, where she manages our donor database and supports all development activities.

LaShantra Waits
Program Specialist
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.

Samira Hernandez
Program Specialist
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.