Board & Staff

Marcus Bell is the CEO of Omaha Bridges out of Poverty.  In his previous roles, he served as Executive Director of 100 Black Men of Omaha, Inc. He has worked in the Banking and Financial Services Industry, serving in roles from bank Branch Manager to Life Insurance Agent.  Marcus is a proud graduate of Leadership Omaha – Class 44 and sits on several boards including: Launch Leadership, Nebraska Alliance of Child Advocacy Centers, Salvation Army, B&B Sports Academy, and Omaha Police Foundation. Making an impact on his community has always been a passion of his since a young age through mentoring and giving back. His strong community connections and roots drive Marcus to create an even greater influence on the Omaha/Council Bluffs MSA to defeat poverty and create a place to live like no other. He believes in empowering people with the tools and confidence to transform their lives.

Roger Howard, CPA, is a founder and full-time volunteer Director of Development 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.

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.

Therese Nelson is the Director of Programs for Omaha Bridges Out of Poverty. She brings her wealth of knowledge from the education sector with experience in both private and public schools as a teacher and principal. She is a current doctoral student who has a B.S. in Elementary Education with Special Education Endorsement from Creighton University, an M.S. in Educational Administration and Supervision and an M.S. in Behavior Disorders from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Therese is also the 2022 recipient of the George I. Sloan Fellowship as well as the 2023 recipient of the Dale and Thomas Hayes Fellowship. She develops and implements all programs at Omaha Bridges Out of Poverty as well as recruits and trains all Facilitators. Therese is certified as a facilitator in Getting Ahead in a Just Gettin’-by World and Bridges Out of Poverty Trainer; she will complete Getting Ahead in the Workplace as well as Getting Ahead While Getting Out.

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.