Lisa Lackovic is the Omaha architectural representative for Endicott Clay Products based out of Fairbury, Nebraska. She adopted the work-from-home lifestyle 15 years ago after leaving the corporate battle ground.
She earned a BS degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in Broadcast Journalism and Speech Communication many years ago but continues to use these skills during public speaking opportunities. Lisa enjoys speaking locally and nationally on Generations in the Workplace, Negotiating Skills for Women and Leadership Styles of Men and Women to name a few.
Lisa grew up in the masonry industry and has 40 years’ experience promoting brick and mortar to architects, landscape designers, and contractors in Omaha. She developed a groundbreaking landscape contractor contest called “The Ultimate Backyard Challenge” that changed the game in hardscape in the Omaha market. Lisa founded and trademarked Divas of the DirtTM, a networking organization for women in hardscape. She often refers to herself as “The Brick Chick” and serves as a resource to the construction community for all things masonry.
Lisa serves on the board of the Nebraska Masonry Alliance (NMA) and the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Omaha board of directors. She is currently chairman of College Possible Omaha. Lisa is past president of The Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW Omaha) and Habitat for Humanity Omaha. Lisa is married to Bob and has 2 grown “Millennials”, Amy Gunn and Bobby Lackovic, and 6 “Generation Alpha” grandchildren.
Some of Lisa’s favorite pastimes are traveling, golf, spinning, yoga, gardening and mentoring young professional women in male saturated industries...over happy hour of course!
Meet Chris Cottrell, Founder of CSquared Talent Design
Chris Cottrell is an Army brat turned proud Omahan who has lived numerous locations before deciding Nebraska was the only place that truly felt like home. A natural people person with unstoppable curiosity, she wandered into the world of talent and never left — becoming a recruitment expert, organizational performance nerd, employee‑experience designer, and occasional organizational therapist.
Chris is an educator who’s taught Talent Management at both the undergraduate and graduate level, is the creator and co-host to a community-driven initiative called Community Perspectives, the Board Vice President of the Barrientos Scholarship Foundation, a current cohort member of Leadership Nebraska and a mom to two blue collar and extremely compassionate sons.
Chris is also the founder of CSquared Talent Design, a boutique “recruiting and then some” agency offering white‑glove support, plug‑and‑play talent, and people‑first solutions for nonprofits and mission‑driven organizations. In short: Chris helps leaders find and keep(!) great employees who can actually hit the ground running… and she makes the process surprisingly enjoyable, incredibly affordable and extremely human.
Welcome to Rotary, Chris! We’re so glad you’re here!
Several of our Rotarians recently had the opportunity to participate in the FBI Omaha Citizens Academy, gaining a closer look at the FBI's work and its role in serving our community.
The Citizens Academy is an educational program that helps community members better understand the FBI's mission, investigative work, and efforts to keep the public safe. Through presentations and interactive discussions, participants learn about the challenges FBI agents face and the importance of building strong relationships between law enforcement and the community.
For our Rotarians, it was a meaningful opportunity to learn something new, ask questions, and gain a greater appreciation for the people behind the badge.
Aileen Warren shared her thoughts on the experience:
“I enjoyed being a part of the Omaha FBI Citizens Academy. It was a great way to learn more about the FBI and the work they do in the community. I would highly encourage others to go through the program.”
Experiences like this remind us that community service begins with understanding, connection, and a willingness to learn. We are grateful to the FBI Omaha team for providing this opportunity and for their continued commitment to community engagement.
FBI Academy participants with FBI Special Agent Gene Kowel: Aileen Warren, Tom Adams, and Bill Harvey
Who would dare question the capabilities of these “FBI Agents”? Three agents. Zero smiles. Maximum intimidation. Special Agents Tom Adams, Aileen Warren, and Bill Harvey reporting for duty! Their mission? Classified. Their expressions? Nonnegotiable. Their qualifications? Highly suspicious! 🤣
Some Rotarians lead from the head table. Bill Harvey leads from the head table, the AV table, the serving line, and the airport arrivals gate.
On Saturday, October 24, at the District 5650 Conference Banquet at the Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum, Past District Governor Tom Kerfoot, chair of the Cadwallader Award Committee, presented Bill with the 2027 Cadwallader Award, the highest honor our District can give. First presented in 1963 in memory of Charles N. Cadwallader, the award recognizes Rotarians whose contributions to Rotary service have been truly monumental. Bill joins a distinguished line of past recipients, and The Rotary Club of Omaha could not be prouder of one of its own.
A Rotarian who shows up
Bill joined The Rotary Club of Omaha in April 1997 and has never stopped serving. He has been Club President (2017 to 2018), Club Secretary, a director, Club Rotary Foundation Chair, and a dependable committee leader. As District 5650 Rotary Foundation Chair from 2019 to 2022, he kept Foundation giving and project momentum alive through the pandemic. He then served as Endowment and Major Gift Advisor for Rotary Region 36 and as Corporate Secretary of the Zones 25 and 29 Foundation. This past June, he moderated an international panel on The Rotary Foundation Annual Fund and the Paul Harris Society at the Rotary International Convention in Taipei.
Yet ask any member at our weekly meeting and they will tell you the same thing. The Rotarian who has served on the regional and international stage is the same one quietly fixing a microphone so another member can be heard.
Service in every avenue
Bill’s service reaches well beyond meetings. He serves meals at the Stephen Center with our Club, packages meals with Kids Against Hunger, rings the Salvation Army bell during the holidays, joins Rotary Christmas Tree Recycling, and helps place the 9/11 memorial flags at Memorial Park. During his presidency he championed Rotary Youth Exchange, and he later personally welcomed an inbound student from Japan at the airport and helped make Omaha feel like home.
In his professional life as an attorney and as Managing Partner and General Counsel of EHPV Management Group and Big Red Keno, Bill has helped generate $395 million for community betterment across Nebraska over 33 years.
A family commitment
Bill and his wife, Gretchen Heizer Harvey, share a rare Rotary legacy. Both have served as President of The Rotary Club of Omaha, Bill in 2017 to 2018 and Gretchen in 2025 to 2026. Together they are Level IV Major Donors, Level IV Bequest Society members, members of the Paul Harris Society and the PolioPlus Society, and each a Paul Harris Fellow +8. They also founded a family fund within The Rotary Foundation that supports projects at home and around the world. The Foundation has also honored Bill with its Citation for Meritorious Service.
For nearly thirty years, Bill Harvey has shown up. Please join us in congratulating him on this well deserved honor.
It feels a little strange to say it, but my District Governor club visits are complete, Fusion 5650 is in the books, and we've made it to November!
After spending the past several months visiting clubs throughout District 5650, I continue to be amazed by the work our Rotarians are doing. And that's especially appropriate as we celebrate The Rotary Foundation Month and think about one of our priorities this year: Create Lasting Impact.
The Rotary Foundation allows us to take our ideas and our generosity and turn them into action. Our gifts support Rotary's work around the world, including our commitment to eradicate polio, but they also come back to our District to help fund District Grants. That means Foundation giving helps our own clubs create lasting impact right here in our communities.
So this month, I encourage you to think about the Foundation not simply as something we give to, but as something we work through. Your contributions help Rotarians take a good idea and turn it into a project that changes lives.
And even though Fusion is over, we're not slowing down! On December 5, Region 36 Public Image Coordinator Patrick Harrison will join us for The Secret Sauce of Rotary, a special seminar focused on Public Image and telling the Rotary story.
After visiting our clubs this year, I know District 5650 has some wonderful stories to tell. Now let's get better at telling them!
The Rotary Club is delighted to welcome Abigail Ybay as our newest member of the Rotary family!
Abby was born and raised in Shawnee, KS (a suburb of Kansas City), and the ethics of Rotary were a formative part of her childhood. Her father was (and is) a Rotarian, and she and her sisters grew up hosting exchange students and going on service trips through their high school Interact club. She received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, with a specialization in entrepreneurship, from Kansas State University.
Abby joined the Episcopal Church while in college and later felt called to work for the church professionally. She is now the Dean of Community Life at The Benedictine Way, managing the daily life of the community, their fundraising efforts, communications, and young adult programs. The Benedictine Way was founded in 2018 and is a contemplative Christian community in the Episcopal Church in service to the poor and forgotten. They work alongside other churches and nonprofits to feed the hungry and build community in their neighborhood through a food pantry, community meal, and urban gardens.
Abby is passionate about community building and uplifting the underserved and marginalized. She is excited to connect with other professionals in Rotary who put service above self, and to support more of the outreach and civic programs in our Omaha community.
In her spare time Abby enjoys playing piano, rock climbing, and crafting. She is a gamer and adventure-seeker, and has introduced her husband JJ to snow skiing, SCUBA diving, and white-water rafting. He still loves her, and they live in Bellevue together with their cats.
Welcome to Rotary, Abigail! We look forward to serving, learning, and making a difference together.
Rotarians from across Nebraska and Southwest Iowa gathered October 23 and 24 at the Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum in Ashland for Fusion 5650, the 2026 District Conference, and The Rotary Club of Omaha was proud to be well represented. Our members joined fellow Rotarians beneath the wings of aviation history for two days of learning, fellowship, and inspiration. Friday’s luncheon featured keynote speaker John Ockenfels, whose Rotary Flight to End Polio around the world raised more than $2 million for polio eradication. Sessions covered membership and club engagement, strategic planning, Foundation and Global Grant opportunities, Rotary Youth Exchange and RYLA, Women in Rotary, and Rotary Means Business, giving our members ideas they can put to work right here in Omaha.
The highlight for our Club came at Saturday’s banquet, when our own Bill Harvey received the 2027 Cadwallader Award, District 5650’s highest honor, presented by PDG Tom Kerfoot. Seeing a member of The Rotary Club of Omaha recognized in front of Rotarians from across the District was a moment of real pride for everyone in the room. Thank you to every member who registered, carpooled, and gave their weekend to Rotary. If you missed this year’s conference, make plans to join us next year. The friendships, ideas, and energy you bring home are well worth the trip.
Members of The Rotary Club of Omaha at Fusion 5650. Pictured left to right: Immediate Past Pres. Gretchen Harvey, Cadwallader Awardee Bill Harvey, Bob Keefer, John Marburger, Katelyn Sethi, Conference Chair and President James Mackiewicz, Yolanda Hoffman, Deb Skinner, Susan Koesters, Larry Guenther, and Scott Meyerson
Rotarians from across District 5650 gather outside the Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum during Fusion 5650
The Omaha Downtown Rotary Foundation is now accepting grant applications for 2026-2027 Rotary year, with nearly $40,000 available to support projects that make a meaningful impact in education, veteran services, and senior citizen programs.
📅 Application Deadline: November 30, 2026 – Late submissions will not be accepted!
We invite community organizations and individuals to apply, recommend, or submit proposals for initiatives that align with our mission.
🔹 How to Apply: ✔ Review the grant criteria ✔ Complete the application form ✔ Submit by the deadline
For more details about the Omaha Downtown Rotary Foundation, click here. If you have any questions, please contact Foundation President Tobi Mathouser at 402-231-1972 or tmathouser@goodwillomaha.org.
Stephen Center partners with the community, families, and individuals to overcome homelessness, addiction, and poverty. Stephen Center has served the homeless and low-income in Omaha since 1984 through its three programs: Emergency Shelter, HERO Program, and Transitional Living Program. The Omaha Downtown Rotary partners with Stephens Center in serving hot meals to its residents.
Where three or more Rotarians gather, it's called a Rotary Social, and you earn attendance credits. Rotarians may come from different clubs. Connect with Rotarians and enjoy the power of Rotary fellowship. Below are our recent Rotary Socials.
Who would dare question the capabilities of these “FBI Agents”? Three agents. Zero smiles. Maximum intimidation. Special Agents Tom Adams, Aileen Warren, and Bill Harvey reporting for duty!
Rotarians at the Stephen Center’s Annual Trunk or Treat L to R: Eli McNichols (Suburban), Steve McCollister (Project Chair), Stephen Center CEO Chris Knauf, Kim Stewart (brought her work truck)
Rotary New Member Training for Chris Cottrell and Kealy Fischer with Yearling Committee Jill Slupe and Scott Meyerson
Rotarians at dinner for Sue Morris, First Lady Viv Ewing, Cella Quinn, and Mayor John Ewing.
Rotarians at the Pachyderm Lunch— Left to right: Charlie Peters, Brian Kruse, and John Sullivan.
New Member Meeting: First of a series: Scott Meyerson, Yolanda Hoffman, Hal France, Chris Frohardt, Julia Palzer, Carmen Sirizzotti
Rotarians at the Women’s Fund Luncheon: Aileen Warren, Alexis Boulos, and Dawn Gonzales
The Rotary Club of Omaha is now recruiting more members! It's your opportunity to join the Rotary Club of Omaha, click here to complete the membership application form. For questions, please contact Membership Chair Sarah Robak at sarah.robakcfa@gmail.com.
American Express Online Giving
Archdiocesan Schools
Bennington Schools Foundation
Centris
Chase Bank
Club Foundation
Club Service Fund
CFO Systems
Creighton University
DA Davidson
Elkhorn Schools Foundation
EHPV
FNBO
Goodwill Industries
Jungle Driving
Metro Community College
Millard Schools Foundation
Omaha Massage Therapy
Omaha Public Schools Foundation
Ralston Schools Foundation
UNO College of Business Administration
Union Omaha
Westside Foundation
Individuals:
Anonymous Donor
Bill Harvey
Brad Burklund
Brett Frevert
Chris Rath
Colleen Brennan
Deb Skinner
Fletcher Reel
Fr. Lloyd Gnirk
Gretchen Harvey
Heidi McGinness
Jim Stewart
Jim Suttle
John Ewing
John Marburger
John Mock
Larry Guenther
Larry Johansen
Lisa Tonjes Moritz
Mary Daub
Hal Daub
Paul Cohen
Randy Voorst
Randy Wieseler
Sandy Lemke
Todd Lemke
Scott Buchholz
Steve Carper
Steve McCollister
Tom Gouttierre
Viv Ewing
Some Rotarians lead from the head table. Bill Harvey leads from the head table, the AV table, the serving line, and the airport arrivals gate.
