Dr. Kelly Gatewood, is a lifelong educator and passionate advocate for innovation in teaching and learning. Dr. Gatewood lives in Omaha, Nebraska, and brings with her a remarkable career in education spanning over three decades. She holds a bachelor’s degree in education from the University of Nebraska at Omaha, and both a master’s and a Ph.D. in Administration, Curriculum, and Instruction from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln.
Her professional journey has included roles as a chemistry teacher, professional development specialist for Omaha Public Schools, and State Director for the Building a Presence in Science initiative—a national project supported by the National Science Foundation and the National Science Teachers Association. She has also taught graduate courses in instructional and educational technology at Peru State College and spent over a decade at Argosy University, where she worked with doctoral students in research and instructional technology.
Currently, Dr. Gatewood is a professor in the Instructional Design and Technology Ph.D. program at Keiser University. Her research focuses on artificial intelligence and the benefits of online learning for women—especially single mothers. She has published multiple articles on podcasting and instructional design and was a contributing author to Hard to Teach Biology Concepts by Koba and Tweed. Among her many honors, she and her colleague Dr. Adragna received Best Research Paper at the International Business and Education Conference in San Francisco for their work on Ph.D. program retention.
Outside of academia, Dr. Gatewood leads an adventurous and full life. She’s been married to her husband—an electrical engineer—for 41 years. They have two adult children and two grandchildren. She enjoys traveling, scuba diving, skiing, dancing, yoga, and cooking. She even went skydiving to celebrate her daughter’s 30th birthday and got matching tattoos—designed by her grandchildren—for her daughter's 40th.
🍽 What to Expect: Light to hearty appetizers, house wine, and beer will be served—perfect for mingling and unwinding with fellow Rotarians, significant others, and prospective members.
👥 Who’s Invited: Omaha Morning Rotary members, their guests, and prospective members are all welcome!
📞 RSVP: Please RSVP to Aaron Tomita at (808) 429-2773. He’ll need a headcount by Friday, April 25.
Rotarians showed up and showed out at the Downtown Omaha Inc. monthly meeting for an inspiring presentation by Omaha Supernovas President, Diane Mendenhall! Diane gave a special shoutout to the Omaha Morning Rotary and personally invited members to attend—and we delivered!
Five Rotarians made their way to the Scottish Rite to support: Mike Benck, Sachi Verma, Scott Stevens, Robert Rapp, and Yolanda Hoffman. Way to represent, team! 🌟
Rotarians at the Supernovas presentation L to R: Robert Rapp, Mike Benck, "adopted Morning Rotarian" Brett Frevert, Scott Stevens, Sachi Verma, and. Yolanda Hoffman
Although it was hard to tell with our weather last week, Spring is finally here. As we get back out and start planning those spring yard projects, think about what we do as Rotarians to protect the environment worldwide.
April is Environmental Month. As one of Rotary’s Seven Areas of Focus, we are committed to Protecting the Environment. We support the activities that strengthen the conservation and protection of natural resources, advance ecological sustainability and foster harmony between communities and the environment.
How do we help achieve this? We tackle these issues the way we always do: coming up with and supporting projects, using connections to change policy and planning for the future. We are empowering communities by providing access to grants and other available resources to embrace local solutions and encourage innovation to address the causes of climate change and environmental degradation.
Over the last five years, Rotary has provided $18.4 million in global grant funding to environment-related causes through our support of community economic development and water, sanitation, and hygiene projects.
On the district level, we just recently completed the President-Elect training for our new group of Club Presidents who will lead their clubs during Robert Rapp’s year as District Governor. I was honored to attend the training and can tell you the future looks bright for our district with this new crop of leaders.
Hopefully, clubs have identified their delegates for the upcoming District Annual Meeting that will take place on May 8th. Our District Treasurer, Gary Bren, will be sending out our district budget this week for you to review in advance of the meeting. If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to myself or your District Assistant Governors. We are here to support your efforts to make sure your club members are getting the best Rotary experience possible
The Rotary Club of Omaha Morning, led by Jonathan Johnson during the 2023-2024 Rotary Year, was honored with the Rotary International Citation Award at the recent Rotary District Conference. This recognition highlights the club's commitment to enhancing member engagement, expanding Rotary's impact through community-focused projects, and fostering growth within the club. Additionally, it acknowledges the club's adaptability and the generosity of its members toward The Rotary Foundation.
Immediate Past President Jonathan Johnson receiving the Rotary Citation from District Governor Tom Kerfoot
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