Greg Ptacek Selected For Leadership Nebraska

The Nebraska Chamber of Commerce has chosen Greg Ptacek of Neligh for its Leadership Nebraska Class VIII. 

Ptacek is the City of Neligh’s Economic Development Director, where he promotes the growth of Neligh.  He is heavily involved with several local organizations and has developed strong relations with UNL’s Rural Futures Institute and the Engler Agribusiness College.  In February, Neligh was designated as the fourth community in Nebraska to become a Leadership Community by the Nebraska Department of Economic Development.

Ptacek graduated from Wayne State College with a double major in Political Science & History.  He will earn his Master of Public Administration (MPA) Public Policy Concentration with the completion of six remaining hours.

Greg is actively involved in the TeamMates Mentoring Program as a mentor of a freshman in high school.  He has served on several planning committees and has been a speaker for the Rural Futures Institute (RFI).  Greg serves on the Antelope County Extension Board, Library Technology Committee and the Neligh Young Men’s Club.  

He and his wife Kelly, have two children under age 3 – Alexis and Crispin

Leadership Nebraska was founded in 2006 to identify current and emerging leaders throughout Nebraska, enhance their leadership skills and deepen their knowledge of the challenges and opportunities facing our state.

Participants are selected from different regions of the state and possess varied backgrounds and diverse talents. All candidates have demonstrated an abiding interest in Nebraska and its future.

The program consists of six sessions covering a broad range of key Nebraska issues including economic development, healthcare, education, agriculture, government and policy development. Class VIII begins with an orientation in June and will end in February 2016 with a commencement ceremony held in Lincoln. Sessions will be conducted throughout various locations of the state.

Barry Kennedy, president of the Nebraska Chamber, said: “Graduates of Leadership Nebraska have a broader understanding of our state and are better prepared to move into leadership responsibilities - whether in their career, their community, or at the state level.”

Listed below are the 28 Nebraskans selected to participate in Leadership Nebraska’s Class VIII, along with the class member’s employer and city.

Cameron Arch, Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Nebraska, Omaha; Jill Becker, Black Hills Energy, Lincoln; Silas Clarke, Midwest Hop Producers, LLC, Plattsmouth; Eric Drumheller, EducationQuest Foundation, Lincoln; Linda Dugan, PayPal, La Vista; Andrew Elder, Pinnacle Bank, Wisner; Josh Erickson, Team Concepts, Kearney; Kari Haase, Cuming County Public Power District, West Point;
Kyla Habrock, Nebraska Pork Producers Association, Lincoln; Elizabeth Hilyard, Stateline Producers Cooperative, Gering; Diane Ibrahim, State Farm Insurance, Lincoln; Amy Jacobsen, Douglas County Attorney, Omaha; Melissa Jarecki, NUCOR Steel, Norfolk; Meg Klosterman Kester, College of Agriculture Sciences & Natural Resources, UNL, Lincoln; Scott Lloyd, Ameritas Investment Corp., Lincoln; Christin Lovegrove, Heinisch & Lovegrove Law Office, PC LLO, Geneva; Sarah McDonald, Werner Enterprises Inc, Omaha; Stephanie Mueller, Metropolitan Utilities District, Omaha; Andrew Niehaus, Nebraska Public Power District, Brownville; Timothy Nissen, Omaha Public Power District, Omaha; Shawn Pollock, Mutual of Omaha, Omaha; Ann Prockish, CenturyLink, Omaha; Greg Ptacek, City of Neligh Economic Development, Neligh; Jeffrey Ray, JEO Consulting Group, Omaha; Kyle Reisenweber, NUCOR Steel, Norfolk; Darren Robinson, Economic Development Council of Buffalo County, Kearney;
Sara Semin, Robert B. Daugherty Foundation, Omaha; Thomas Whiteing, Renaissance Financial Corporation, Omaha.