Viv Ewing, Ph.D., has been elected as the 99th chair of the UNO Alumni Association Board of Directors, starting July 1. She is the first African-American to hold this position.

Ewing, president and CEO of Children’s Square USA, expressed her dedication to enhancing alumni programs and the university’s impact. She holds a Master’s in Urban Studies and a Bachelor’s in Public Administration from UNO, as well as a doctoral degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She has served on the board since 2015 and will continue through June 30, 2025.

With over 20 years of executive leadership in nonprofits, including roles at the Alzheimer’s Association and Habitat for Humanity, Ewing is committed to service. Her volunteer work includes leadership positions with the Salvation Army, the Rocky Mountain Regional Alliance, and the UNO Chancellor’s Diversity Council. She published a book titled “Yes You Can Have Your Cake and Eat It Too.”

Ewing’s commitment to service began as a student, where she was the 1981 UNO Homecoming Queen and a founding member of Delta Sigma Theta for African-American students. She and her husband, John Ewing, who met at UNO, received the Citation for Alumni Achievement Award in 2014. Ewing has also received numerous awards, including UNO’s alumni award for excellence in public service.

Ryan B. Curtis, PE, EDAC, LEED AP, is a licensed senior structural engineer and project manager with more than 17 years of design experience ranging from High-Rise towers to complex healthcare campus replacement projects. He received a Master of Architectural Engineering degree in Structural Engineering and a Bachelor of Science degree in Architectural Engineering from the University of Nebraska. He holds an evidence-based design accreditation and certification (EDAC) from the Center for Health Design, and is a LEED Accredited Professional. Curtis has authored multiple national engineering publications and has spoken at numerous regional events for state specific Engineering Associations. Mr. Curtis is extensively involved with various community engagement and mentorship efforts and sits on the Omaha by Design Technical Advisory Committee, the Nebraska Durham School of Architectural Engineering Industry Advisory Committee, University of Nebraska Omaha Alumni Association, served previously on the Board of Directors for the Greater Omaha Young Professionals, and is a Leadership Omaha Class of 35 graduate, a Ten Outstanding Young Omahans 2023 Award Winner, named to the Midlands Business Journal 40 under 40 for 2017, and the 2024 University of Nebraska Architectural Engineering Outstanding Alumni Award winner.

Tami Williams, Ed.D., is associate professor at the University of Nebraska at Omaha in the educational leadership department. Williams has been an educator for over 20 years with a background as a teacher, behavior interventionist, assistant principal, and district administrator in Nebraska where she supervised buildings and led assessment/data innovations. At UNO she has chaired over 20 dissertations and served on nearly 50 committees. She is committed to serving educational leaders in our state and beyond.

Melanie is a very proud 3x UNO graduate, having earned undergraduate degrees in Business Administration and Journalism in 2008, followed by an MBA degree in 2012. After an amazing 15-year career with UNO CBA’s Executive MBA Program, Melanie now works for Dvorak Law Group as their Chief Marketing & Growth Officer. In her spare time, she volunteers her time to PTO and the Children’s Nebraska Friends Board, teaches professionalism and dining etiquette programs and coaches her children’s basketball and softball teams. Melanie and her husband Kelly live in Elkhorn with their four future Mavs – Trysten, Alivia, Kinley and Jett.

Adrian Hernandez is President of Dundee Bank, an employee owned and operated community bank based in Omaha. He has worked in the Omaha banking community for over 20 years. He holds his BSBA from UNO’s College of Business Administration and his MPA from UNO’s College of Public Affairs and Community Service. He currently serves on the board of Omaha by Design and is a member of the University of Nebraska President’s Advisory Council. He is an active mentor in UNO’s CBA Scholar program. He has previously served as a member of the Blackstone Business Business Improvement Board.

Emily Poeschl, a 2011 alumna of the UNO MBA program has more than 17 years of proven success in marketing, branding, communications, events, and government relations. She currently leads brand communications efforts at Mutual of Omaha, most notably serving in a key role with the Emmy® nominated series, Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom Protecting the Wild, now airing on NBC Saturday mornings. In addition to her role on the UNO Alumni Association Board, she has served on the local boards of Susan G. Komen, Saving Grace Perishable Food Rescue, and the Omaha Summer Arts Festival, plus national volunteer roles with Susan G. Komen and the Delta Gamma Foundation. She has been recognized by the Governor of Nebraska with one of the top citizen honors (Nebraska Navy Admiralship), the Omaha Jaycees (Ten Outstanding Young Omahans) and various professional and industry awards.

Dr. Mark Adler is currently in his first year serving as Chief Strategy and Development Officer with CRCC. Prior to joining the team at CRCC, Dr. Adler invested eleven years leading Ralston Public Schools as Superintendent. Dr. Adler has devoted more than 30 years to the success of Nebraska’s public schools, serving students and families in Petersburg, Elgin and Nebraska City before arriving in Ralston. Mark graduated from Hastings High School in 1987 and served six years in the United States Army. Dr. Adler earned his Doctorate in Educational Administration from the University of Nebraska Omaha in 2008. Dr. Adler was a first-generation college student as he earned degrees from Kearney State College and the University of Nebraska at Kearney. Dr. Adler is grateful to be honored as Nebraska’s Superintendent of the Year in 2019. Through the years, Dr. Adler has served many roles in education, including time as an industrial technology teacher, football coach, basketball coach, bus driver, high school principal, activities director, assistant superintendent for business and finally superintendent of schools. Mark and Joni Adler have three children: Jade, 27, is a West Point graduate and Captain in the United States Army and a law student at Syracuse University, Reid is eternally 15 and Kamille, 20, is a student at the University of Nebraska Omaha. Mark enjoys spending time with family and friends, traveling, attending sporting events and working in his yard. The Adler family loves Nebraska, Army and Kansas City Chiefs football as well as anything involving the Ralston Rams!

A 2001 graduate of the University of Nebraska Omaha, Carlos earned his bachelor’s degree in political science from the College of Arts and Sciences.

Throughout his career, Carlos has held various public service positions. In 2005, Governor Mike Johanns appointed him as the Douglas County Election Commissioner, making Carlos one of the youngest election commissioners in the country at the time. His dedication to public service continued as he served for nearly a decade as a senior political advisor and Director of Administrative Services to former Governor Dave Heineman.

Currently, Carlos is the CEO of the Millard Public Schools Foundation, one of Nebraska’s largest educational non-profits. In this role, he works passionately to support the educational needs of one of the state’s largest public school districts.

Carlos, along with his wife and 3 children reside in Omaha. His wife is a professor in the College of Pharmacy at Creighton University. She received her PharmD from Creighton University and her MBA from UNO in 2005. They are proud to call Omaha home.

Angel is a proud native Omahan. She is an Omaha Central graduate, who studied Elementary Education and Nonprofit Administration at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. She earned her Nebraska Real Estate License in 2011. She is a member of the Omaha Area Board of REALTORS (OABR), the Nebraska REALTORS Association, and the National Association of REALTORS. She serves on the OABR’s Diversity and Education Committees and is a member of the Women’s Council of REALTORS (WCR) and Young Professionals Network (YPN). She served as the 2018 President of the Women’s Council-Omaha Network, the 2019 State Governor, and the 2020 Regional Vice President. She also completed the Nebraska REALTORS® Association Leadership Academy, and is serving her second term as a Director on the Omaha Area REALTORS® Board.

As the President and CEO of Locale Real Estate Services, Angel leads the Locale Real Estate Group w/ Nebraska Realty, a Team of six providing exceptional service to buyer and seller clients in the Greater Omaha area. She enjoys working with individuals, especially first-time homebuyers/sellers, and walking them through the process of purchasing or selling their homes. She loves sharing the excitement of life events, and buying a home is usually on a person’s bucket list. “Omaha is on the move, and I love showing people that it’s a great place to live, work and play.” Angel was honored as the 2013 DEEB Realty Rookie of the Year and has received several industry awards and honors every year since.

Angel is a real estate agent by profession, and an educator by passion. She believes her purpose in life is to fight for the rights of children; especially their educational and social-emotional needs. She feels financial literacy is very important to everyone, and such skills should be established in our youth. Angel has served for many years as a Lead Educational Advocate with Heart2Heart Educational Services/Growing Hearts Collaborative, and has served on several community boards, including on the boards for the American Diabetes Association, the Maple/Butler-Gast YMCA, and Habitat for Humanity Omaha. She believes everyone is a teacher in their own right.

Angel has been an active member of the church community. She enjoys spending time with church family and participating in outreach events. She likes to stay in the know about community events and is a self-proclaimed life-long learner. “I love new experiences and I am a complete out-of-the-box thinker. I value differences.”Angel is an avid supporter of servant leadership. Her motto is “I am here to serve!” She served as a council member of the Greater Omaha Young Professionals’ Council (Executive Team member in 2016), was honored as a 2012 Ten Outstanding Young Omahan by the Omaha Jaycees, and a Midland’s Business Journal 40 Under 40. She was also the 2018 Greater Omaha Chamber’s YP Summit Chair, leading her 25-person team in planning and executing a one-of-its-kind conference for 1500+ YP attendees. She received the 2018 Young Alumni Achievement Award from the UNO Alumni Association.

Connect with Angel if you’re interested in exploring the Omaha real estate market, visiting the Durham Museum (one of her favorite places), riding trains, singing karaoke, attending theatrical performances, volunteering with Omaha’s youth, connecting efforts to improve our community’s collective impact, listening to music, or just enjoying being YOU! Fun fact: She loves purple!

With a career spanning nearly 13 years, Kate West is a seasoned professional with expertise in implementing policies, procedures and programs that ensure national business units comply with government contracts. As legal counsel for PCL Construction’s U.S. Buildings operations, West provides legal services across the company’s diverse industry sectors. Prior to joining PCL, West was a contract manager where she managed the organization’s claims against the project owner and subcontractor’s claims. In 2010, West earned a Juris Doctor degree, with distinction, from the University of Nebraska. She also earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Magna Cum Laude, (Economics Major, Political Science Minor) from the University of Nebraska at Omaha.