Goodwill Omaha Board Selects 2021 Trustees and Roles

Goodwill Omaha Board Selects 2021 Trustees and Roles

Jim Rich remains chair, a vice chair is elected and three new members are confirmed

OMAHA, Neb., April 2, 2021 — Goodwill Industries, Inc., Serving Eastern Nebraska and Southwest

Iowa (Goodwill Omaha), has announced several changes to its board of trustees for 2021: Two members departed, three new members joined, and a new vice chair was elected.

In January, board members Erin Limas, chief financial officer at Borsheim’s Jewelry Company, and Scott Semrad, principal at the Urban Village Development, stepped down from the Goodwill Omaha Board of Trustees.

“We are incredibly grateful for the tireless support Erin and Scott have devoted to Goodwill for many years,” said Tobi Mathouser, president and CEO at Goodwill Omaha. “They are true friends of Goodwill, and in recent years especially, they have helped shape our organization and make it stronger and more transparent.”

Also in January, the board approved two new members: Leah Vetter, area president of the Heartland branch at Gallagher Benefit Services, and Paul Lanphier, executive director of the Hope Center for Kids, a north Omaha nonprofit that provides a safe after-school and summer program where children and youth receive academic support, a hot meal every night and other services.

At the Goodwill board’s most recent convening on March 30, the board approved another new member, Robyn Burnett, accounts and education services manager at Best Care EAP for Methodist Health System. Mathouser said the addition of Burnett brings a much-desired mental health professional to the board.

At the same meeting, the board voted to retain its current chair, James H. Rich, founder of Percipio Partners, for the 2021 calendar

year. Although the board typically elects a new chairperson each year, Mathouser said that 2020 was such an unusual year because of the pandemic, the board unanimously agreed that Rich should remain in the role for a second year.

“Last year, our operations were closed down during the time when the board would have elected a vice chair, who would have worked closely with Jim in preparation to become the next chairman,” Mathouser said. “So, we didn’t have a vice chair last year.”

Board members had previously nominated Doug Anderson, commercial market manager at Great Southern Bank, as the board secretary, and on Tuesday, they also elected Anderson as vice chair of the board.

“As we continue to bring new members onto our board, we remain particularly mindful of the expertise, skillsets, networks and backgrounds that each member brings,” Mathouser said. “Increasing the diversity of our board not only enhances the ways Goodwill Omaha can grow, but it also allows us to expand and improve our current employment training programs and job placement services for the community we serve.”

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