Ashley Olson has been a member of the National Willa Cather Center staff since 2008 and has served as the organization’s Executive Director since 2014. In this role, she oversees a museum, arts center, ten historic sites, and a 612-acre native prairie—together comprising the largest collection of nationally designated historic sites dedicated to an American author.
Under Olson’s leadership, the Center’s assets have grown by more than $17 million. She has strengthened institutional capacity by growing the staff from a primarily part-time team to a majority full-time workforce. Olson has also led strategic initiatives to expand the Center’s core programs in an effort to broaden the organization’s local and national reach. A cornerstone achievement of her tenure was the $7 million adaptive reuse of the historic Moon Block building, transforming it into a museum and archive that anchors the Center’s operations and interpretive work. Building on that momentum, the Center later accepted a major gift of six historic sites and an associated collection of more than 8,000 objects. Olson has since overseen significant capital improvements to preserve these sites, improve accessibility, and prepare them for new exhibits and interpretation. She has secured and administered grants from the National Park Service and from the Institute of Museum and Library Services to restore the Willa Cather Childhood Home and to develop new permanent exhibits.
Olson holds a Master of Public Administration from the University of Nebraska at Omaha and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. She also holds a Certificate in Fundraising Management (CFM) and is a Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE), reflecting the highest standards of ethical and professional practice in the field.
Welcome Ashley Quade! She is the Director of Strategic Partnerships at ECS Technology Solutions, where she helps businesses connect technology decisions with their goals for growth, security, and productivity. With a background in IT support, sales, and marketing, she brings a practical, relationship-focused approach to her work.
Ashley is a proud board member of Outlook Enrichment and a new mom who is passionate about giving back to make her community an even better place for her daughter to grow up.
We are also welcoming Amya Frazier who is a driven entrepreneur known for her resilience and ambition. With a foundational experience at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where she studied Business Administration and Entrepreneurship, Amya launched Barb’s Breakfast Bar, a thriving breakfast food truck in Omaha.
She also leads Stealth and Pivot, a real estate investing firm focusing on wholesale properties and future multi-family developments.
Rotarians from Suburban Rotary and other clubs gathered at Legends on October 14 for the monthly Rotary Means Business event. See pictures from the gathering.
Nate Dodge, our speaker, is the chairman of the Building A Better Omaha Committee, formed by the Greater Omaha Chamber, with a goal of helping voters understand the needs behind two bond issues which will be on the ballot this November. One bond issue would authorize up to $155 million for a new joint police, fire and emergency management administrative headquarters at the Crossroads. The other bond issue would authorize up to $30 million to redevelop Tranquility Park into a modern athletic complex.
The city has grown 30 % since the police headquarters was built in 1970. The new building combines key first responder groups.
The second issue is to improve soccer fields at Tranquility Park. Many Nebraska families travel to other locations to be part of soccer tournaments because of better facilities and spend significant funds on hotels, meals and more. 45,000 children participate in soccer in the Omaha area each year. This bond issue is an investment in children and businesses in our city.
He asked the club to do a Rotary 5 and tell 5 people about the importance of this issue.
The book selection for November discussion is "Under and Alone" by William Queen, a New York Times Bestseller of the true story of the undercover agent who infiltrated America's most violent outlaw motorcycle gang.
We will be meeting again on Tuesday, November 10, at Bonefish Grill in Regency at 5:30 p.m.
October is going to be a special month in District 5650, and I hope one of the highlights will be seeing many of you at Fusion 5650, our District Conference, October 23-24 in Ashland!
Our District Conference is more than an event on the calendar. It’s a chance to reconnect with Rotary friends, meet new ones, share ideas, celebrate what our clubs are accomplishing, and return home energized about what comes next. After spending the past several months visiting clubs throughout our District, I can tell you there is a lot worth celebrating!
As I write this, I’ve completed all but one of my official club visits. What an experience it has been! I’ve had the opportunity to see firsthand the incredible things happening throughout our District, to hear your stories, meet your members, and learn more about the communities you serve.
And one message has come through loud and clear: Rotary creates impact when we see a need and decide to do something about it.
That fits perfectly with October’s Rotary focus on Economic and Community Development. Across our District, Rotarians are strengthening communities in ways large and small. Sometimes that means a major project. Sometimes it means supporting a local organization, creating opportunities for young people, helping a neighbor, or simply bringing the right people together to solve a problem.
October also brings us one of Rotary’s greatest examples of sustained impact: our commitment to ending polio. World Polio Day is October 24, right in the middle of our District Conference. It’s a wonderful opportunity to remember what Rotarians can accomplish when we commit ourselves to a goal and keep going.
Throughout my club visits, I’ve talked a lot about the difference between change and impact. Change is what we do. Impact is what happens because we did it.
As I near the end of my club visits, I’m even more convinced that District 5650 is filled with Rotarians who are making an impact every single day.
So this October, let’s celebrate that impact. Let’s celebrate our communities, renew our commitment to ending polio, and bring all of that Rotary energy together at Fusion 5650.
Consider visiting another Rotary club for a make-up! Rotary.org has a club finder for locations around the world. Please see the District website at rotarydistrict5650.org for details on local clubs. Visit one of the following Metro-Area Clubs!
Monday: Omaha Millard Rotary, 12:00 pm, German American Society, 3717 South 120th St.
Tuesday: Omaha Morning 7:00 am, First Watch Aksarben, 1222 S. 71st, Ste. B, Omaha. NE 68106
Tuesday: Omaha Night, 5:30 p.m. at La Voltaire, 569 N. 155th Plaza (first and third Tuesdays) Omaha, NE http://www.omaharotarynight.org/
Wednesday: Omaha Downtown, 12:00 pm, Field Club of Omaha, 3615 Woolworth Ave., Omaha, NE 68105
Wednesday: Council Bluffs Centennial: 7:00 am, Hy-Vee Community Room 1745 Madison Avenue
Thursday: Western Douglas County, 12:00 PM Elkhorn Public Schools Foundation 20272 Veterans Drive, Elkhorn, NE 68022
Thursday: Council Bluffs, 12:00 pm, Hoff Family Arts & Culture Center, 1001 South 6th Street
Friday: Omaha West, 12:00 pm, Charlie's on the Lake, 4151 S 144th St., Omaha, NE 68137
Email Deb for make-up/attendance credit to omahasuburbanrotary@gmail.com.
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