Staff Members

We celebrate our rural culture while working on national issues that impact all rural citizens. We live and work rural.

Policy Associate
Rural Nebraska has provided opportunities for the things I enjoy most in life, including spending time with family, exploring the beautiful landscape by kayaking rivers, boating on lakes, and relaxing on sandbars. It has been easy to develop a true appreciation for everything this state has to offer.
Senior Project Associate
When I was little we lived in Brainard, Nebraska, but our family farm was only two blocks away. Since then it has always been a large part of our family's life. We now live on the farm, four...
Development Director
I’m proud to play a small part in keeping communities vibrant places for the diverse people who call rural America home. Prior to joining the Center, I spent a decade as a newspaper reporter, then...
Senior Business Development Specialist
I was born and raised in a small town called Bucerias, Mexico. When I arrived in Grand Island, Nebraska, I found a friendly and inclusive community—a place that not only welcomes students, workers...
Chief Financial Officer

I grew up in small towns and have lived half of my adult life in the smaller communities that the Center has a real passion for. I spent almost 20 years in banking, including working in my family's...

Chief Administrative Officer
I have always felt that rural America is the fabric and backbone for all that we are, no matter where you live – it’s where we all find our roots, and we shouldn’t forget that. There is so much beauty...
Loan Specialist
There is so much geographic diversity in Puerto Rico where I was born and raised, though rural communities make up a large part of the island. When I moved to Nebraska three years ago to be close to...
Women’s Business Center Director
When I was 5 years old, I moved to Grand Island, Nebraska, from Houston, Texas, and have known Nebraska to be my home ever since. Rural America holds a special place in my heart because I have had the...
Senior Beginning Farmer and Market Associate
For about 10 years, I have farmed in various forms including both urban and rural operations, developed farm to school curricula and programs, trained farm staff and interns, started my own farm...
Loan Specialist
My dad’s family owns a dairy farm near Minatare, Nebraska, and I learned a lot growing up there. We always had chores to do—everything from hoeing beets to feeding cattle. We also grew and preserved...
Office & Technology Manager

My job includes different tasks every day, and my main priority is to help the Center for Rural Affairs run smoothly. My goal is to help everyone else achieve their goals. Since 1998, I’ve enjoyed my...

Policy Associate
I was born in Lafayette Indiana, and grew up across the river in West Lafayette for the next 22 years. I graduated from Purdue University in 2020 with a degree in agricultural economics. Soon after, I...
Executive Director

At an early age, I learned to care about my community and the world around me from my parents. It was only a matter of time before I became active in my community, engaging in local debates over...

Data & Evaluation Manager
I grew up on my family’s farm in south central Nebraska. The values imparted on me from that rural community are firmly rooted in who I am, and align perfectly with those of the Center for Rural...
Policy Associate
Growing up on my family’s 60-cow dairy farm in northeast Iowa shaped me into the person I am today. When I have the chance, I enjoy traveling back to the farm to feed calves, milk cows, and help with...
Native Communities Manager
I grew up on a farm near Crofton, Nebraska, and have always lived in rural America—this is where my family comes from. I want to raise my boys here, as I believe being raised in the area comes with...
Farm & Community Assistant Director
I am a lifelong student of the outdoors. I’ve lived in many different landscapes, learning land management on the high, dry plains of Wyoming and New Mexico; the tallgrass prairie of Colorado; and the...
Senior Loan Specialist
Traveling throughout Nebraska has given me a better perspective of how important rural areas are for the economy. I believe there is a talented workforce that needs our assistance to grow their...
Human Resources Manager
Growing up in a rural area, I have learned to appreciate the value of hard work, resilience, and community support. I chose to raise my kids in rural America because of the unique culture, close-knit...
Policy Associate
Growing up in rural Northfield, Minnesota, and helping my dad on my grandparent’s farm in Webster, Minnesota, I developed a deep appreciation for rural communities and small farms. From a young age, I...
Senior Communications Associate
While I’ve always considered myself a “city girl,” as the years have passed, I’ve come to realize that smaller settings are best suited for my personality. Rural communities have much to offer, and I...
Farm and Community Director
Welcome Bobbi Howard, Farm & Community Director. Bobbi comes to us from the Nebraska Department of Labor where she was an administrator, and has experience working at and with nonprofits as well. She...
Local Foods Associate
Though I was born and raised in rural Oregon, my parents moved our family to rural Nebraska, where we lived next to a fourth-generation Nebraska farm surrounded by corn and soybean fields. Growing up...
Food Systems Loan Specialist
Lincoln, Nebraska, is where I currently live, but I’ll always consider the rural Sandhills my home. I grew up on cattle ranches near Bassett, attended a two-room country schoolhouse until third grade...
Loan Operations Associate
I currently work out of the Lyons office as a loan operations associate, and before that, I was a loan administrative coordinator with Two Rivers Bank in Blair, Nebraska. Most of my previous job...
Farm and Community Manager
I have worked out of our Nevada, Iowa, office since 2016. After several years of managing our federal agricultural policy work, I now handle several projects related to the Center's work in Diversity...
Policy Associate
I grew up in Wahoo, Nebraska where I spent many days running around my uncle’s farm with my cousins and jumping along hog slats at Wahoo Concrete, the business my mom’s family has operated for more...
Senior Communications Associate
Growing up in the small village of Snyder, Nebraska, I spent a lot of time around cattle and crops at our family farm just a few miles away from my childhood home. And after attending college at the...
Policy Assistant
I was born in Mexico and at the age of 5 moved to the U.S. West Point, Nebraska, has been my home for many years and I am raising my family there. I greatly enjoy the sense of community and peace...
Assistant Policy Director
I'm a fifth generation South Dakotan with deep roots in the McCook/Lake county area. Growing up in the countryside gave me a deep appreciation for the rural landscape and the people who live there...
Communications Manager
I grew up in the small town of Lyons, Nebraska, the hometown of the Center, and had a lot of unique opportunities during my childhood—riding my bike until it got dark, selling Girl Scout cookies to...
Senior Community Organizing Associate
Until I moved to Schuyler, Nebraska, over a decade ago, I had always lived in big cities. At this point in my life, I don’t think I will ever move back to an urban area. Rural America offers a sense...
Grant Writer Associate
Having lived and worked my entire life in western Nebraska, I appreciate the values of rural America and believe in working to preserve those values. I am a fourth-generation Nebraskan and grew up on...
Policy Director
I grew up in a small town, but the day I got my driver’s license I began my first job on a local dairy farm that belonged to family friends. There I learned lifelong lessons about the hard work...
Native Community Associate
I was raised in Winnebago, Nebraska, until I was about 12 years old. Throughout my childhood, my family almost always had a garden, or we harvested what grew wild in and around Winnebago, like...
Lending Services Assistant Director
Welcome Andi McClintic, Lending Services Assistant Director. Andi brings a wealth of experience to our work and the Center for Rural Affairs, having worked for the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the...
Communications Associate
I started my television journalism career in central Nebraska, where I launched the first Spanish news webcast—reaching communities across the state and beyond. After seven years at the station, I was...
Senior Policy Associate
Born, raised, and educated in the northwest Iowa town of Sioux Center, I am the daughter of a fourth generation family business. I take pride in the leadership and investments my family has made in...
Senior Policy Associate
I was born in rural Nebraska in the mid-1980s during a farm crisis. I would learn later in life that my family was fortunate enough to make ends meet with a combination of corn, soybeans, and 60 head...
Loan Specialist
I have lived in North Platte, Nebraska, my whole life. Growing up, I spent a lot of my time with my grandparents, who lived on a farm in Frontier County. Rural America has always been my home...
Senior Executive and Development Associate
In three words, I would describe myself as, "driven, resilient, and observant." I’m proud to assist the executive and development directors, as well as work on development and marketing. I am a native...
Accounting Associate
Rural America presents so many great experiences that cannot be offered in a city setting. I grew up in Bancroft, Nebraska, and could not imagine growing up anywhere other than a rural community. I’ve...
Lending Services Director
I’ve been at the Center for Rural Affairs for more than 20 years. I like to think of myself as a utility infielder. I have worked with every program at the Center, from state and federal policy...
Latino Loan Specialist
I was born in Mexico and moved to the U.S. at a young age. I graduated from Lexington Senior High in Lexington, Nebraska, and attended Central Community College, Bellevue University, and Grand Island...
Chief People Officer
Hailing from northeast Nebraska, I am no stranger to the challenges of rural life. I remember checking rows (getting ice cream cones) with my grandpa and driving through small towns. I recall vibrant...
Community Foods Associate
Growing up in a small, rural town meant a lot to me, and I continue to live and raise my family in the small, rural area of Niobrara, Nebraska. As a working mom with three children, and three bonus...
Development Manager
My parents taught me how important it is to support independent, family-owned businesses. And, growing up on a farm and ranch in north central Nebraska helped me learn how we all have to adapt, be...
Senior Loan Specialist
Being from a large city, I love the fact that people actually know each other and help each other in rural places. Rural America has so much potential, and when people come together, it can really...
Community Organizing Associate
I grew up as a migrant worker, traveling every summer to different parts of the nation. This experience helped me connect with farmers, especially the shared love of the soil. Throughout my travels, I...
Lending Assistant
Growing up in the small community of Oakland, Nebraska, I’ve seen firsthand how many different small businesses and individuals it takes to keep a town thriving. Every day, I work to help people in...
Project Associate
Rural America reflects my life, my family, my values, and my belief in the power of community. My father farmed in Nemaha County, Nebraska, where he met my mom in her hometown, Brownville. After they...
Accounting Associate
I grew up near Oakland, Nebraska, on an acreage just outside of town. I spent my childhood helping my dad with cattle, playing in the creeks with my brothers, and running around town with friends...
Local Foods Associate
Keeping rural communities strong is incredibly important to me. So, when I first learned of the Center for Rural Affairs I was excited to see that the organization stands up for the family farmer and...
Accounting and Office Assistant
I grew up in Bancroft, Nebraska, and have stayed in rural America all my life. My husband and I live on a farm between Bancroft and West Point, and over the years, I have learned much more than I ever...
Senior Grants Manager Associate
Growing up on a farm in western Iowa, I can’t say I worked with crops or animals—my dad had five boys to help him and my mom only had one girl to help her, so I was definitely outnumbered—but I’ve...
Policy Associate
I grew up next to the sprawling Mississippi River in Davenport, Iowa. Spending most of my time outside participating in river cleanup projects, Girl Scouts, and conservation advocacy, I developed an...
Loan Operations Assistant
I grew up south of Fremont, Nebraska, in Inglewood, which at the time was like acreage living. I have great memories of walking beans for several summers on my uncle’s farm. When we weren’t working...
Accounting Manager
Though I’m originally from China, I earned my MBA from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in finance in August 2015. I started out at the Center as an accounting intern. I've learned a lot during my...
Local Foods Associate
Growing up in northern California, I had a very different take on what rural means. Living in the Midwest has raised my awareness of the importance of rural people and communities. My family owned a...
Policy Associate
My childhood was spent exploring and enjoying the outdoors in central Iowa. I grew up in an old farmhouse, surrounded by corn and soybean fields. From a young age, I learned the importance of taking...