The people behind the initiative and their reactions

Who's behind the Building Bright Futures initiative?

Michaela Saunders, Jeffrey Robb and Cindy Gonzalez

May 25, 2007

THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Richard "Dick" Holland, chairman: Holland is a retired advertising executive and was an early investor in Berkshire Hathaway Inc. Holland is a longtime supporter of both education and the arts, as was his late wife, Mary.

Michael Yanney, president: Yanney is chairman of the Burlington Capital Group, LLC, which manages public investment funds. He founded a youth mentoring and scholarship program in 1989 that now is called All Our Kids Inc.

Susie Buffett : Buffett is the chairwoman of the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation and the Sherwood Foundation. The Sherwood Foundation focuses on early childhood education for children of poverty and K-12 public education.

Mayor Mike Fahey: Fahey started a title insurance company in the 1970s and built it into one of the nation's largest. He retired in 1997. Mayor since 2001, he has a special interest in after-school programs.

Jerry and Cookie Hoberman: Jerry is retired president of Tires Inc. The Hobermans founded Winners Circle, a program that encourages elementary students to set academic and citizenship goals and rewards them for achieving those goals.

Mary Ann "Andy" Holland: Formerly a university librarian, Holland was born and raised in Omaha. She holds a master's degree in business administration and has one daughter. She is the daughter of Richard and Mary Holland.

Dianne Lozier: Lozier is a founding member of the Women's Fund of Greater Omaha and an attorney for Lozier Corp., her husband's manufacturing company. Lozier is an advocate for women, children and families.

Wallace and Barbara Weitz: Wally founded Weitz Funds, a mutual fund management company. Barbara taught in the school of social work at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Both are active in social justice and education institutions.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

John Cavanaugh: Cavanaugh, a father of eight, served in both the Nebraska Legislature and the U.S. House of Representatives. He has practiced law in Omaha since 1980.

Reactions:

Richard Holland
Chairman of Building Bright Futures
"What we're thinking about - it will be a revolution in this society if we all get together and we all work on it and we all do it."

Michael Yanney
President of Building Bright Futures
"We're going to commit a sizable portion of our lives for the next few years, and I think a lot of money, to try to correct this problem."

Omaha Mayor Mike Fahey
"We know truancy is one of the issues. If you aren't in school you're not going to learn. . . . What age group should be we looking at? We could not get these kids early enough."

Thomas Warren
Omaha chief of police
"Often, kids don't see from the perspective of having long-term plans. This initiative will define that for them. It will encourage the community to get involved."

John Mackiel
Omaha Public Schools superintendent
Omaha is at a crucial period, he believes. With this type of investment, a quality of life that doesn't exist in large cities will emerge. "When a family is provided with that hope, lots of good things happen. Education is prioritized."

Franklin Thompson
Omaha city councilman and college professor specializing in urban education
It is a wonderful plan that, to flourish, must include specific elements that likely won't be viewed as "politically correct," he said. Among them, "a de-programming and re-programming piece (for youths) to help counter the effects of many years of blatant and institutional racism." He recommends leadership training for young people who can return to their schools to influence positive peer culture and be further groomed as community movers and shakers.

Jo Ann McDowell
President of Metro Community College
"It would be huge. I applaud them for what they're doing. Metro would like to partner in any way we can with that."

Gov. Dave Heineman
"I applaud their efforts. . . . It is time to think outside the box, and this group is certainly doing that." The incentive of financial scholarships for low-income students "could be very important to the future of Nebraska."

State Sen. Ron Raikes
Chairman of the Education Committee
Although the Legislature is looking to address part of the issue of poverty and education, "there will have to be community effort on top of that if the type of progress that needs to be made is to be made. . . . There's no one thing you can do that will fully address the issue."

Rebecca Valdez
Executive director of the Chicano Awareness Center
"I've always been in awe of the creativity and dedication to our youth that our leaders have demonstrated." But she hopes the Legislature realizes its responsibility to children remains: "This should not be an escape route for the Legislature."

Tommie Wilson
President of the Omaha NAACP
"This is ideal, especially with our poverty rate. Everything that's happening is good." What sets this effort apart from previous ones, she said, is the money. "Money talks. Now is the time we're walking our talk."

Brian Rahaman
A graduate student in Houston who participated in Omaha's All Our Kids mentoring and scholarship program
Poor students need an environment that values education and its payoffs, he said. That takes exposure to role models and successful lifestyles and a support system that catches them when they fall. "If there is just financial resources given and no other kind of mentorship or relationship kind of support system, a lot of money is going to be wasted."

Roger Breed
Elkhorn Public Schools superintendent
"You've got to start addressing it somewhere. It would be great to have this segment of society - leaders and philanthropists - join in the fray to do that."