POM Workshop 2026

Felicia Bonner

Sara Aviles

Melina Arroyo

Melina has been with Veridian Credit Union for eight years and brings more than 30 years of experience in banking and finance, including community business lending with NEF. Passionate about helping families achieve homeownership, she serves as Treasurer for BREP and the Metro Housing Collaborative. Outside of work she enjoys dancing, gardening and spending time outdoors with her dogs.

Tim McDonald

Tim is the Lead Economist in HUD's Economic and Market Analysis Division, based in the department's Fort Worth regional office. In more than 16 years with HUD he has advised program managers, conducted market reviews on housing applications across the country, led EMAD's national analytical team and trained new economists in FHA housing market analysis. He holds a BS and MA in Economics from Virginia Commonwealth University, and his son is a freshman at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Natasha Stogdill

Natasha has worked in survivor services for 12 years, beginning as an advocate for sexual assault and human trafficking survivors in Ames, Iowa. In Omaha she helped launch the advocacy program at Sanctuary House, went on to supervise its community-based advocacy and housing programs, and this August stepped into the role of Program Director.

Bud Budzowski

Shaun Stevenson

TJ King

Born and raised in Nebraska, TJ is a longtime advocate for people living with HIV, individuals who have been formerly incarcerated and the LGBTQ+ community. Through his work with Black and Pink, Nebraska Black Pride and Different Approach Sober Living, and his role in shaping legislation on restorative rights, he works to make sure marginalized voices are heard and respected.

Sarah Guyette

Sarah is a social worker and mental health provider at Heartland Family Service, working with clients in permanent supportive housing programs. All of her clients have a chronic homeless history and most live with severe and persistent mental illness. She graduated from UNO in 2023.

Laura Aryeetey

Laura has been with the Omaha Human Rights and Relations Department for over six years and serves as Senior Investigator in the Enforcement Division. She brings ten years of investigative experience, including time at the Nebraska Equal Opportunity Commission, along with a background in human services and a master's degree in social work. A native Nebraskan, she enjoys calling Omaha home.

Germaine Gosevac

An Omaha native with a background in legal studies, Germaine spent 12 years at the Fair Housing Center of Nebraska and Iowa, investigating housing discrimination and securing advocate support and reasonable accommodations for those in need. She joined the City of Omaha Human Rights and Relations Department in July 2025 and now serves as a Civil Rights Investigator. Outside work she enjoys creating art, cooking, baking and spending time with her dogs.

Carolina Padilla

Carolina immigrated to Omaha from Guatemala in 1993 and went on to found the Intercultural Senior Center, which opened in 2009 and today welcomes more than 100 seniors a day from 37 countries. Under her leadership it became the first senior center in Nebraska accredited by the National Council on Aging. Since October 2025 she has consulted with nonprofit and for-profit organizations to expand services for older adults.

Jalei Thomas

Senator McKinney

An Omaha native, Senator McKinney represents North Omaha's District 11 in the Nebraska Legislature and chairs the Urban Affairs Committee, where priority bills LB 1114 and LB 1135 modernized development tools and equipped communities to address housing scarcity. A former community organizer, he holds degrees from Maryville and Midland Universities and is earning a JD at Creighton. Away from the Capitol he is a father, activist, wrestling coach and mentor to North Omaha youth.

Christopher Gibbons

Christopher N. Gibbons, AICP, leads community development for the City of Council Bluffs, with 20 years of experience in municipal planning and public-sector leadership. His work connects long-range planning, public investment, economic development, housing and neighborhood revitalization, bringing a practical, collaborative approach to strengthening neighborhoods and quality of life throughout Council Bluffs.

Racquel Henderson

Born and raised in North Omaha, Racquel serves as the Community Liaison for North Omaha in the Mayor's Office, bridging the gap between residents and City Hall. She consults with Nebraska Medicine and the Empowerment Network, where she created and leads the Skill Up! Program, teaches at the University of Nebraska Omaha, serves on the board of I Be Black Girl and co-founded Identity Preparatory Academy. Above all she is a proud mother of two, committed to building a world where all young people have access, opportunity and the freedom to become who they are meant to be.

Taylor Novak

Taylor works with Threshold Continuum of Care, supporting community-wide efforts to strengthen the homelessness response system across the Omaha metro. Drawing on both professional and lived experience, she focuses on building partnerships, improving systems and making sure the people most impacted by housing challenges have a voice in shaping solutions.