Lincoln, NE – 05/18/2022 The History Nebraska Foundation, which raises funds exclusively to support History Nebraska, has elected three officers to serve the organization in 2022.
The officers are Ann Bruntz of Friend, president; Kim Elder of Paxton, secretary; and Ron Jensen of Lincoln, treasurer.
Bruntz is a former member of the History Nebraska Board of Trustees, a long-time community volunteer, and a former development director at the University of Nebraska Foundation. She has served on several beef boards at the local, state, and national levels. Bruntz is active in her church, community club, and the Kregel Windmill Museum Board in Nebraska City. She and her husband, David, are trustees at the University of Nebraska Foundation. The couple was inducted as honorees of the Nebraska Hall of Agricultural Achievement in 2018.
Elder is a former president of the History Nebraska Board of Trustees and is a retired educator, coach, and administrator at Paxton Consolidated Schools and Educational Service Units #14 and #13. Throughout his career, Elder has worked with organizations in western Nebraska to enhance students’ historical and geographical experiences by organizing, scheduling, and planning activities and events to educate and entertain about 2,000 elementary students each year. He also served as the professional development director for a Federal Teaching American History grant focused on graduate coursework for teachers and in-person trips to bolster their classroom work through visits to historical sites in the U.S.
Jensen is a lifelong resident of Nebraska and served three tours of duty in Nebraska state government, the first as a member of the Governor’s staff and the last as director of the state’s then-largest agency, the Department of Public Institutions. In the private sector, he served as a hospital vice president, administrator of a children and adolescent psychiatric hospital, the executive of a long-term care association, deputy director and government relations specialist for a statewide hospital association, and as founder and president of Jensen-Rogert Associates, Inc.
In addition, Tom Kraus of Madrid and Jamesena Moore of Bellevue were named to the Foundation’s Board of Directors.
Kraus grew up on a family farm. After a 10-year stint in natural gas production and ranching, he returned to Nebraska as a third-generation farmer where he pioneered no-till farming. Wanting to share area history with travelers, he organized the placement of a historical marker for the Crossing of the Northern Cheyenne near Ogallala. Kraus is on the advisory boards with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln West Central Research Center in North Platte and the USDA Committee in Akron, Colorado. He also participated in the Nebraska LEAD Program. As a member and past president of the Ogallala Rotary Club, Kraus served as District Governor of Rotary International in 2008 and 2009 and participated as a counselor for the Rotary Youth Leadership Award Camp. He also served on several farm-related committees and boards.
Before retiring, Moore worked as vice president of volunteer and community services at the United Way of the Midlands. She is a founding commissioner and past chair of ServeNebraska, where an award is annually given in her name to volunteers in the state who make a difference. She is a past national president of the Alliance of Information and Referral Systems. In the National Association of Social Workers, Moore served as president of the Nebraska Chapter, national second vice president, national secretary, and chair of its President’s Council. She also served as the first vice president of the American Association of State Service Commissions. In addition, Moore has been a leader in the Nebraska Business and Professional Women’s Foundation, Nebraska 150 Foundation, Governor’s Residence Advisory Committee, Friends of the Governor’s Advisory Fund, and Offutt Enlisted Spouses Club.
Other members of the eleven-member board include Bryan Zimmer of Plattsmouth, David Levy of Omaha, Galen Hadley of Kearney, Katherine Endacott of Pleasant Dale, Pamela Snow of Ashland, and History Nebraska Executive Director Trevor Jones of Lincoln.
The History Nebraska Foundation was established in 2020. For more information, contact Executive Director Tyler Vacha at tyler@historynebraskafoundation.org or 402-853-4282.
