How to Contact Us Gwen Meister - Executive Director Nebraska Folklife Network 5620 Hunts Drive - Lincoln, NE 68512 Phone and Fax: (402) 420 - 5442 Email: plainsculture@inebraska.com Website: www.nefolklife.org NFN Board of Directors Dr. Stephen Swidler is Associate Professor of Teaching, Learning and Teacher Instruction at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. His research has centered on rural schools and on teacher education. He has experience with folklife projects in the schools and has participated in Iowa’s folklife institute for teachers. He is president of the Nebraska Folklife Network. Norma DeLaO is Director of the New Iowan Center in Sioux City IA. She is one of the veteran organizers of the Cinco De Mayo celebration in her community and she is also an excellent resource on the new immigrant and refugee communities in the greater Sioux City area. Norma also serves on the Nebraska Mexican American Commission. Nancy Gillis is Executive Director of the John Neihardt State Historic Site and the Neihardt Foundation’s Institute for Vision and Learning. She also teaches U.S history, world history and Native American history and cultures at Wayne State College, Nebraska Indian Community College, and Northeast Community College. Nancy is a speaker with the Nebraska Humanities Council and Wayne State College Speakers Bureaus. She is a member of the Cherokee Tribe. Linda Hein is employed in the Library Archives of the Nebraska State Historical Society in Lincoln. Formerly curator of the George Norris House State Historic Site in McCook Nebraska, Linda has been active in historic preservation for several decades. She has special interests in traditional textiles arts such as needlework and quilting. Linda is the NFN Secretary-Treasurer. Dr. David McKibbin is an historian and educator in Mitchell Nebraska. He is an experienced oral history interviewer and is currently working on interviews with traditional artists and tradition bearers from Nebraska's panhandle region to add to the Nebraska Folklife Network's projects. David is our liason with one of our partners, the Farm and Ranch Museum in Gering. Yolanda Nuncio is Central Service Area Administrator with the Nebraska Health and Human Services System in Grand Island. She was formerly Principal of Morton Elementary School in Lexington. She holds an MA in Education from the University of Nebraska at Kearney and is bilingual in Spanish and English. She is dedicated to preserving her culture and educating Nebraskans about cultural diversity. She also serves on the Nebraska Mexican American Commission.  Todd Rivers is the CEO of Rivers Metal Products Incorporated in Lincoln. He creates metal sculptures as a hobby and is also a baker and beekeeper. He and his wife Susan and their family are active in organic farming and slow food efforts in Nebraska. They grow organic crops and raise animals on their small farmstead near Raymond Nebraska. Their historic barn was the site of the NFN's 2007 event, Harvesting Traditions. Mike Shonsey is the CEO of Bassett Feeding, Inc in Bassett. He is a native Nebraskan and is the fourth generation of his family to feed cattle. Mike holds a masters degree in American folk culture and museum studies from NYSU at Cooperstown. Prior to running his own business, Mike was Executive Director of the Western Nebraska Art Center in Scottsbluff. He is a former Colorado state folklorist. Mike shares his knowledge of, commitment to and passion for the arts, folklore, and folklife in many different ways. John Smolsky is a partner and certified public accountant with the firm of Fuhrman, Smolsky & Furey, P.C. in Omaha. John is a native of the area, having grown up in Omaha’s longstanding Polish ethnic community and he is familiar with many ethnic traditions in Omaha and elsewhere in the state. John is the Vice President of the Nebraska Folklife Network. NFN Staff Gwen Meister has an MA in cultural anthropology and an MBA from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Her specialty is public folklore. Gwen served as folk arts coordinator for the Nebraska Arts Council from 1991 to1995. Gwen is passionate about ensuring a bright future for the traditions of Nebraska's unique variety of cultural groups. With help from other Nebraskans who recognized this need and with financial support from the Nebraska Arts Council, the Nebraska Humanities Council and the National Endowment for the Arts, Gwen founded the Nebraska Folklife Network in 2003. The Network is a Nebraska nonprofit organization and has been granted IRS 501(c)(3) tax exempt status. NFN Volunteers and Supporters The Nebraska Folklife Network salutes special supporters and volunteers: Bassett Feeding Company (Bassett) deserves a special thank you for it's generous ongoing support of all the NFN's educational and organizational activities. Your help has been invaluable to us! Union Bank and Trust Company (Lincoln) has generously supported production of the NFN Cultural Encounter Kits for schools during 2006 and 2007. Our heartfelt thanks to our friends at all the Union Bank locations across the state for helping to make it possible to provide these resources to teachers and students in Nebraska schools! Kindra Foster (Lincoln) Kindra is a freelance writer, mother, and musician. She has volunteered to edit publications and to help with events such as the NFN annual meetings. Thanks for your interest and support Kindra! Jessica Stoner (Lincoln) Jessica is a former museum educator and a current student in UNL's elementary education program. She has completed curriculum projects for the NFN, created interview transcripts, and is helping with research on current encounter kits. Thanks so much for your great work Jessica! James and Kathy Wood (Omaha) Jim and Kathy have been faithful supporters of the NFN since we began this work in 2003. Thanks so much for your investment in preserving Nebraska traditions and passing them on to future generations Kathy and Jim! And last, but certainly not least, thanks to our public funders, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Nebraska Arts Council, and the Nebraska Humanities Council.