The Institute for Public Leadership (IPL) empowers diverse and emerging communities by developing leaders to act for justice and the common good. IPL provides leadership development and education to schools, refugee and immigrant groups, nonprofits, and member institutions of Omaha Together One Community (OTOC).

IPL collaborates with local organizations to identify emerging leaders.

IPL provides skills training, research and organizing support.

IPL focuses on leaders from diverse faiths, races, and socio-economic backgrounds.

IPL. Investing in People. For the Common Good.

Examples of our Work

Organizing Support for OTOC: IPL provides leadership development, skills training, and organizing support to leaders from the member institutions of Omaha Together One Community (OTOC). Currently, OTOC leaders are working on: Immigration Reform & Labor Shortages in NE, Paid Sick Leave for Nebraskans, and identifying new leaders with an interest in learning how to organize at the local level to address the pressures they face. IPL teaches OTOC leaders how they can build power together by focusing on the identification of diverse leaders, engaging in relational practices, organizing around common interests, and raising hard money to support their work.

Nonprofit Advocacy & Organizing Training: IPL works together with nonprofit leaders to train their staff, volunteers, and stakeholders on how to incorporate advocacy and organizing into their direct service or programmatic work. Recent examples of this work include: an annual six-week training for 25+ Lozier Foundation and Weitz Family Foundation Grantees on Local Advocacy Strategies and Grassroots Organizing and Coalition Building, currently on year two; training for organizers from the Heartland Workers Center on the relational practices of community organizing; trainings for organizers of Nebraska Appleseed's Paid Sick Leave for Nebraskans Coalition on Story Sharing and Collecting and How to Avoid Burn Out; annual trainings on advocacy and organizing for Creighton University Justice and Peace Studies Program students; annual organizing training for the staff and students of Creighton University's Schlegel Center for Service and Justice; and a training for Inclusive Communities LeadDIVERSITY Cohort on Power Building. 

Civic Academies: IPL partners with nonprofits and experts in a variety of fields to present public forums on local, state, & federal issues that affect us all. Presentations include an overview of an issue, a teaching on organizing as a solution to these issues, and next steps that participants can take together. These events are usually held twice a year at Urban Abbey in the Old Market.

Our Board

Nathan Morgan, Board President, Donor Services Advisor, Omaha Community Foundation

Allison Latenser, Board Secretary, Community Volunteer

Mark Hoeger, Co-President of Oberon Entertainment

Sr. Cynthia Hruby, Notre Dame Sisters

Amna Hussein, Lead Teacher, Get Ready, Set, Grow Child Care Center

Denise Bowyer, Retired VP of National Public Relations, American Income Life

William Arfmann, Retired, Former President of The Nebraska Association of Public Employees

Greta Carlson, Administrative Coordinator/Project Manager, NE Children and Families Foundation

Kait Madsen, Attorney, Law Office of Daniel Gutman

Our Supporters

IPL is grateful for the ongoing support from over 200 Individual Contributors through our annual IPL After Work Gathering and individual contributions. 

We are also grateful for the generous support from: 

John & Dianne Scott

Proud Members of: