Governance

After nearly 21 years in private practice, Harris joined the Department of Neurological Sciences at UNMC where he is an active staff member and serves as medical director for the UNMC-Physicians Clinical Neurosciences Center. Harris currently serves as President of the Nebraska Health Information Initiative (NeHII), a public-private collaborative leading the effort to create a secure, online, Web-based health information exchange (HIE) to serve the state of Nebraska. He is board-certified in the specialty of neurology by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. Harris is a graduate of the University of Nebraska College of Medicine.

Cliff spent 30 years in a variety of senior management positions with the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans in Iowa and South Dakota before retiring in 2008. He served as Senior Vice President of Marketing and Business Strategy; President and CEO of Wellmark Health Plan of Iowa (Iowa’s largest HMO); Chairman and CEO of First Administrators, Inc. (the region’s largest third-party administrator); Executive Director of The Wellmark Foundation; and Chairman of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Northern Plains Alliance (the largest provider of Medicare Part D in the Upper Midwest, including Nebraska, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wyoming and Montana). Cliff began his career as Assistant to the President for University Relations at the University of Dubuque. He is a graduate of The Ohio State University where he received a Bachelor of Arts in journalism with a specialization in public relations and communications. Contact Cliff at [email protected].

In her leadership position with the Coalition since 2007, Victoria was instrumental in the passage of landmark stem cell research legislation by the state Legislature in 2008. She is an expert at managing and guiding political and grassroots initiatives, as well as fund raising and community philanthropy efforts. Prior to joining the Coalition, Victoria worked at the American Communications Group, a government affairs consulting firm, with many health-related professional groups and organizations. She currently serves as a state lead ambassador for the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Networks, as well as the president of the La Vista Community Foundation. Victoria holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in political science.

Dave serves on numerous public and private boards and has held several professional leadership positions, including Chief Business Development Officer for the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation, Director of the Iowa Department of Economic Development, Insurance Commissioner for the state of Iowa and Legal Counsel with the Iowa Legislature. He also is the former founder and president of The Iowa Institute, an organization that helped Iowa communities and industries successfully respond to emerging economic and healthcare challenges and opportunities. Dave has a long history of leading innovative and successful public-private partner-ships in Iowa, including legal (tort) reform, health reform, rural development, environmental protection and renewable energy, as well as spearheading numerous projects for both Republican and Democratic administrations. Lyons grew up on a family farm near Bernard, IA. He received his undergraduate degree from Loras College in Dubuque and his law degree from The University of Iowa. Contact Dave at [email protected].

As a Head Start expert, Helen currently serves as a consultant to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), providing leadership and monitoring for the Early Head Start National Research and Evaluation Project, since 2004. A learned and distinguished published scholar with more than 40 years’ experience, Helen serves on numerous professional advisory groups in addition to her service with HHS, including the Pritzker Foundation in Chicago and the Infant-Toddler Institute Research Advisory Board, Oklahoma City. Her community service currently includes work with the Lincoln Community Foundation Board of Directors, the Nebraska Early Childhood Endowment Board of Trustees, the Buffett Early Childhood Fund and the Nebraska Children and Families Foundation Board of Directors. Helen earned her Ph.D. in Child Development from Iowa State University.

Steve formed Centesimus Capital in 1986 to invest in start-up firms and buyouts. Since then, he has led two leveraged buyouts and several start-up companies. He served as managing director of Cimarron Capital Partners, LLC, from 2004-2008. Steve began his professional career as a tax senior accountant for Arthur Young & Co., Boston, Mass., and built a career in a variety of financial and administrative leadership positions for start-ups based in Massachusetts and Iowa. He currently serves on two for-profit boards and two not-for-profit boards. Steve is a certified public accountant with advanced studies in tax and regulatory affairs. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, an M.B.A. in finance from Dartmouth College, Hanover, N.H., and an M.S. in taxation from Bentley University in Waltham, Mass. Contact Steve at [email protected].

A Lincoln, Neb., native, Laura guides the daily operations of the administrative, ticket office, guest services, house and technical staff. In the years prior to moving to Des Moines, she was Vice President of Marketing and Communications for the Ordway Center for Performing Arts, Saint Paul, Minn., and held leadership positions with the University of Nebraska’s Lied Center for Performing Arts. Laura is on the Children and Families of Iowa board of directors, as well as recently was voted into the Nexus Executive Women’s Alliance. She also serves on the International Association of Venue Managers (IAVM) Performing Arts Managers Conference Committee, and on their ethics subcommittee. Laura has both a Master of Arts and a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and the University of Kansas, respectively.