Lily Sughroue, a fifth-generation Lincolnite with deep experience in the nonprofit, government, and education worlds, is Civic Nebraska’s new director of civic health programs. She began in the role on April 15.
As director of civic health, Lily is responsible for directing and sustaining one of our three program areas at Civic Nebraska – Civic Health Programs. She is responsible for the success of the programs and projects within the program area, which include the rural civic health initiative, civil discourse and media literacy programming, Capitol Experience Days, and Collective Impact Lincoln.
“This is heart work. I’m a longtime supporter of Civic Nebraska and the idea of inspiring active participation and connection to create impactful change,” she said. “Empowering communities through meaningful engagement and sustainable initiatives, our organization bridges the gap between aspirations and actions, fostering a culture of civic responsibility and collective well-being.
“I couldn’t be more honored and excited to be a part of that.”
Lily has spent the last 14 years working in various organizations in Lincoln, including Leadership Lincoln and the Center for People, History Nebraska, and Lincoln Public Schools. She earned a bachelor’s degree in human relations from Doane University in Crete.
Her wide range of experience has positioned Lily to lead our Civic Health Programs, which flow through all aspects of Civic Nebraska to create an informed and collaborative Nebraska. In addition to supervising her team’s daily work, Lily will lead the assembly of the 2025 Nebraska Civic Health Index, a quinquennial report that measures civic health in our state based on four indicators – political involvement, social connectedness, community advocacy, and faith in institutions.
In her spare time, Lily is the director of artists and mentors for Lincoln Community Playhouse’s Penguin Project, advocates for disability rights and inclusion, is active with Special Olympics, and serves on the board of HopeSpoke. She also is a member of Sunrise Kiwanis and i2choir. Lily and her husband, John, live in Lincoln with their baby daughter, Greta, and Frank, their 11-year-old German shorthair pointer.
We’re so pleased that Lily has joined the Civic Nebraska team. Join us in welcoming her at lily.sughroue@civicnebraska.org.
