Renae Ninneman, an advocate for children who has made empowerment and education a centerpiece of her career, is Civic Nebraska’s new Youth Leadership Programs Manager for Lincoln. She began her duties on June 8.
Renae ensures that Civic Nebraska’s Community Learning Centers, or CLCs, are performing at a high level and are in line with all licensing and accrediting standards, regulations, policy, and procedures. She also will work with parents, teachers, administrators, and community partners to maintain and add to the Centers’ high-quality and meaningful programming.
Civic Nebraska leads CLCs at Campbell and Randolph elementary schools in Lincoln, as well as Lincoln High School and Lincoln Northeast High School. In August, Civic Nebraska launches before- and after-school programs at Valparaiso and Ceresco elementary schools, which are part of the Raymond Central school district.
CLCs, housed at school sites, create partnerships that provide opportunities and support services that lead to improved student learning and development, stronger families, and healthier neighborhoods. They provide a healthy meal, academic enrichment, and a fun, safe environment after school.
Most recently, Renae worked at Girl Scouts Spirit of Nebraska, including coordinating and executing clubs in many school-based CLCs around Lincoln. She led programs that served thousands of girls across the state, led girls on trips domestically and also to Europe and Japan, launched a podcast highlighting girls’ voices and experiences, led an annual Legislative Day for girls to understand their government and encourage them to be civically engaged, traveled to the United Nations’ Commission on the Status of Women with high-school girls, and promoted gender equality in Nebraska.
“I’m so pleased to join the Civic Nebraska team, and to connect with our students, families, and neighborhoods,” Renae said. “CLCs are such a vital part of our community’s fabric, and Civic Nebraska approaches them in a way that builds well-rounded young Nebraskans.”
Renae grew up in western Michigan and moved to Nebraska in 2010. She earned her master’s degree in public administration at Grand Valley State University, with a concentration in nonprofit management and leadership. She has worked and volunteered with refugees for the past 15 years, including serving as a resettlement caseworker in Omaha and coordinating after-school clubs for refugee girls while at Girl Scouts.
In her spare time, Renae enjoys music, including in a public role as a volunteer programmer for community radio KZUM (89.3 FM). She hosts “The Language of Music,” which highlights the diversity and talent of musicians from around the world, on Friday mornings. She and her husband, Kurt, and their three young children live in Lincoln.
Please join us in welcoming Renae to the team. She’s at renae.ninneman@civicnebraska.org. We’re so glad to have her at Civic Nebraska!
