Nebraska Commission on Housing
and Homelessness (NCHH)

Nancy is the Chief Executive Officer of Housing Partners of Western Nebraska (formerly known as the Scotts Bluff County Housing Authority)  She has served in that capacity for over 22 years growing the authority from 162 units and 410 Section 8 vouchers to an organization that manages Chappell, Gordon and Sidney Housing Authorities in addition to Scotts Bluff County, manages a 24 unit USDA 515 Elderly and Disabled complex in Gering; a Project-based Section 8 40-unit complex in Sidney as well as a private, non-HUD Sidney complex with 113 units and several former tax-credit properties, now HA owned in Scottsbluff and Gering.   HPWN’s specialty is taking troubled properties and turning them around to High Performers which benefits the residents as well as the owners.  HPWN just received 20 VASH vouchers to assist veterans with their housing needs.  Bentley has successfully completed 5 LIHTC properties and has enjoyed seeing those properties come out of their initial 15-year compliance periods! She serves as an advocate for low-income families and particularly those with special needs who often do not have housing options.

Bio coming soon.

Roger is the founding Chief Executive Officer of NeighborWorks Northeast Nebraska based in Norfolk, Nebraska. NeighborWorks Northeast Nebraska originated in 1994 and currently serves seven counties providing Purchase/ Rehabilitation/ Resell, New Construction, Community Revitalization and Homebuyer Education programs. Under Roger’s direction, NeighborWorks Northeast Nebraska has developed 950 single-family homes valuing more than 84 million dollars in northeast Nebraska. NeighborWorks America maintains an “Exemplary” status within the NeighborWorks America network.

Roger commits many hours of his personal and professional time to his community and furthering the mission of affordable housing. Roger is a recipient of the Nebraska Investment Finance Authority’s Housing Hall of Fame. Roger is involved in the following organizations: Norfolk Area Chamber of Commerce Ambassadors, Norfolk Noon Kiwanis, Nebraska Housing Developers Association-Past Chair, NeighborWorks America-Rural Advisory Council, and past Chair of the FHLBank Topeka Affordable Housing Advisory Council. Roger has been a Commissioner for the Nebraska Commission on Housing and Homelessness since 1998.

John Turner serves as the Manager of Community Development and Research at the Nebraska Investment Finance Authority (NIFA).  In this role, John leads NIFA’s existing and future community development programs, builds coalitions, and finds internal and external resources for such programs.  He has over 27 years of experience in the housing industry.  He has directed federal grants towards ending homelessness and is a leader throughout Nebraska in providing scattered site rental assistance for special populations.  John is the current co-chair of the Continuum of Care committee.

Jeff M. Chambers is the Community Services Project Director at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln Center on Children, Families, and the Law. Jeff is a sociologist with over 25 years of experience working in the State of Nebraska and nationally in community systems and human services planning and evaluation.  Jeff has worked with the Nebraska Balance of State and Lincoln Continua of Care and homeless service systems since 2000 and directs the UNL-CCFL efforts as the lead agency for the CoCs homeless management information system, coordinated entry system, CoC planning, analysis, and evaluation.

Lee Heflebower is the Domestic Violence and Economic Justice Specialist at the Nebraska Coalition to End Sexual and Domestic Violence. She has been serving individuals and families experiencing poverty, domestic violence, and homelessness for over 25 years in emergency shelter, transitional housing, and permanent housing programs. Lee has been actively involved in numerous collaborative projects with local and regional housing and homelessness services organizations. She is Past-Chair of the Lincoln Homeless Coalition, Co-Chair of Project Connect Lincoln, a member of the Balance of State Continuum of Care, and a Governor-appointed Commissioner on the Nebraska Commission on Housing and Homelessness since 2015. She has a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Nebraska at Omaha.

Lee serves as Chair of the Nebraska Commission on Housing and Homelessness.

Kathryn is an attorney and real estate developer from Central City, Nebraska. She and her husband, Clifford Mesner, own Mesner Development Co. and Mesner Law Office. The Mesners have developed Low Income Housing Tax Credit projects in Nebraska and Kansas for over twenty years. Many of these projects have been built in smaller communities providing much-needed new housing stock in rural areas.

In 2007 Kathryn was appointed by the Governor to serve as a member of the Nebraska Commission on Housing and Homelessness. She recently completed a two-year term as Chairperson of the Commission. Mesner Development Co. was the recipient of the “2012 Kansas Housing Resources Corporation’s Ad Astra Award for Housing Development (Urban)” for the 64-unit Echo Ridge Green Community serving tenants of the Topeka, Kansas Housing Authority. In 2006 the Mesners were inducted into the Nebraska Investment Finance Authority’s Housing Hall of Fame. In 2005 the Mesners were recognized by the Nebraska Housing Developers Association for Promoting and Investing in Housing Development.

Kathryn has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Allied Health from the University of Nebraska Medical School, a Master of Arts Degree in Adult and Continuing Education from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and a Juris Doctor Degree graduating with distinction from the University Nebraska College of Law.

Judy is the owner of Pro Printing and Graphics in North Platte. Judy served on the North Platte City Council for 8 years. She has worked closely with many community partners including the Lincoln County Substandard Housing Coalition. Judy was recently appointed by the Governor as a Commissioner on the Nebraska Housing and Homeless Commission.

Brent is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Excel Development Group. Brent received a Bachelor’s of Arts Degree in Business from Doane College. Brent is responsible for all Excel operations, including Property Management, Development, Construction, and Consulting. Excel specializes in the use of the Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program, the Federal HOME program, as well as other state programs, to successfully develop private and public projects that provide housing for low-to-moderate-income citizens in communities of all sizes. He oversees the design, construction, delivery and quality of the housing and services provided by Excel and its partners.

Brent serves as the primary spokesperson and representative for Excel and actively advocates for the need for housing for low-income families and seniors.

Brent currently serves on the Affordable Housing Advisory Committee for Federal Home Loan Bank of Topeka, the Resource Committee for the Nebraska Housing Developers Association and is a Governor-appointed Commissioner on the Nebraska Commission on Housing and Homelessness.