Buffalo County Community Partners, Courtesy
KEARNEY — Three new board members have joined the Buffalo County Community Partners Board of Directors for 2025.
New board members include Dannie Brian (Pre-Med Student at the University of Nebraska Kearney), Jack Drahota (Kearney Area Chamber of Commerce), and John Lakey (Retired Kearney Resident).
“I was attracted to Buffalo County Community Programs due to its involvement with programs that support the basic needs of citizens in early childhood development and mental health. There are fundamental issues in these areas that need to be addressed to
support the community we live in,” said John Lakey.
Dannie Brian said, “My hope for this year regards growth, whether this is growth in the impact on the community or the spread of knowledge of available resources for those who need it.
Any growth, even if it is seemingly small, can sometimes be the biggest impact on someone’s life.”
Leaving the 2025 Board is Amanda Applegate and Andrea Rabe. “Andrea’s passion for women’s health and mental health lent medical professionals’ experience to board discussions and decisions; and Amanda is very passionate about the community in which she lives and works, which is shown in the passion she brought to the board to build an organization that supports community wellness. It has been a joy to get to know them both, and I wish them all the best as they begin other community engagements. Their time on the board will be treasured,” said Denise Zwiener, Chief Executive Officer at Buffalo County Community Partners.
The Executive Committee for 2025 remains unchanged:
• Dr. Diane Duffin, Chairman, University of Nebraska at Kearney
• Nichole Hersh, Vice Chairman, Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services
• Sarah Sawin, Secretary, City of Kearney
• Jon Brandt, Treasurer, Anderson, Klein, Brewster, Brandt Law Firm
The Community Partners board members will continue to meet monthly to build on their collaborative health goal of bringing people and organizations together to design and align community prevention systems.
“I saw the important work that Buffalo County Community Partners does as an organization and I wanted to do my part in contributing to those causes,” said Drahota.
A complete list of the Board Members can be found here: https://bcchp.org/board/.
Buffalo County Community Partners is a non-profit organization that identifies concerns impacting the well-being of area residents, addresses concerns by collecting and evaluating data, and facilitates conversations among experts and impacted parties. They are uniquely positioned to do this work because they invest time to build connections and increase access to the necessary resources and experiences to achieve solutions.
Find more at www.bcchp.org or contact us at (308)865-2284 or info@bcchp.org.
