Staff

Rev. Stephanie Ahlschwede, Executive Director

A native of Lincoln, Nebraska, Stephanie graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Vanderbilt Divinity School. As a pastor she served Lincoln Trinity, St. James, and Heartland United Methodist Churches before being appointed to Dietz United Methodist Church in 2002. Her community activities include serving on the Board of the Metropolitan Continuum of Care for the Homeless, chairing the Jackson school committee for the Leavenworth Neighborhood Association, and membership in the Old Market Business Association. She is the secretary of the South Central Jurisdiction's Women's Leadership Team, a member of the Nebraska Annual Conference Jurisdictional delegation, and co-chair of the Community Food Security Coalition's national Food and Faith committee. Stephanie's love of gardening began as a 4-H member in Lancaster County, during which time she won an award at the State Fair for "best potted plant." Stephanie has served as UMM Executive Director since 2004.

Lisa Maupin, Communications and Volunteer Coordinator

In addition to her work coordinating UMM communications and volunteers, Lisa is the Nebraska Annual Conference Volunteers in Mission Coordinator. She promotes various mission and justice opportunities to local churches as well as recruiting, scheduling and hosting VIM teams at United Methodist Ministries. She has presented workshops on volunteer recruitment and retention at regional and national conferences for the American Community Gardening Association, Nebraska Volunteer Service Commission and Youth Service America. She serves on the Nebraska Annual Conference Leadership Development team and is on the Missouri River District Strategy Team. A Nebraska native, Lisa is a graduate of Hastings College and has a BA in Communications Arts with emphasis in Public Relations and History.

Jessica Mews, Big Garden Coordinator

Jessica is originally from Atwood, Kansas. She graduated from the University of Nebraska at Kearney with majors in Sociology and Women’s Studies. In 2003-2004 she completed a year of service with Lutheran Service Corps working with Nebraska AIDS Project in Omaha. Her career path since then includes work with local foundations, grant management, and area nonprofits. As Big Garden Coordinator, Jessica cultivates the many relationships with garden partners in the community and supervises the intern staff. Ask Jessica why she likes working with The Big Garden and she is likely to say, “Who doesn’t love a homegrown tomato?”

Dr. Mary Lee Fitzsimmons, Evaluation and Special Projects

Mary Lee will provide a comprehensive evaluation of UMM programs as they relate to long-range visioning. She has experience in medical, multi-cultural, and educational settings. She also serves as a liaison to our rural gardens and has a real affinity for rural areas. Mary Lee has a "checkered" academic past as a nurse, a social worker, and as a PhD researcher.

Jaimee Trobough, Communications and Volunteer Coordinator

Jaimee was born and raised in Omaha, where she studied theology and Justice & Peace Studies at Creighton University. She has participated in many service immersion experiences including work in soup kitchens, food pantries, and homeless shelters in New York, Boston, San Antonio, Kentucky, and Louisiana. She has worked with migrant farmers in New Mexico and Florida, and has spent significant time in the Dominican Republic as well as short stays in Mali and Haiti.

Rebecca Walters, Program Manager for The Big Garden

Rebecca graduated from Nebraska Wesleyan University in 2003 with a degree in Business Administration. After graduation, she managed a dental clinic before beginning her internship with Destination Midtown in 2009. While at Destination Midtown, Rebecca gained a strong interest in community development, engaging residents of the Leavenworth/St. Mary's and Midtown neighborhoods. She is in the Masters of Public Administration program at UNO and expects to finish in August 2010. At UNO, she participates on a student leader committee that encourages students to be active in their communities.