Scholarships
OPPORTUNITIES
The Kearney Area Community Foundation manages over 30 scholarship funds. The crtieria for these scholarships are varied, so please take a moment to search our scholarships to determine if you are eligible to apply.
Using the command "ctrl f" search for scholarships, your school or county.
OPPORTUNITIES
Scholarship forms are not availble using a mobile devise. Please check out our current scholarships using desktop view. There you will have the ability to download the following PDF and Word documents for each scholarship.
Scholarships
Board of Directors
KEARNEY AREA COMMUNITY FOUNDATION
2025-2026 BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Vickie Schaepler
Vickie enjoyed a career of working with people with disabilities in public and private service. She serves on the History Nebraska Board of Trustees and Buffalo County Historical Society board. Since retirement, she has pursued her passion for preserving the history of Japanese Immigrants in Nebraska.
Chair
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Todd Thalken
Vice Chair
Todd is a retired florist and local musician. He and his wife, Lois, have been blessed to live and work in the wonderful Kearney community.
Jennifer Rowling
Jennifer is a partner with Tye & Rowling law firm in Kearney whose members have a longstanding history of service to the community. Jennifer and her husband, Chuck, are the proud parents of Evelyn, Charlie, and Sam. Through their children’s activities they have experienced the various opportunities for families in Kearney and have met many wonderful people who live and work in Kearney.
Jeremy Armagost
Jeremy is a Certified Financial Planner with WealthPlan Partners and is grateful to live in such a wonderful community. Jeremy and his wife, Angela, stay busy attending their two daughters' many activities around Kearney.
Jack Besse
Jack is an attorney at PGBB Law in Kearney. He’s active in the community having served on many boards of area organizations including Kearney Public Schools Foundation, Kearney Trolleys, Fort Kearney Shrine Club and Kearney Chapter of the American Cancer Society.
Linette Butler
Linette is the general manager for BD Construction. During college, she fell in love with the community, and today, in her spare time, you can find her on the hike and bike trail, at Yanney Park, or patronizing the local shops and restaurants with friends and family. Linette is married to John and has two grown daughters and five grandchildren.
Brette Ensz
A Financial Advisor with Edward Jones, Brette loves working with clients to help them plan for their future. She also loves spending time with her husband, two sons, and dog.
Sherry Gangwish
Sherry is head of Human Resources at Gangwish Seed Farms where she is a partner with her husband Randy and their two children and their spouses. When not working in their business operations Sherry finds herself enjoying and cheering on the many activities of their six grandchildren. She serves in many capacities at their local church, the Lion’s club, Shelton School Foundation Board and Teammates Board.
Brad Green
Brad works in the Financial Aid Office at the University of Nebraska-Kearney. He lives in Kearney with his wife, three kids and their dog. When not at work, he enjoys being outside, traveling and woodworking.
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Brenda Jensen
Brenda is the City Manager for the City of Kearney and has a strong love for her community, assisting with growth and development. She has an avid love for traveling and exploring new cities and enjoys spending time with her husband, son Kellan, four-legged children, and friends.
Audrey Kauders
Now retired, Audrey spent five decades in artistic and arts administration, most recently as Director of the Museum of Nebraska Art. Passionate about arts and culture, she serves on several local and state-wide boards. Her two children live with their spouses, one in Virginia and the other in Oregon, as do her grandchildren.
Jonathan Nikkila
Jonathan is the Senior Vice-President at 50CAN, a national organization that works to ensure that a high quality public education is available to all children.
Dave Oldfather
Dave is President of Platte River Investments, L.L.C. He enjoys helping the Kearney Community by being involved with the Buffalo County Economic Development Council, Five Points Bank Advisory Board, Nebraska Diplomats and Nebraska Ag Builders. Dave and his wife Roxanne are the parents of four girls and have four grandchildren.
Mindy Oman
Mindy is a CPA and shareholder at KSO+, a volunteer wish granter for Make-A-Wish Nebraska and when she grew up, she wanted to be the first woman President of the United States. Mindy and her husband share their home with their two beautiful daughters.
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Ron Scott
Ron was a family doctor who loved his career and his patients. He has delightful children who are artists and supporters of the arts. He is an avid traveler and a fan of everything his grandchildren like to do. He has been on the Kearney Public School Board, Kearney Public School Foundation and the Senior College Board of Directors.
Doug Sutko
Doug is FNBO's Community Manager of Kearney and Grand Island. He enjoys his role at FNBO because of his passion for helping businesses grow, serving others, and supporting his community. In his free time, Doug enjoys spending time with his wife Brandi, and two daughters, Amelia and Louise. His hobbies include golfing, hunting, and reading.
Jon Watts
Jon is a Regional General Manager for ALLO Fiber. As part of his work, Jon is charged with creating positive change in the community. A Kearney native, Jon formerly served as Chief Business Officer at the University of Nebraska at Kearney. Jon and his wife Erin have three children, Ava, Brody, and Mason.
Matt Wecker
Matt works as a nurse anesthetist at Bryan's Kearney Regional Medical Center. He enjoys spending time with his wife, Abbie, and their three children where they can usually be found at the library or anywhere outdoors.
Treasurer
Secretary