College of Saint Mary welcomes three new board members
College of Saint Mary is proud to announce three new board members, Viv Ewing, Scott Focht and Katie Weitz.
Viv Ewing is vice president of human resources & community relations at Nebraska Families Collaborative. She previously served as executive director for Alzheimer’s Association Nebraska; director of government affairs for Habitat for Humanity; assistant operations director at The Salvation Army Kroc Center; human resources manager for ConAgra Foods; senior director of human resources & administration at Omaha Housing Authority; and human resource representative at Omaha Public Power District.
Ewing has volunteered with several area organizations, including the Literacy Center Board, Hope Center Guild, Immanuel Pathways, Douglas County Democratic Party, University of Nebraska Medical Center, American Red Cross, Hope Center, Sienna Francis House, Child Saving Institute, Catholic Charities and University of Nebraska Omaha.
The Omaha native receive her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Nebraska Omaha, and her Ph.D from University of Nebraska Lincoln.
Scott Focht currently is the director of business strategy and deployment for the Omaha Public Power District. He also serves as president for Scott Focht, Inc., which has consulting offices in both Washington, D.C. and Omaha. Previously, Focht served as vice president of strategic initiatives for First National Merchant Solutions; senior administrator for the Surgical Services Center at Creighton University School of Medicine; and chief strategy officer for Constellation West.
Focht has chaired the board of directors for the Institute for Career Advancement Needs (ICAN), 2007-13, as well as director and chair for the board of directors at Santa Monica House, 2004-08. He has also worked closely with a number of nonprofit boards, providing strategic planning and board development services. Focht’s grandfather, Omaha banker John Shonsey, served on the CSM Board of Directors during the early 1970s.
Focht received his bachelor’s degree, with a certificate of business administration from Creighton University, and his master’s from Thunderbird School of Global Management in Arizona.
Katie Weitz is the executive director of the Weitz Family Foundation. She served as director of education initiatives and, later, director of research and evaluation for The Sherwood Foundation, as well as research associate at Foley Center for the Study of Lives in Evanston, Illinois. Weitz also has taught at middle schools in the Chicago area, and is the author of several academic papers.
Weitz has a long history of civic involvement and leadership. She presently serves on the boards for the Nebraska Cultural Endowment, College Possible, Film Streams, Nebraska Civic Engagement Table, Nebraska Loves Public Schools, Omaha Community Playhouse, Richard Holland Foundation, the University of Nebraska Medical’s Center College of Public Health, and United States Artists. She also serves on DePaul University’s College of Education Dean’s Advisory Board.
Weitz received her bachelor’s degree from Carleton College, a master’s degree from DePaul University, and her Ph.D from Northwestern University.
By Chris Kasel, Media Relations Coordinator
