Kenny was recognized by Congressman Don Bacon this Black History Month as a dedicated community servant. A proud North Omaha Native, McMorris has been serving the Omaha community throughout his life. As the CEO of Charles Drew Health, Inc. for over 15 years, he has continuously worked to advance health care equity in disenfranchised communities. Is unwavering commitment to public service continues to make a lasting impact. McMorris was honored by Bacon at a reception at the Revive Center in Omaha. Bacon called McMorris a visionary leader and steadfast advocate for health equity.  

Christina was promoted to the role of executive director of the Alabama Campaign for Adolescent Sexual Health (ACASH) in 2019. In her role, Christina leads the organization in fighting fearlessly for the rights of Alabama adolescents to have access to comprehensive sex education. Christina’s work takes her into Alabama communities to provide medically-accurate and inclusive sex ed, as well as to the Alabama State House to defend sex ed. In 2022, Christina launched the first Youth Advisory Council at ACASH, building youth as leaders in their communities. In 2024, Christina increased ACASH’s funding by 34%, allowing ACASH to invest more in youth leaders and professional development for Alabama’s youth-serving professionals.  

Dawn  marked her 19th year of teaching for UNO this fall. “ It’s been quite a journey from Saturday morning classes competing with the football team band outside the window to the pandemic ending my on-campus classes,” Cripe said. Her classes included Women’s Studies (The Humanities), Speech, Journalism, Gender & Communication; Gender and Leadership; and Women’s and Gender Studies (The Humanities). Earning the MAL Award in 2020 for teaching was the highlight of her career. “As I enter my 20th year teaching, I’m thankful for my professors who taught me; and later as colleagues supported my career along the way,” Cripe said.  

Stephanie launched the first-of-its-kind certification program for mental health in the construction industry through her organization, The Wounded Workforce. Building Resilience-Construction Mental Health Certification is the first-ever holistic mental health certification designed and built specifically for the construction industry. Released in November 2024, this transformative program is now empowering construction professionals to address mental health, suicide prevention, substance abuse and proactive mental health care on the job and beyond. “Construction faces some of the highest rates of mental health challenges of any industry- including instances of suicide and substance abuse. Yet, until now, there hasn’t been a comprehensive mental health program tailored specifically to the industry’s unique needs,” said Stephanie Lemek, Founder and CEO. “Building Resilience is more than a certification—it’s a movement toward creating safer, more supportive workplaces in construction.”