Hello, Omaha STEM community!

I’m Ashleigh Tierney, and I’m excited to introduce myself as the new Director of the Omaha STEM Ecosystem (OSE)!

My career has taken me through higher education, nonprofit leadership, and industry, where I’ve had the opportunity to work with people and organizations tackling complex challenges. Along the way, I’ve developed a deep appreciation for the power of bringing people together around shared goals. Some of the most meaningful progress I’ve been part of has happened when organizations looked beyond their individual priorities, recognized opportunities to work together, and found ways to turn good ideas into action.

That belief in the power of connection is a big part of what drew me to OSE. As someone who has called Omaha home for the past five years and is raising a family here, I’m also personally invested in the future of our community. I want Omaha to be a place where young people can discover what excites them, explore possibilities they might not have otherwise considered, and find pathways to fulfilling futures.

Building on a Strong Foundation

One of the things I’ve appreciated most as I’ve started learning about OSE is the commitment of the people who have helped shape it over the past decade. Founders, funders, committee members, volunteers, and partners have invested their time, expertise, and relationships in building an organization grounded in the idea that we can accomplish more together.

I’m grateful for that foundation and recognize the importance of honoring the work that brought us to this point while remaining open to how the ecosystem can continue to evolve.

With OSE now housed at the University of Nebraska at Omaha and connected to the STEM TRAIL Center, we have an opportunity to strengthen relationships between higher education and the broader community while continuing to serve as a collaborative resource for the region.

As I think about OSE’s future, I’m particularly interested in how we can strengthen our role as a connector, convener, and catalyst for collective action. Omaha already has an incredible number of organizations doing meaningful work in STEM education, career exploration, workforce development, and community engagement. I don’t believe our first instinct should always be to create something new. Sometimes the greatest value comes from making existing opportunities more visible, helping people find one another, and identifying ways to build on work that’s already underway.

My First 90 Days: Listening, Learning, and Connecting

I’ve spent much of my first month meeting with people across the community, learning about their work, and asking a lot of questions. It’s been energizing to hear about the programs, partnerships, and ideas taking shape across Omaha, and I’m continually reminded of how much expertise and commitment already exists here.

I’m approaching my first 90 days with three interconnected priorities: listening and learning, mapping and connecting, and identifying opportunities for collective action.

First, I want to understand OSE’s history and hear directly from the people who have been involved in its work. What’s been successful? Where have we encountered challenges? What do partners value most about the ecosystem, and where do they see opportunities for us to make a greater contribution?

At the same time, I’m working to develop a clearer picture of Omaha’s broader STEM landscape. That includes understanding the organizations, programs, resources, and partnerships already in place, as well as identifying where there may be gaps in awareness, access, or coordination. I suspect there are opportunities for organizations to support one another in ways they haven’t yet explored, simply because they haven’t had the chance to connect.

Ultimately, I want what we learn from these conversations to help inform where OSE focuses its energy moving forward. My goal isn’t to arrive with a predetermined list of initiatives, but to work alongside our partners to identify shared priorities and opportunities where coordinated action could make a meaningful difference.

I believe effective leadership requires both listening and a willingness to move ideas forward. The challenge, and the opportunity, is knowing when to do each.

Looking Ahead: What’s Possible for Omaha?

When I think about the future of STEM in our region, I think about the experiences that help young people recognize what’s possible for themselves. That might be an elementary school student discovering a love of engineering through a classroom activity, a middle schooler meeting a professional whose career they never knew existed, or a high school student finding a pathway into a STEM field that once felt out of reach.

Those moments matter, and so do the systems and relationships that make them possible.

I want educators to have stronger connections to the resources and expertise available in our community, families to be more aware of opportunities for their children, and employers to see meaningful ways to engage with and invest in the next generation of talent. I also want us to think intentionally about who has access to these opportunities and how we can work together to ensure that more young people see themselves as part of Omaha’s STEM future.

We have tremendous assets across our region, from educational institutions and community organizations to innovative employers and dedicated professionals. By strengthening the connections among them, I believe we can create more accessible pathways into STEM learning and careers while supporting the long-term vitality of our community.

Of course, that kind of progress doesn’t happen overnight, and it certainly doesn’t happen through the efforts of one organization alone. It takes shared commitment, trust, and a willingness to approach challenges together.

Let’s Connect!

If there’s one thing I’ve learned in my first few weeks, it’s that Omaha is full of people who care deeply about this work and are generous with their time, knowledge, and ideas. I’ve enjoyed getting to know many of you and look forward to continuing those conversations in the months ahead.

If we haven’t met yet, I’d love to change that! Whether you’ve been involved with OSE for years or are just learning about the ecosystem, I’m interested in hearing what you’re working on, what you’re excited about, and where you see opportunities to strengthen STEM education and workforce pathways across our region.

Schedule a conversation with me and let’s get to know one another.

I also hope you’ll join us on November 17 for OSE in Motion: Connecting Omaha STEM, where we’ll bring together longtime partners and new voices to reconnect and explore what comes next for the ecosystem.

I’m grateful for the opportunity to take on this role and excited about the relationships we’ll build, the challenges we’ll tackle, and the possibilities we’ll discover together.

Here’s to the next chapter of the Omaha STEM Ecosystem!

Ashleigh Tierney