Omaha Mayor, Jean Stothert, will speak at College of Saint Mary Graduation
On Sunday, May 18, at 10:30 a.m., College of Saint Mary (CSM) will celebrate its 90th Commencement in the CenturyLink Center. This weekend, 237 students will participate in graduation activities at College of Saint Mary. This year’s Commencement speaker is Omaha’s Mayor Jean Stothert (see full bio below). Mayor Stothert was elected as the City of Omaha’s first female Mayor on June 10th 2013.
On Saturday, May 17, at CSM, a Baccalaureate Mass celebrated by The Most Reverend Archbishop George J. Lucas begins the evening at 5 p.m. in Our Lady of Mercy Chapel (7000 Mercy Road, Omaha, NE 68106). Following at 6 p.m., the Graduate Reception will be held on the CSM Plaza. Then at 7:30 p.m., the following ceremonies will be held: Honors Convocation in CSM’s Our Lady of Mercy Chapel and a Certificate Ceremony in CSM Gross Auditorium.
CSM’s Masters Hooding Ceremony will also take place at 7:30 p.m. in the Lied Fitness Center, where 56 students will receive their Master of Arts in Teaching, Master in Occupational Therapy or Master of Science in nursing. Jannette Taylor, CSM Alumna will be the speaker for the Master’s Hooding Ceremony. Taylor founded Impact One Community Connection here in Omaha, where she helped gang member’s move out of the gangs they were in. Because of her leadership, she was named one of the top “40 under 40” from the Midlands Business Journal. Taylor has recently become the Director of Programs at NorthStar Foundation. NorthStar Foundation fills a void in after-school programs within Omaha by creating the only all boys facility in the city. NorthStar uncovers the promising futures of school-aged boys, to help them achieve success both academically and in life, which is essential to transforming the Omaha community and building the next generation.
Taylor received her Bachelors’ in Business Leadership in 2006 and her Masters of Organizational Leadership in 2008 from College of Saint Mary. She recently finished a second master’s degree from Creighton Law School in Negotiation and Dispute Resolution.
Additional information on Mayor Stothert –
Mayor Jean Stothert is the City of Omaha’s 51st Mayor. Mayor Stothert grew up in the St. Louis area and earned a Bachelor of Science in nursing from Seattle Pacific University in Seattle, Washington. She then worked as a critical care nurse and later as head nurse and Department Head of Cardiovascular Surgery at St. Louis University, where she met her husband Joe.
The Stothert family moved to Omaha in 1993 from Galveston, Texas. The first time Mayor Stothert visited Omaha she fell in love with the city and knew this was where she wanted to live and raise her family.
Her career in public service started on the Millard Board of Education, where she served three terms, including the office of President. She was then elected to the Omaha City Council, serving the citizens of southwest Omaha for four years. In the summer of 2012, she announced her campaign for Mayor. For nearly a year, the Mayor and her husband knocked on thousands of doors, sharing her ideas for the city. In an overwhelming victory, Omaha voters elected Jean Stothert to be the city’s first female Mayor. She took the Oath of Office on June 10th, 2013.
Mayor Stothert and her husband have been married 33 years. They have two children, Elizabeth and Andrew.
