Douglas County Commissioner Chris Rodgers is the keynote speaker at the 2021 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. celebration co-hosted by Nebraska Medicine and UNMC.
Due to restrictions because of the coronavirus pandemic the 2021 annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. celebration will be held virtually via Zoom.
The annual event will be held virtually on Jan. 18 from noon to 1 p.m.
To join the webinar participants can click on this Zoom link and enter the passcode — 514335.
The theme for the event is: “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, what are you doing for others?”
Rodgers, a respected, practical political voice, will address this topic and how a new era of equity and progress can advance in Omaha, Douglas County and the surrounding metropolitan area.
Sworn into office on Jan. 4, 2005, and re-elected to a fifth term in November of 2020, Rodgers is focused on improving the local public health system, the social determinants of health, strengthening adult corrections programs, reforming the juvenile justice system and wisely spending taxpayer’s dollars.
He served as the president of the National Association of Counties (NACo) in 2012-13. In that role, Rodgers brought national attention to two important issues: smart justice and cybersecurity. His Smart Justice Initiative continues to build knowledge and capacity for successful criminal justice policies and practices among the nation’s counties.
Rodgers’ cybersecurity initiative established the foundation for NACo to promote cybersecurity awareness and education from federal partners directly to county government policy makers and IT professionals. A third presidential initiative was Next Generation NACo, which provided a grassroots forum for young county officials to network, become engaged in NACo and develop a new generation of association leaders.
Rodgers is vice chairman of the Douglas County Board of Commissioners, and chairman of its child and youth services committee, and serves as the president of the Douglas County Board of Health.
We are delighted that Commissioner Rodgers will bring the keynote message this year! This is sponsored by the Offices of Inclusion and Equity. We appreciate the support of the committee. Hope you can join us.
Looking forward to this presentation!