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The People Behind the Poetry
Meet the writers who run our organization and mentor youth across the Midwest.
Our Staff
Gina Tranisi &
Zedeka Poindexter
CO EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Gina Tranisi (she/her) is a leader, educator, and poet who has competed at both the National Poetry Slam (NPS) and the College Unions Poetry Slam Invitational (CUPSI). She holds a bachelor's and master's degree in English with a specialization in Women's and Gender Studies from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln. An alum of the Nebraska Writers Collective's (NWC) youth poetry programming, Gina has served as an NWC Teaching Artist, Core Teaching Artist, and, most recently, an Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program certified instructor, and the organization's full-time Program Director. Her poems have appeared in Rattle and The Rumpus, among other journals. She was Runner-Up in the 2022 Button Poetry Chapbook Contest, and a finalist in the 2023 Colorado Prize for Poetry.
Zedeka Poindexter (she/her) is a North Omaha-born multi-talented and driven professional writer and performer with a robust account management and communications history. She holds a bachelor's degree in Communication from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. In her work, Zedeka has built a historical record through poems and essays that draw on all five physical senses to connect with readers and listeners. By sharing stories of people in her community, she creates a relationship with her audience and guides them through the world as she sees and experiences it. Throughout her ten years of serving the NWC as a Teaching Artist, she has earned numerous awards and accolades such as Omaha Entertainment & Arts: Best Performance Poet, Amplify Arts: Public Impact Grant Recipient, The Union for Contemporary Art: Inside/Outside Fellowship Prize, Nebraska Arts Council: Artists In Schools Recipient, and much more.
Photo Credit: Joshua Foo Photography
Kara Warner
PROGRAM DIRECTOR
Kara Warner is a Family Life Educator, DEIA Facilitator, Visiting Instructor, Public Speaker, and author of False Feelings Appearing Real, a compilation of short stories told by women who have experienced feelings of grief, neglect, rejection, and abandonment. She is from Omaha, NE, by way of Hammond, IN. She has dedicated her career to supporting and advocating for women and youth who face challenges with self- esteem, image, perception, and efficacy.
Kara graduated from the University of Nebraska at Omaha with a degree in Black Studies and Psychology. She later earned a Master of Science in Family Life Education from Concordia University in Seward, Nebraska.
In 2015, Kara launched programs designed to empower families and individuals, equipping them with tools and resources to successfully navigate crises, trauma, and life transitions. These initiatives include the Beauty Is Skin Deep Program, which aims to reconstruct the perception and image of women of color in American society, and the Black Studies Bootcamp for Youth, a program providing foundational knowledge of Black History to students ages 8-11.
From 2021 to 2023, Kara served as an Independent Contractor for Douglas County, working closely with youth in juvenile justice. She offered programming to the Douglas County Youth Center, the Juvenile Assessment Center, and the HOME Program. Kara’s dedication was recognized with the African American Corrections Officer Community Beacon Award in 2020, and she received special acknowledgment from the Nebraska State Legislature and Senator Terrell McKinney for her commitment to youth and families in the Omaha community.
Kara continues her work with youth and parents to improve their quality of life through programs that promote self-empowerment, heritage, culture, and positive self-esteem. She is also a devoted mother to her brilliant 12-year-old son, Zaccai. Kara remains connected to her community by serving on the Nebraska Statewide Family Engagement Center’s Special Advisory Committee as a Parent Advisor.
Kara’s mission is to connect and engage families and communities by promoting healthy coping mechanisms to achieve “emotional emancipation” from historical and social traumas.
Board of Directors
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RANDY CHAVEZ
Randy holds a BA in Design and Advertising and has more than a decade of experience designing, developing and launching brands. Working with clients from law firms to community spaces to neighborhood initiatives, Randy seeks opportunities to take concepts, ideas, strategies and processes to the next level to create the most impactful, effective and efficient work. In addition to his skills that span from branding to website design, he is bilingual in English and Spanish.
Beyond his passion for design, Randy and his wife are foodies who are constantly trying new restaurants and documenting experiences on their food blog. He also enjoys traveling, soccer, art and reading. -
JOY KATHURIMA
Joy is an attorney in Omaha, Nebraska. Her practice involves family law, estate planning, and estate administration. Joy first fell in love with the written word from reading voraciously as a child. Seeing poetry come to life through performance cemented her love of written and spoken word. In her free time, Joy likes to consider herself a woman in STEM (shenanigans, tomfoolery, enjoyment, and mischief). Joy is proud to be a member of the Nebraska Writers Collective Board.
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BEA CARRASCO
Maria (Bea) is a relationship-driven human capital professional with over 15 years of learning and development experience in higher education and corporate settings. She worked at Omaha Steaks for nearly 16 years in various roles improving performance of employees by consulting, assessing, creating, and implementing learning and organization-wide solutions and is currently an OD Consultant.
She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of Nebraska-Kearney, a Master of Science degree in Leadership Development from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, a Change Management and Organizational Development diploma from the University of Chile and is a Certified Strategic Human Resources Business Partner (sHRBP).
She has volunteered on several health, technology, and education-related organizations and is passionate about leadership and diversity and inclusion.
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THEODORE WHEELER
Theodore Wheeler is the bestselling author of three novels, most recently the USA Today bestseller The War Begins in Paris (Little Brown, 2023). He has won fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, Nebraska Arts Council, and Akademie Schloss Solitude in Stuttgart, Germany. At different times, somewhat overlapping, he was co-director of Omaha Lit Fest and co-owner of Dundee Book Company, a neighborhood bookshop in midtown Omaha. For fourteen years Theodore worked as a journalist who covered law and politics and he now is an assistant professor in the English Department at Creighton University.
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KEEGAN KORF
Keegan Korf is a mother, wife, friend, communications professional, educator, tech nerd, library advocate and e-bike evangelist. She lives in Hanscom Park with her husband Justin, their son Ender and an entire litter of cats (Fixer, Sonny and The Holy Spirit). While trained in journalism (officially), Keegan taught high school English prior to working in district-level administration and eventually, nonprofit leadership. She has been a TEDx speaker, a TOYO recipient, a founding nonprofit board member, and a local school board candidate. Today, she serves as Chief Development Officer at Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Midlands.
Her appreciation for the written word is most often expressed through her consumption of books - in every possible format - but with a preference for audio and paperback.
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DR. TOCCARA STEELE
Dr. Toccara Nicole is a 12-time author along with being a 2-time Amazon Best Selling author affectionately known as “The Identity Architect!” She is passionate about helping her clients discover what’s in their vault to unlock their personal and marketplace identity by using her powerful insight, discernment, and sensitivity!
As the architect to authors, VOS Consulting and Publishing International creates, cultivates, and launches authors, entrepreneurs, and storytellers into position to monetize their genius. She equips her clients to shift the “ship” by introducing authorship as a form of entrepreneurship!