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Christ-Centered Service to Seniors, Each Other and the Community.
That single focus guides everything we do—from the direction of our entire organization to the day-to-day decisions made by our professional staff. Here, we are called to serve others, to do what’s right. At our core, we are about respecting and providing dignity, safety and wellness for all. That is The Immanuel Way.
Christ-Centered Service to Seniors, Each Other and the Community.
Since 1887, Immanuel’s mission has been to serve our neighbors, to fill gaps in community health and services, and to express Christ’s love in our lives and work.
We began as a Lutheran ministry, led by Pastor E.A. Fogelstrom and five Deaconesses. They were dedicated to “works of mercy” and established programs that cared for the community’s most marginalized—the sick, orphaned and elderly.
Pastor Fogelstrom’s dedication flourished into the establishment of Immanuel Hospital and eventually to our family of retirement communities and senior services which serve people of all faiths throughout the Midwest.
We are guided by the Nebraska Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) as a leader in retirement living and senior services. We are also a proud member of Lutheran Services in America (LSA), one of the largest health and human services in the country. The LSA network includes more than 300 members and touches the lives of one in fifty people each year. Learn more at www.lutheranservices.org.
Our leaders believe every person deserves respect, safety and wellness. They lead by example, living the mission set forth by our founder.
Eric Gurley
Chief Executive Officer
Eric Gurley
Chief Executive Officer
Eric is the President and CEO of Immanuel. He is a skilled financial and operational professional with more than 20 years of senior housing and health care experience, excelling in the areas of strategic planning, implementation and reporting.
Eric served on the EAA Board of directors from 2005 to 2013. He joined the EAA Foundation Board in 2015 and currently serves as the Vice President. Eric re-joined the EAA Board in 2020 and is a member of the finance committee.
He resides in Omaha, Nebraska with his family and is a member of the Omaha Symphony Board and finance committee, Lutheran Giving Board and finance committee, and Nebraska Lutheran Outdoor Ministries finance committee.
Julie Kaminski
Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer
Julie Kaminski
Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer
With a master’s degree in gerontological studies and nursing home administrative license, Kaminski has held leadership positions at LeadingAge Nebraska, Notre Dame Housing and Life Care Services. Her passion for seniors and service led her to participate as an adjunct instructor on aging and business at University of Nebraska-Omaha and Midland University. She has served on numerous aging committees including Advancing Excellence LANE, DHHS Advisory Board, the Medicaid Advisory Assistance Council, The Dreamweaver Foundation and Scripps Gerontology Center Alumni Advisory Board.
Scott Bear
Chief Financial Officer
Scott Bear
Chief Financial Officer
Bear is a dedicated leader with a strong background in healthcare finance. He has over 15 years of experience specializing in strategic, operational and financial planning and budgeting. Bear has a passion for developing great business relationships to create consistent supply chain processes for the effective acquisition of goods and services for the organization. Serves on the board of (LFMA) Lutheran Financial Managers Association.
Tammy Sealer
Senior Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer
Tammy Sealer
Senior Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer
Sealer has over 20 years of experience in senior services administration including development and project management. Sealer is currently a member of the Nebraska Healthcare Association and LeadingAge Nebraska.
Rhonda Distefano
Vice President of Construction, Facilities Management & Environmental Services
Rhonda Distefano
Vice President of Construction, Facilities Management & Environmental Services
Distefano has nearly 30 years of experience in commercial construction. She brings the ability to create a vision of excellence throughout the construction, facilities management and environmental services areas of Immanuel. Distefano is a past board member of Habitat for Humanity.
Mark Iverson
Vice President of Community Operations
Mark Iverson
Vice President of Community Operations
Iverson has over 15 years of executive leadership experience in senior living, specializing in strategic operations that strengthen relationships across all levels of the organization. He is a seasoned professional and active member of the Nebraska Assisted Living Association.
Reverend Peggy Hall
Vice President of Mission and Spiritual Care
Reverend Peggy Hall
Vice President of Mission and Spiritual Care
Pastor Hall has been a compassionate leader in pastoral care for more than 25 years, guiding Lutheran congregations and agencies while championing Immanuel’s Mission and Cultural Initiatives. She is a member of the Clinical Pastoral Education Advisory Committee for Catholic Health Initiatives, board member for Radio Talking Books, and Midland University.
Jennifer Knecht
Vice President of Sales and Marketing
Jennifer Knecht
Vice President of Sales and Marketing
Knecht has extensive marketing experience with a senior services and healthcare background. Her resume ranges from local health care organizations, to tech companies, to marketing and advertising community pillars where she has held prominent leadership positions in growing brand awareness and overall positioning. Knecht’s expertise brings a mix of traditional marketing and innovative emerging tools.
Colleen Maciejewski
Vice President of Information Technology
Colleen Maciejewski
Vice President of Information Technology
Maciejewski has extensive information technology and leadership background. Through her executive positions at some of the area’s most prominent business leaders, Maciejewski gained expertise in IT and business transformation, program development, brand creation, mentoring, non-profit management, organization design and facilitation. She is a current board member for the Institute for Career Advancement Needs, and is involved in other philanthropic activities.
Jill Nyquist
Vice President of Resident Experience
Jill Nyquist
Vice President of Resident Experience
Nyquist has over 30 years within the healthcare and senior services industry. During her career she has held various positions from nursing to leadership and administrative positions. She serves on the board of the Dreamweaver Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to fulfilling end-of-life dreams for impoverished seniors with terminal illnesses.
Debra Wiens
Vice President of Human Resources
Debra Wiens
Vice President of Human Resources
Wiens has over 20 years in the human resources field, including strategic management, workforce planning, compensation and benefits, employee relations and occupational health & safety. She is a member of the Human Resource Association of the Midlands (HRAM) and Society for Human Resource Management.
Dr. Devin Fox, MD
Medical Director
Adam Kuenning
Corporate Legal Counsel
Cynthia A. Alloway
Retired - CHI Health Lakeside & Midlands Hospitals
Rev. E. Jon Benson
St. John Lutheran Church
Steven R. Bullock
Entrepreneur
Randal J. Burns
Foundation First Corporation
George A. Grieb
Retired - Creighton University
Eric N. Gurley
Immanuel
Kristen L. Hoffman, M.D.
Retired - Methodist Physicians Clinic
Scott J. Howerter
North Channel Capital
Bishop Brian D. Maas
Nebraska Synod ELCA
Clarence L. Nichols
Bank of Blue Valley
Susan E. Ogborn
Retired - Food Bank for the Heartland
Bruce A. Plath
Security National Bank
Jill M. Powers
Retired - CHI Health
Andrea M. Skolkin
OneWorld Community Health Centers, Inc.
Jane A. Tonniges
Retired
Delight Wreed Byrd
Retired - Bellevue University
Scott A. Bear
Immanuel
Brenda Bergman-Evans
Retired - CHI Health
Betty G. Foster
Retired - University of Nebraska Medical Center
Dan R. Friedlund
Retired - Immanuel
Eric N. Gurley
Immanuel
Katherine M. Martens Stricklett
Creighton University
Jill M. Powers
Retired - CHI Health
Rev. Andreas Stein
St. John's Lutheran Church
Randal J. Burns
Foundation First Corporation
Rev. Kathryn K. Gerking
St. Timothy Lutheran Church
Eric N. Gurley
Immanuel
Kristen L. Hoffman, M.D.
Retired - Methodist Physicians Clinic
Guillermo "Bill" Huerta, M.D.
Methodist Health System
Bishop Brian D. Maas
Nebraska Synod ELCA
Mary J. Parker
Eastern Nebraska Office on Aging
Jill M. Powers
Retired - CHI Health
Delight Wreed Byrd
Retired - Bellevue University
Copyright 2020