Ethel Landrum-Shobe - 2013 Alumni Achievement Award
Ms. Shobe was born in Truman, Arkansas and moved to Omaha in 1958. She is the fourth of 10 children born to Leon and Leslie Landrum. She has been married to Edward Shobe, Sr., for many years and they have 3 children and 3 grandchildren.
Ms. Shobe received her bachelor’s degree in social work from UNO and her master’s degree in criminal justice administration in Atlanta, Georgia. She was a pioneer in her field. She was the first African American United States Probation Officer, serving in Omaha from 1983 to 1992. She was also the first female to serve as a home confinement specialist in Omaha and on two Nebraska reservations. Ms. Shobe was also the first African American female appointed as chairperson to the Nebraska Board of Parole. She served on the parole board from 1992 to 1994. She was also the first female U.S. probation officer assigned to staff a 3 person field office when she worked for the Western District of Missouri in Jefferson City. She served in this capacity from 1995 to 1997.
During her more than 30-year career, Ms. Shobe mentored and trained more than 25 officers or interns and has served in numerous other capacities. She was a pretrial release counselor, a neglect and abuse probation officer, and an adult probation officer in Omaha before she became a U.S. probation officer. She has deservedly received other achievement and leadership awards for her work in Omaha and across the country.
Sheryl Lohaus -2013 Rising Star Alumni Achievement Award
Sheryl Luft Lohaus, the daughter of Jerry and Florence Luft, was born and raised in Omaha, Nebraska. She graduated from Benson High School and went on to graduate from the UNO in 1985 with a B.A. in criminal justice. While at UNO, Sheryl was active in many campus activities including the German Honors Society and the International Honors Society of Social Sciences. She also studied at the University of Vienna (1984). Judge Lohaus went on to attend Creighton School of Law and was admitted to the practice of law in state and federal courts of the State of Nebraska in 1990. She has worked as a staff attorney for The Legal Aid Society, an associate attorney for Batt and Associates, Slusky Law and Mediation, and an associate attorney and director at Gross and Welch. Judge Lohaus is also a trained mediator in basic and family law mediation. Governor Dave Heineman appointed Judge Lohaus to the County Court Bench of Douglas County in June, 2011.
Throughout her legal career, Judge Lohaus has been a member of the Nebraska State Bar Association, Omaha Bar Association, and American Bar Association. From 2006 to 2011, she was a member of the Iowa State Bar Association. She is a past board member of the St. James/St. Elizabeth Ann Seton School Board and the Madonna School Board. She has also served as an international host parent for students from Japan and Germany.
Judge Lohaus is married to Bernard Lohaus. They have a grown daughter, Alexandra. In her spare time, Judge Lohaus enjoys volunteering, camping and horseback riding with her daughter.
Barbara Harris, Ph.D. - 2013 Outstanding Community Service Award
Barbara Harris, Ph.D. entered social work as an advocate for children and families in the child welfare system as a juvenile probation officer followed by a term as deputy chief of the juvenile probation office. With an MSW and a doctorate in adult community education, Dr. Harris has served as assistant professor and field education coordinator for the social work program at Creighton University, helping students connect with practicum opportunities that are consistent with their values and skills. Her work at Creighton was acknowledged with the Student Advisor of the Year Award and the Mary Lucretia Creighton Award for creating an environment supportive of achievement for women.
Her community involvement is primarily focused on family violence and child poverty. She has served on the board of directors for several social service agencies including the Child Saving Institute, the YWCA, and the Mammel Foundation Root to Fruit Organization. As director of the Center for the Study of Children’s Issues and as a founding member of the Domestic Violence Coordinating Council she developed an inter-professional approach to service delivery. Continuing to advance an inter-disciplinary framework she assisted in the development of a patient safety initiative with the health science disciplines at Creighton. In 2005, along with the co-authors of the book Foundations in Patient Safety for Health Professionals, she developed the interdisciplinary patient safety course. Most recently she is a founding member of Creighton University’s Porto Clinic at the Heart Ministries. As a certified yoga teacher, her current interest is developing strategies for professionals to identify and apply mindfulness and self-care to their practice.
Tim Dempsey - 2013 Lifetime Achievement Award
Tim Dempsey was born and raised in Omaha and graduated from Omaha Central High School. He obtained his B.S. in law enforcement and security from UNO in 1972 and his MPA in 1986. Tim was the first deputy hired in Douglas County under the new Sheriff’s Merit System in 1970. He served through the ranks and was promoted to chief deputy in 1991, a position he held until 1995. Tim retired from Douglas County in 1997 after serving as the county’s director of corrections. He was the executive director of Nebraska’s Accountability and Disclosure Commission until 1999 when he became the chief of police in Elkhorn, Nebraska.
During his criminal justice career, Tim served on Nebraska’s Crime Commission, was chair of the Grand Island Law Enforcement Center’s Planning Committee, a member of the Juvenile Justice Commission, and, most recently, as a member of the Board for Nebraska’s Office of Violence Prevention. Tim was honored by the Police Officers Association of Nebraska in 2004 by inducting him into their Hall of Fame, and in 2007 he was named Police Chief of the Year by his fellow members of Nebraska’s Police Chiefs’ Association. Tim has also taught as an adjunct professor for UNO.