Lives Radio Show With Stuart Chittenden

Returning guest, Father Keith Winton, talks about Christmas past and present. Why December 25th? What were the religious origins and evolution of this holiday celebration? What are some fascinating backstories to the creation of some favorite carols? Who saved Christmas and who is its Queen? All that and more in this Christmas Eve show.Before his ordination to the priesthood in 2019 and then becoming Rector at Saint Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Omaha, Father Keith was a software developer. He and his wife Lisa, who works in the non-profit sector, have three children, the youngest is a junior at Omaha’s Central High School. In his spare time Father Keith is a musician and a cook.

Carole Boye, the CEO of Community Alliance, which serves those living with mental illness and substance use disorders, talks about changes in how mental illness is treated and how it is talked about publicly, as well as her tenure over more than four decades as a leader called to a purpose worth roaring about.Carole Boye has served as president and CEO of Community Alliance for 42 years. As the first and only CEO of this nonprofit organization that now serves nearly 6,000 people annually across the metropolitan Omaha and surrounding five counties area, she has overseen provision of services for people living with mental illness and substance use disorders. She has been recognized by numerous professional and consumer groups for her leadership and advocacy in this field. Boye graduated from the University of Nebraska at Omaha with a Masters in Public Administration and received her Bachelors degree in Social Work and Sociology from Concordia University in Seward, Nebraska.

Designer and business founder, Elizebeth Murphy, whose curiosity and fascination with design motivated her in 1992 to found her own communications agency, Emspace Group, which became Emspace + Lovgren in 2018, shares her design spirit, zest for community life, and lessons learned over her more than three decades as a business leader.

Wendy Goldberg, executive director of Tri-Faith Initiative, talks about her professional experiences and faith journey that brought her to lead Tri-Faith Initiative, which she describes as an audacious experiment in peaceful proximity for three Christian, Muslim, and Jewish faith communities. Goldberg shares the building and modeling of positive communal relations and how they are even more important in these traumatic times of conflict.As a founding board member and now Executive Director of Tri-Faith Initiative, Wendy Goldberg has for years been committed to fostering social change, religious pluralism, and inclusivity. In addition to her role at Tri-Faith, Wendy chairs the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce's Commitment to Opportunity, Diversity, and Equity (CODE) Advisory Council. She is also an advisory board member of The Journal of Inter-religious Studies and UNO’s Tell All the Truth project and is an alumna of the LeadDiversity and Racial Equity Institute's Racial Equity Workshop. Wendy holds a Master

Engineer and artist Andrew Johnson talks about his engineering work and his artistic practice, blurring the lines between both, at the intersection of engineering’s crisp mathematics and physical materiality, and art, with its unbounded possibilities, creative expression, and playfulness.Johnson is an artist and engineer born and raised in Nebraska. He received an MAE degree in structural engineering from the University of Nebraska in 2006. He is a self-taught artist and works in a variety of media. Johnson has shown work throughout the metropolitan Omaha area, most notably at the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts and The Union for Contemporary Art. As a practicing engineer working at TD2, Johnson works on a variety of project types and market sectors throughout the US, focusing primarily on local and regional work. He enjoys close collaboration with architects and designers and has worked on several award-winning designs. Johnson has extensive experience with structural de

Poet Todd Robinson talks about investigating life through poetry, the everyday awkwardness, yearnings, loss, and triumphs explored in his intimate books of poetic praise Note at Heart Rock and Mass for Shut-ins, revealing why one reviewer described him as a “veritable Neruda of Nebraska.” Robinson shares the experiences that have shaped his life and writing, and will read for us some of his poems.Todd Robinson is the author of two poetry collections, most recently Mass for Shut-Ins and Note at Heart Rock. He has led community writing workshops with many organizations, including UNMC, The Kaneko and Bemis art museums, the Nebraska Writers Collective, Omaha and Lincoln Warrior Writers, and the Nebraska Writers Guild. He is an Assistant Professor in the Writer’s Workshop at the University of Nebraska-Omaha and caregiver to his partner, a disabled physician.

Creighton music professor, conductor, and chorus master Dr. Barron Breland talks about an epiphany with the Atlanta Boy Choir, the choral ensembles he is engaged with, the art and craft of conducting, the joys and creative challenges of music for him and for us, and a life spent in and with music.Dr. A. Barron Breland has a diverse background in many different fields of music, including the piano and saxophone, and is in demand throughout the Midwest and beyond as a conductor, chorusmaster, clinician, and adjudicator. He is Dean of the Graduate School and Vice Provost for Faculty and Academic Affairs at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska. Alongside his leadership of the Creighton University Chamber Choir, Breland is the Music Director of Résonance, a semi-professional chorus whose debut album Pilgrimage was released in July 2020 on the MSR Classics label. Breland also is the Artistic Director of the River City Mixed Chorus and in his tenure with the organization the ensemble has grown to over 1

Musician and writer Anne Schulte talks about her life as a writer, exploring language’s power to bring us together and to separate us. Schulte also shares the inspiration behind her beautiful, witty, and wistful music EP Dream Cars and will perform some of her music with us live in the studio.Anna Schulte is a musician and writer from Omaha, Nebraska. She released her debut EP, Dream Car, in 2022, and her poetry has been published in Paper Darts and 433. Schulte has a BA in English Writing and French from Loyola University in New Orleans and currently is pursuing a Masters degree in Speech-Language Pathology. Her work is centered in her search for belonging and meaning in a world where suffering exists side-by-side with such ordinary miracles as lemon trees, poppy seeds, and the color red. She has spent the last decade living in New Orleans, France, and Omaha. 

Luis Marcos, founding member of the Maya Economic Development Corporation and co-executive director of Comunidad Maya Pixan Ixim. In our conversation, Marcos, who was born in modern day Guatemala before he came to the United States when he was a teenager, shares the dislocating culture shock of that time that then motivated his efforts to support the prosperity, representation, and sovereignty of the Maya people and the rebuilding of the Maya Nation, including the founding of the Maya Economic Development Corporation and Comunidad Maya Pixan Ixim. Marcos, the Maya governmental ambassador to the Omaha Tribal Nation, also talks about his commitment to preserving Maya heritage and identity and to advancing the Maya indigenous people’s sovereign ability for self-determination.

Ballet dancer and founder of American Midwest Ballet, Erika Overturff, shares her journey as a professional ballet dancer, the demands on the body and mind, and the rewards of creative expression. She also talks about ballet’s importance and the motivations behind founding a professional ballet company.Erika Overturff began her training in Iowa at the Academy of Ballet, studying at various summer programs, then after graduating high school early as valedictorian, She earned in just three years her B.F.A. in ballet performance and teaching from the University of Utah. Overturrf went on to dance with various ballet companies performing principal and soloist roles in a wide range of classical and contemporary repertoire. She has also been a faculty member and guest teacher for schools around the United States. Overturff has collaborated with Omaha Theater Ballet, Opera Omaha, Omaha Symphony, and Joslyn Art Museum in choreographing completely original ballets and fresh interpretations of classic works.

Anne Hindery, the CEO of the Nonprofit Association of the Midlands, talks about growing up in the seventies and wanting to change the world, an aspiration she has since pursued by driving an effective, vibrant nonprofit sector across the Midwest, to the betterment of all of our communities.Anne Hindery joined the Nonprofit Association of the Midlands in 2008. She has extensive experience in public and nonprofit sector program development and management for which she has received numerous accolades, including being recognized in 2017 as the Nonprofit Administrator of the Year by the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA-NE). Active in the community, Hindery currently serves on the Board of the Metro Area Continuum of Care for the Homeless and has formerly served on the Omaha branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City and on the Board of the National Council of Nonprofits. Hindery is currently co-teaching a class on Cross Sector Leadership at UNO. She received her bachelor’s degree f

Sherry Kennedy Brownrigg, the general manager of Classical 90.7FM KVNO shares that initial moment when radio first called to her and began a lifelong vocation on the airwaves, as a host behind the microphone and as a leader at a public radio station. Brownrigg also talks about the business of radio and its importance to our community, as well as her stints at a christian radio network and her personal faith journey too.An Omaha native, Brownrigg is one of few women who hold the title of General Manager among the nation’s 55 classical radio stations. Classical KVNO began broadcasting in 1972 from what is now the University of Nebraska at Omaha campus, recently celebrating 50 years on air. Brownrigg has worked at radio stations in Omaha and across the country, including the role as president of Relevant Radio network, a Christian national radio network headquartered in Green Bay, Wisconsin, and Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Award winning actor and theater company cofounder Haley Haas talks about a life on stage and behind the scenes. She shares her passion for performing and bringing those opportunities to others, especially for marginalized voices. Haas also talks about the Anastasis Theater Company’s belief that the theater helps us to really see ourselves and each other and that art has the power to impact social change..Haley Haas is the Artistic Director and Co-Founder of Anastasis Theatre Co. Haas recently directed the tour of the Anastasis play More Than a Number, as well as the original production of the play inside the NE State Penitentiary. She has also directed the Anastasis plays Stories: On the Brink and Voices Unbound. Haas has worked as a teaching artist and facilitator with numerous local organizations and for 15 years as an actor and the Training and Education Director for R.E.S.P.E.C.T., a touring educational theatre company. As an award winning actor, favorite roles in s

Jim Begley is the Director of the William Brennan Institute for Labor Studies at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Begley, who was raised in a union family, talks about organized labor’s historic rise in the face of oppressive working conditions, its decline over the last few decades, and the resurgence of unions in recent years to tackle inequity, support human rights in the workplace, and to hold on to labor’s historic victories for adult and child workers. Jim Begley grew up in a union household in Omaha and spent 15 years addressing labor and human resources issues for the City of Omaha. Since 2012, he has been an elected member of the Metropolitan Utilities District (MUD) Board of Directors in Omaha. Begley is a member of the UNO Chapter of the American Association of University Professors, the faculty union at UNO. Begley received his Master’s degree in Public Administration and Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from UNO. Begley and his wife, who is a public-school teacher and union me

Architect Jeff Day talks about the role of architecture in our individual and communal existence, the cultural influences shaping our buildings, and some of the contemporary conversations in this field. Day also shares his personal influences and philosophies for designing our built environment.Jeff Day is the founding principal of Actual Architecture Company and a Professor of Architecture at the University of Nebraska. Day has received numerous awards including the Architectural League of New York’s 2016 Emerging Voices, a 2019 Progressive Architecture Award, and many more besides, and his work has been published in a wide range of journals, design magazines, and books. In 2019 Day was elevated to Fellowship in the American Institute of Architects, an honor bestowed on only 3% of member architects. Day also serves on the National Architectural Accrediting Board.

Artist Rachel Ziegler talks about the role of material, media, and meaning in her work, influenced by a life connected to the Lutheran Church, both spiritually and literally, as a child inspired by the chapel’s stained glass and as an adult creating an artist community space in a decommissioned church.Rachel Ziegler is a visual artist whose work is in numerous private collections and has been exhibited across the country Ziegler works across many mediums to create works exploring personal stories while contemplating the role of technology and the mixing of time and symbols. Born in Denver, Ziegler grew up in Omaha as well as a few small towns throughout Nebraska. She graduated with a BFA in Commercial Art from Concordia University in Seward, Nebraska, then worked for the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts, before moving to Texas where she created music and multimedia paintings while traveling and living primarily in Texas. Since returning to Omaha, Ziegler has been co-creating Reformed, an artist community sp

Mike Hogan of KIOS 91.5FM, NPR's Omaha affiliate, reveals more about the person behind the voice on the radio. Hogan shares how the laughter and storytelling that epitomized his early family life inspired his own commitment to a life in radio, acting on the theatrical, television, and movie stages, doing live sport play-by-play announcing, and even becoming a stand up comedian, before returning to radio’s airwaves where, as well as being our local host of NPR’s show “All Things Considered” Hogan presents the “Live and Local” feature.By joining the staff at KIOS as the local "Morning Edition" host in November of 2017, Mike Hogan’s radio career came full circle. His first radio job was with St. Louis, Missouri NPR affiliate 88.1 FM KDHX. In between Hogan was an actor based in Los Angeles, appearing in the movie “Stay Tuned” with John Ritter and on the television shows “Hearts Afire” and “Beverly Hills, 90210,” after which he became a play-by-play live hockey broadcaster, including an opportunity with the Omaha

Mustafa Babak, the executive director of the Afghan-American Foundation, talks about his formative childhood in Afghanistan, when conflict forced his family to flee to Pakistan, and his return to Kabul to help rebuild his country after the American led invasion in 2001. Babak shares how the pursuit of further education led him to college in California, adjusting to a different culture and finding love, and how he has now dedicated his life to supporting other Afghan immigrants seeking refuge and opportunity here after America’s withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.Born in Afghanistan in the mid-eighties, Mustafa Babak now serves as the executive director of the Afghan-American Foundation, a national advocacy organization committed to advancing the voices of the Afghan-American diaspora. Prior to moving to the US, Mustafa worked as a public relations executive advising the Afghan government and international partners on key development issues including counter narcotics, civic education, and local governance. M

Artist Nathaniel Ruleaux talks about a life exploring identity, influenced by his indigenous Oglala Lakota Nation artistic heritage, rural western Nebraska life, and a love for theater, which he pursued academically and professionally across the country. Ruleaux also shares his personal awakening to indigenous rights and lore, which he explores in a fusion of contemporary and traditional visual arts.Nathaniel Ruleaux is an award-winning artist and culture worker currently located on unceded land of the Umónhon & Očhéthi Šakówiŋ in Nebraska. A partner, father, and member of the Oglala Lakota Nation, his work combines modern art with traditional indigenous imagery. He is a founding member of Unceded Artist Collective. Recently, he created work for Opera Omaha’s 2023-2024 season and the national 2022 Indigenous Futures Survey. In addition to creating visual art, he is a classically-trained actor and educator. He received his MFA in Theatre from the University of Houston’s School of Theatre and Dance after re

Lauren Hance is a playwright, producer, director, and performer. We talk about The Holy O, Hance’s interactive one-woman show coming to the Omaha Fringe Festival in August, as Hance’s character Vera considers becoming a Catholic nun through the funny, troubled, and moving stories of the women in her life. Hance also talks about being raised in the Christian purity culture of 90s America, her evolving faith, and balancing the creative arts with spiritual beliefs.Lauren Hance’s plays have been produced from coast to coast, and her career encompasses most areas of theatre. She earned her degree in Theatre from Abilene Christian University and a Master of Arts in Theology with an emphasis in Theology, Arts, & Culture from Fuller Theological Seminary. Her interactive one-woman show The Holy O shares the story of Vera, a vivacious and possibly lost woman, who is contemplating becoming a Catholic nun but has never considered celibacy one of her virtues. Vera’s situation is complicated by the onset of vision