Grace Laflen, a Nebraska U. graduate with deep team engagement, administration, and community-building skills, is Civic Nebraska’s new People & Culture Specialist. Grace, who joined Civic Nebraska on April 9, supports Civic Nebraska’s administrative functions, including hiring, payroll, internal calendar management, and organization-wide culture initiatives.
Grace is originally from Springfield, Missouri, where they were heavily involved in the local activism community. That early experience in grassroots engagement sparked a lasting commitment to supporting others and creating inclusive, connected communities.
They earned a bachelor of science in business administration from the University of Nebraska in 2023, including a global studies minor. While at Nebraska U., Grace was a member of the Clifton Builders Program and served as a Student Strengths Coach. As part of the Builders in the Community track, they contributed to the Strive to Thrive Lincoln grant project, collaborating with local nonprofits to enrich the community through strategic grantmaking.
Before joining Civic Nebraska, Grace was a client support specialist and engagement coordinator at Gallup. In that role, they strengthened their passion for organizational culture, team-building, and fostering meaningful engagement across diverse teams – which made them a perfect fit at Civic Nebraska.
“There is nothing more vital to the health of our democracy than our community,” Grace said. “When our sense of community is strong, it emboldens us to stand up for our neighbors, and to support each other to create a better future for everyone around us. I am thrilled to have the opportunity to be a part of an organization so staunchly committed to the people it serves.”
In their free time, Grace enjoys reading science fiction, writing, and swimming, a passion they have pursued since their years as a competitive swimmer. They also enjoy visiting their sister in St. Louis and spending time with their opinionated tortoiseshell cat, Jake.
We’re awfully glad Grace has joined our team. Please join us in welcoming them; they’re at gr**********@ci***********.org.