GOOD APPLE AWARDS

“Since making her home in Bellevue, Nebraska in the 1960s, Marta has made a significant impact in the fight for justice and opportunity for all Nebraskans by engaging in her community, supporting young people in becoming leaders in their communities, using her tenacious positive spirit to inspire others to what is possible. Her background in social work has drawn her to efforts to get ahead of problems and find tangible ways to make the world a better place for everyone. She has long focused on the power of advocacy and everyone using their voice in the democratic process, because everyone’s voice matters.

From her work with nonprofits, to her efforts to help people build bridges across differences, to a long history of identifying future leaders and mentoring Latinx youth, the ripple effects of Marta’s work will be felt for generations.

Positive, inspiring, encouraging, kind, and a tireless advocate for justice and opportunity for all. That is just who Marta Nieves is. In every space she is in, she is always encouraging others and making space for younger and newer leaders to learn and contribute.” – Becky Gould, Executive Director

Born in Tampa and raised in New York City, Marta settled in Bellevue with her family in 1964. She earned a BS in Psychology from Bellevue University, a Masters in Social Work from the University of Nebraska at Omaha, and certifications in Neuro Linguistic Programming.

She spent 20 years working for nonprofits, including Girl Scouts, Girls Inc, and the National Council for Christians and Jews (Inclusive Communities). She focused on developing cultural competence programming to improve working with diverse populations in the workplace. She also worked on the Green Circle program which was delivered to schools, churches, and community centers to help children explore human differences and enhance their understanding and compassion for one another.

Marta has also been an active volunteer throughout her life. She’s served on The Women’s Fund Board of Greater Omaha and volunteered with Our Healthy Community Partnership, The Nebraska Children’s & Family Foundation, Business & Professional Women, Altrusa International Club of Bellevue, Latinas Unidas, and the WCA of Omaha. She also served two terms on the UNMC Board of Counselors. She is also a registrar for the League of Women voters. She has remained dedicated to service, with social and economic justice a motivating factor. She is also active in the Nebraska Democratic Party where she developed the Latinx caucus and continues work to engage more Hispanic persons in the democratic process.

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“Daniel Gutman has played a critical role in advancing the causes of justice across Nebraska through his legal work and leadership. Daniel’s efforts have helped guide direct democracy initiatives, increase government accountability, and promote civil and constitutional rights, all with an eye towards confronting systemic inequities and promoting access to justice for all.” – Ken Smith, Program Director: Economic Justice

Daniel is a civil rights and elections lawyer with over 15 years of experience in law and policy. Before starting his own practice, Daniel served as a law clerk to the Honorable John M. Gerrard, U.S. District Judge for the District of Nebraska.  He then spent several years in private practice litigating commercial disputes, constitutional claims, and election law matters, including three legal challenges to a 2020 ballot initiative. While in private practice, Daniel assisted with litigation efforts in state and federal courts across the country, including Nebraska, Texas, Kentucky, Iowa and Oklahoma.

In law school, Daniel interned at the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund and the Southern Poverty Law Center. He researched constitutional claims challenging the American death penalty, and assisted with litigation efforts to end the money-bail system in Alabama. Before law school, Daniel spent several years working on youth justice issues primarily in the Deep South, including the implementation of a 2012 U.S. Supreme Court decision prohibiting mandatory life in prison sentences for children under the age of 18.

In addition to his work at the firm, Daniel directs the First Amendment Clinic at the University of Nebraska College of Law, where he actively litigates free speech cases in state and federal court.

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“The Milo Mumgaard Emerging Leader Award, named after Appleseed’s founding executive director, recognizes young, emerging leaders who have a vision for the best of what Nebraska can be and, through initiative, hard work, and dedication, are pushing to make their vision a reality.” Sierra Edmisten embodies all these qualities as a steadfast advocate who happily takes on the task of making Nebraska a better place for all of us.

Sierra’s advocacy journey began when she joined the pilot year of our Food Access Community Advocacy Cohort. Her time with the cohort saw her blossom into an advocate who gracefully spoke with the media, passionately shared her thoughts as a testifier in Legislative hearings, and even spent time in DC sharing her story at a rally in front of the Supreme Court and with our members of Congress. Sierra has always pushed for a better world, and with 3 kids, still makes the time to show up to any event she can to share her support. Her cohort participation led her to successfully apply for a Power-building organizer role at The Nebraska Civic Engagement Table. At the Table, Sierra has continued to be a champion of many key ballot initiatives including Save our Schools, Paid Sick, and Protect Our Rights. Sierra also became one of 3 Paid Sick Leave ballot initiative sponsors for our Nebraska Appleseed Action Fund. She’s achieved all of this in under two years – with no prior experience.

Sierra believes in the potential of Nebraska, and consistently shows up to do the hard work, no matter how busy her life gets. She is a gifted storyteller with the power to cut to the heart of the issue and move her audience to action and she continues to use that power to fight for justice. Nebraska is, and continues to be a better place because of her and her work.” – Megan Hamann, Community Organizer: Food and Nutrition Access, Economic Justice

Sierra Edmisten is a grassroots advocate based in Hastings, Nebraska. When she is not out in the community meeting with people or collecting signatures for a variety of petitions, Sierra can be found spending time with her four children, helping judge highschool debate and more recently volunteering with Anime Nebraskon, the largest and longest-running anime and pop culture convention in Nebraska. After being an early childhood educator Sierra realized that she wanted a better and more inclusive Nebraska for not only her children but all children to grow up in, fueling her advocacy passion in many different areas.

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“Kayte Partch is a dedicated public servant that works to ensure that every Nebraska kid gets the healthy and nutritious school and summer meals they need to learn and grow. She goes above and beyond to advocate for students and families with local school districts, through policy decisions, and program administration.

Through her role as Director of Nutrition Services at the Nebraska Department of Education (NDE), Kayte leads a team that supports feeding around 68% (around 226,000) of the 330,000 students in Nebraska each day during the school year.

Kayte is a close partner with Appleseed on all things Child Nutrition and has contributed to joint efforts to expand school breakfast, summer meals, & programs that provide free school meals like the Community Eligibility Provision.

Kayte was essential to Nebraska expanding and implementing Summer EBT for summer 2024. When Nebraska was considering whether to adopt the program, Kayte collaborated closely with NDE leadership to communicate the essential role that Summer EBT would play in reducing childhood food security and how the program would support the health, wellbeing, and academic achievement of students even when school is out. This behind-the-scenes effort, her personal advocacy and communications, and commitment to serving Nebraskans were essential to the adoption of this program that provided 190,000 children with $120 EBT cards to buy groceries.

Kayte should be recognized for her transparency, willingness to listen, community-mindedness, and communication – all skills that support the kids getting meals in every corner of our state!” – Eric Savaiano, Program Manager: Food & Nutrition Access, Economic Justice

Kayte is the Director of the USDA’s Child Nutrition Programs at the Nebraska Department of Education, a position she has held since 2021. She’s worked in the Child Nutrition Programs since 2013 after spending two years working for the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension in Adams County where her roles included nutrition education in schools, for daycare providers, and for community groups, as well as food safety education for school foodservice staff. Kayte earned her Bachelor and Master of Science degrees in Nutrition and Health Sciences from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She is married with two daughters and two dogs. And Kayte is motivated to share about and support the important and valuable work the Child Nutrition Programs do to reduce childhood hunger and food insecurity; she enjoys seeing how these programs touch children and families in every community across Nebraska.

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“The mission of 3Sisters is designed and inspired to put resources in the hands of people ready to change their life. 3Sisters envisions an Omaha where all people have access to resources that meet their basic needs and resources to empower them to thrive. Founded in January 2015, 3Sisters bridges the gap of need in the Omaha community and provides resources to motivate and empower community members to thrive. 3Sisters serves as a connector and resource hub in the community, hosting self-empowerment and enrichment workshops, an open food pantry, and distributions of clothing and items for infants.” – Kelsey Arends, Staff Attorney: Health Care Access & Freedom Thompson, Community Organizer: Health Care Access

3SISTERS started when three women began talking about how their lives had evolved and the barriers they had to endure to see their lives evolve. We recalled the barriers we faced due to poverty, income, or systematic barriers. Sharing how we overcame we decided that day to be the change we needed on our journey and thus 3Sisters was born. Since then the nonprofit organization has been in existence for 8 years working to provide a safe place to dream for anyone who identifies as a female. Through the years we have made sure to stay intentional on the services we provide, making sure that they are unique and tailored for the growth of our community. We offer many resources that cater to the person as a whole and continue to reduce barriers that interfere with a person concentrating on self-growth. We have a small board that shows up at every major event happy and ready to work. It’s truly a blessing to work with committed and motivated members whose only reward is the smiles of the community.