The NorthStar Board of Directors (northstar360.org) has announced that Wayne Brown has been selected as the organization’s next president. Brown succeeds founding President Scott Hazelrigg, who earlier this year announced he would step down at the end of the year after 18 years of dedicated leadership. Brown joins NorthStar after serving as president and CEO of the Urban League of Nebraska since 2022, where he championed economic self-reliance, civil rights, and equal opportunity for all. Prior to that, he served as vice president of the Urban League, overseeing education and youth development programming as well as employment and career services. A native of Omaha, Brown served nine years in the U.S. Army before graduating magna cum laude from East Tennessee State University. In 2009, he earned his law degree from Creighton University and has since contributed to the Omaha community through leadership roles at Avenue Scholars, the Omaha Community Foundation, and other organizations. “I’ve long been committed to building social capital and opportunity in our community, and I see a deep alignment between my work at the Urban League of Nebraska and the mission of NorthStar,” Brown said.
“We are thrilled to welcome Wayne Brown to lead the next chapter at NorthStar and to build on the excellent work of Scott Hazelrigg,” said Scott Semrad, NorthStar board chair. “Wayne’s background, leadership, and love for the North Omaha community make him the perfect person to lead NorthStar.”
For more information, visit northstar360.org.