Meet Jennifer Creager, the Senior Vice President of Public Policy at the Greater Omaha Chamber (omahachamber.org).

Tell us a little about your business (in your own words). – We are the Omaha region’s major business advocate, aiming “to champion a thriving business community and a prosperous region.”

How did you get started in the business? – My first job out of law school was working on the staff at the Nebraska Legislature. Many politician bosses and advocacy organizations later, I found myself at the Chamber where I’ve been for almost 11 years.

What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced professionally? – Restarting my career from scratch after leaving Capitol Hill and moving to a new state during the 2008 recession.

What has been your most important achievement professionally? – Successfully advocating for legislative passage of the ImagiNE Nebraska Act as the lead lobbyist.

Tell us a little about your family. – I have an incredibly kind husband, Michael, and we have two children – Lauren, who is 15 and Jack who is 13.

What do you see as one of the biggest turning points in your life? – There were two decisions in my life that had the biggest impact of the trajectory my life took – one was the decision to attend Creighton University, which remains the best decision I’ve ever made. It opened up a world to me in so many ways – education, friends, exposure to new things – that I never would have experienced as a girl from a small Nebraska town. The other decision was moving to Washington DC at age 29 to work on Capitol Hill. It was another experience of expanding what I thought life could be, with the added bonus of meeting my future husband.

What is your favorite thing to do on a day off? – Sleep in! Usually I have to spend days off getting caught up on work, but I enjoy reading and doing errands as well.
What is your favorite quote or the best piece of advice you’ve ever received? – In my business, it’s “If you’re explaining, you’re losing.” Recently, I’ve also added “If you find yourself on the wrong train, you need to get off at the next station.”

If you could choose only one descriptive word to be remembered as, what would it be? – Funny

What local nonprofit organization(s) are you passionate about or involved with, and are there any special reasons why? – I feel very lucky to be on the boards of four outstanding Nebraska organizations, all doing amazing things in their own ways – the Omaha Sports Commission, Humanities Nebraska, the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Nebraskaland Foundation.

What is your favorite book or the last good book you read? – I just finished The Lion Women of Tehran, which was excellent. I also have recently started audio books all the time for my frequent commutes between downtown Omaha and the State Capitol in Lincoln.

If you could have dinner with one famous person from the past or present, who would it be? – Robin Williams. I would never stop laughing.

If our readers would like to contact you, how should they do so? – jcreager@omahachamber.org