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Meet Allen Chlopek, rural civic health program manager

Allen Chlopek, a native of Fullerton who has a deep background in community-building and small-town advocacy, is Civic Nebraska’s new rural civic health program manager. He began in the role in January.

Allen is responsible for strengthening rural and small-town civic health – social connection, confidence in institutions, community engagement, and political involvement – across Nebraska. His duties include facilitating community discussions and workshops, managing leadership development programs, developing tools and resources for community leaders, and contributing to research on civic health trends in Nebraska.

As a Civic Health Programs team member, Allen also helps Civic Nebraska build resources, knowledge, and understanding around civic health. He manages leadership and skills development of several initiatives, including Nebraska Documenters; the Idea of America Fellowship; and Civil Discourse. He is based in Fullerton.

“I’ve been a fan of Civic Nebraska since working on a civil discourse panel with OLLI (Osher Lifelong Learning Institute),” he said. “At the time, I was impressed with and appreciated the conversations organizations like Civic Nebraska were starting and facilitating. I’m eager to build upon that work in different corners of our state.”

Born and raised in Fullerton – the seat of Nance County and a community he describes as “made up of 1,300 people most days but 1,400 on Fridays, when the weekly cattle sales are taking place,” Allen was Fullerton’s city administrator before joining Civic Nebraska. He had served in that position since 2021 after a successful write-in campaign for city council. Initially, Allen got into local politics to address housing in Fullerton.

Allen and his wife, Kate, also renovated a 1914 Carnegie Library building that had been empty for several years. The building had been an after-school hangout for teens and a women’s fitness center before falling vacant. 

He is the vice president on the board of Fullerton’s Future Inc., a nonprofit childcare center that opened its doors in September 2024. The organization provides daycare and preschool after Fullerton’s lone non-Head Start preschool closed a year earlier.

An alumnus of the University of Nebraska at Kearney, Allen is a TeamMate to a local student. In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with his family pets (especially his 6-year-old German Shepherd, Ruth), woodworking, and riding his 1975 Honda CB750 motorcycle.

We’re glad Allen has joined the crew in blue. Join us in welcoming him – he’s at al***********@ci***********.org.