Civic Nebraska honors Gab Rima with the 2026 Civic Catalyst Award for turning civic participation into practical action and building tools, relationships and pathways that make local government more accessible, transparent and responsive.
When Gab Rima encounters a problem in civic life, they do not stop at naming what is wrong. They ask two questions: What immediate step can I take to make a difference? And who has the skills or power to help? Then, they see the work through.
Johnny Redd, Gab’s close friend and collaborator, calls that quality an unrelenting “tactical optimism”: the ability to turn positive energy and cultural momentum into an actionable plan. It is an approach that has made Gab a trusted connector across Omaha’s civic landscape, equally attentive to the long game and the next concrete step.
That instinct is at the heart of Strongly Worded Letters, the civic engagement toolkit Gab co-founded with Redd. What began with the spirit of a political letter-writing club has grown into an accessible hub for civic education and community organizing. Gab hosts workshops on state and local policy, produces a weekly newsletter for Omaha residents, tracks legislation, leads letter-writing gatherings and offers advocacy office hours where residents can ask questions one-on-one. They also organize an annual Unicameral 101 training, helping people understand not only what their government is doing, but how they can take part.
Gab brings that same blend of education, organizing and care to their work as the Campus and Community Engagement Coordinator at Urban Abbey, a nonprofit coffee shop, bookstore and progressive United Methodist church in downtown Omaha. They lead a development program for young adults, coordinate community partnerships and organize the statewide Clergy Action Network. By preparing research and talking points and coordinating sign-on letters, rallies and public testimony, Gab helps faith leaders advocate alongside transgender Nebraskans, immigrant neighbors and supporters of reproductive freedom. Nominator Seanne Larson Emerton praised the passion, vision and hands-on work Gab brings to civic engagement.
Their impact can be statewide, but it is also deeply local. When Urban Abbey’s partners at Liberty Elementary identified the need for a safer crosswalk, Gab connected the school with city officials, Omaha Public Schools staff and city planners, helping advance changes on St. Mary’s Avenue that made a meaningful difference for students and families.
Gab understands that relationships are the work that move us forward, bind us together and keep us all resilient.
Those relationships carry Gab’s impact far beyond any single organization. They serve with the People’s Budget Coalition in pursuit of a more transparent city budget process and have contributed to Metro Transit’s community advisory work. They have circulated petitions for ballot initiatives, volunteered with food pantries and other community organizations, and created everything from social justice book clubs to craftivism events that give people approachable ways to turn their interests into action.
For Gab, receiving the Civic Catalyst Award is also a chance to recognize the larger community behind the work.
“I feel incredibly honored to receive this award. I could not do any of what I do without everyone else in this social change ecosystem, especially my SWL co-founder and dear friend Johnny Redd.”
A lifelong Omaha resident and University of Nebraska at Omaha alumnus, Gab has made their hometown both the focus of their work and a laboratory for more inclusive democracy. Away from meetings and workshops, they enjoy spending time with their husband, Jake, and their dog, Chai, volunteering at local food pantries and checking out what they readily admit are far too many books from the Omaha Public Library.
“There is no true democracy for anyone until there is democracy for everyone. Democracy is an action word. It’s something we all have to work every day to uphold.”
To Gab, that means ending voter suppression, making public meetings genuinely open to all, providing government-funded translation and interpretation, writing policy in plain language and expecting leaders to practice true community engagement. Their work makes that expansive vision tangible: one workshop, one relationship, one public meeting and one strongly worded letter at a time.
Gab Rima is a Civic Catalyst because they do more than invite people into democracy. They build the tools and connections that help people practice it.
Meet Gab and their fellow honorees at the Strengthening Democracy Awards on Sept. 17. RSVP today!
2026 Civic Catalyst Honorable Mention
Melanie Davis