LeeAnn Pancharoen, a lifelong Lincolnite and equity-driven nonprofit leader, is Civic Nebraska’s new senior director of programs. She began her role on April 21.

As head of programming, LeeAnn supports and supervises the director of civic health, the director of voting rights, and the youth civic leadership program managers. She ensures our program leadership team has the guidance, training, and resources they need to align our work with the needs of Nebraska communities, as well as with Civic Nebraska’s strategic plan, values, and mission.

“I’m eager to support the people and programs that make such meaningful change in our state,” LeeAnn said. “It’s rewarding to join a team so deeply committed to building a more vibrant and inclusive democracy.”

LeeAnn has worked in the nonprofit sector since 1997, starting as an AmeriCorps member dedicated to providing after-school support for young people. Over the next two decades, she steadily expanded her impact, first at Community Action Partnership of Lancaster and Saunders Counties, and then at Planned Parenthood North Central States. There, she held numerous leadership positions across a five-state region, including managing grants, developing and implementing community-focused programs, and coaching teams of direct-service staff, managers, and directors.

Her most recent work centered on co-creating and implementing a multi-state equity strategy that built educators’ capacity to incorporate antiracist approaches into their classrooms, reflecting her passion for justice, inclusion, and systemic change.

A graduate of Lincoln Public Schools (Belmont Elementary, Goodrich Middle School, and Lincoln High), LeeAnn earned a Master of Education degree in Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education from the University of Nebraska. She also holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology and women and gender studies, which shaped her understanding of structural inequality, the power of collective action, and the critical role of civic engagement in creating thriving communities. Her academic and professional journeys are grounded in a belief that systems must meet people where they are, and that true leadership is rooted in compassion, critical thought, and a commitment to liberation.

She serves on the board of the Community Justice Center and is a commissioner for the Mayor’s Commission on Women and Gender in Lincoln. In her free time, LeeAnn enjoys knitting, crocheting, gardening, sipping a good bourbon, spending time with loved ones, and cuddling her cats Archie and Ping Ping.

We’re awfully glad LeeAnn has joined our team. Please help us welcome her – she can be reached at le***************@***********ka.org.