The president and CEO of the Greater Omaha Chamber will be recognized at the 2020 Statehood Day Banquet as a Distinguished NEBRASKAlander.

David G. Brown will be honored alongside Keith and Doris Olsen as well as Jim and Susanne Blue at the banquet, scheduled for Feb. 29, 2020, in the rotunda of the State Capitol in Lincoln.

The NEBRASKAland Foundation presents the annual awards as part of the celebration of Nebraska’s entry as a state on March 1, 1867, according to a news release. 

Previous honorees include a who’s who of Nebraskans and those with Nebraska roots, such as Tom Osborne (1982), Gerald Ford (1987), Dick Cheney (1992) and Walter Scott Jr. (1998).

The Olsens have a farm near Grant, where they raised their family. Keith Olsen served for years on the Nebraska Farm Bureau Board of Directors and later on the American Farm Bureau Federation Board of Directors.

The Blues have helped those in need in southeast Nebraska. Jim Blue joined Youth Service System in 1991 and went on to become president and CEO when it joined with CEDARS Inc. to form CEDARS Youth Services. Susanne Blue served as executive director of the Matt Talbot Kitchen and Outreach since 1999.

Brown joined the Greater Omaha Chamber in 2003. It was recognized as the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives’ Chamber of the Year in 2014. He was elected chairman of the ACCE board in 2019

Invitations for the 2020 Statehood Day Banquet will be sent out in January.  For information about purchasing tables and tickets, call Marcie at 402-499-7897.