Staff

Arlene Garcia

Ms. Arlene Garcia Gunderson 
Executive Director
arlene.gunderson@nebraska.gov
 

A native ASL user, born to Puerto Rican Deaf parents and raised in a Spanish speaking community in the Bronx, Arlene brings a wealth of professional experiences in advocacy, ASL, Deaf education, human service, and interpreting.    

Arlene has more than ten years of administrative experience as well as backgrounds in teaching, training, and mentoring in K-12 and higher education. Her personal strength is in strategic planning, setting priorities and managing budgets based on identified goals to lead programs and services. Arlene has made leadership contributions to various community organizations because she feels authentic grass root networking, inter-community resource building, and advocacy are the best way to support diverse, multicultural individuals and enable everyone’s fullest potential.

Arlene was the first Person of Color to serve as the president of the national American Sign Language Teachers Association, serving two terms on top of several years of being on the Board. Arlene values lifelong learning and is dedicated to broadening understanding and sensitivity to the needs of Deaf, Hard of Hearing, Deaf-Blind, Deaf-Plus (Disabled) and BIPOC populations, their families and service providers/professionals who works with them.

Kelsey Cruz

Kelsey Cruz
Marketing & Communications Specialist
kelsey.cruz@nebraska.gov

Sharon Sinkler

Sharon Sinkler
Interpreter Program Coordinator
sharon.sinkler@nebraska.gov 

Ashley Wulf

Ashley Wulf
Advocacy Specialist, Omaha
ashley.wulf@nebraska.gov
 

Jeremy Daffern

Jeremy Daffern
Advocacy Specialist, Omaha
jeremy.daffern@nebraska.gov

 

Susan Whitaker

Susan Whitaker
Education Advocate, Scottsbluff
susan.whitaker@nebraska.gov

Aaron Rothenberger

Aaron Rothenberger
Advocacy Specialist, Kearney
aaron.rothenberger@nebraska.gov

Kathy Scusa

Kathy Scusa
Advocacy Specialist, North Platte
kathy.scusa@nebraska.gov

Kim Davis

Kim Davis
Advocacy Specialist, Lincoln
kim.davis@nebraska.gov

Sharon Price 

Sharon Price
Behavioral Health Coordinator
sharon.price@nebraska.gov

Cindy Woldt

Cindy Woldt
Staff Assistant
cindy.woldt@nebraska.gov

Jackie Novak

Jackie Novak
Budget & Finance Manager
jacqueline.novak@nebraska.gov
 

 

Gina Petersen
Staff Assistant II 
gina.peterson@nebraska.gov