Staff

J.L. Schmidt is the Executive Director of Heritage Nebraska. A University of Nebraska-Lincoln graduate, Schmidt spent 30 years in the news business before starting a career in preservation-based community development as Director of the Nebraska Lied Main Street Program in 1999. In June 2008, Schmidt was named Executive Director of Heritage Nebraska, the successor organization to Lied Main Street. His first preservation project was the restoration of a 1920s commercial vernacular building in downtown Peru, Nebraska, in1976. He uncovered an original tin ceiling, an octagonal marble tile floor and a stained glass transom window as he was preparing to open a bar and restaurant business in the southeast Nebraska river community. He transferred that “accidental preservationist” experience to his present job.

Elizabeth Chase is the Director of the Heritage Nebraska Main Street Program. A University of Nebraska-Lincoln graduate with a master’s degree in community and regional planning, Chase started with the Lied Main Street Program in 1997 and served as Deputy Director. She assumed the Director position in June 2008 and currently serves on the Executive Board of the National Trust Main Street Center’s Coordinating Programs directors. She has been a frequent presenter at local, state and national conferences. Chase has used her art history undergraduate degree and artistic talent to help communities with design-related projects ranging from signage ordinances to individual façade rehabilitations.

Field Staff

Laurie Richards is the Partner in the Field in Eastern Nebraska with Heritage Nebraska, providing services in partnership with the National Trust for Historic Preservation. An Oakland, NE, native, she is a graduate of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a degree in art history. She is also the part-time Nebraska Film Officer in the Nebraska Department of Economic Development. She lives in Lincoln.

Gene Morris is the Partner in the Field in Western Nebraska with Heritage Nebraska, providing services in partnership with the National Trust for Historic Preservation. A Missouri native, Morris graduated from college in Kansas and was a newspaper reporter, editor and publisher during a lengthy career that ended in McCook, NE, where he now lives. He is also the part-time director of the Fox Theater which is undergoing restoration.