About Us
Douglas County Historical Society’s (DCHS) mission is to collect, preserve, exhibit, and care for the institution’s collections pertaining to the history of Douglas County including the General Crook House Museum.
Staff
Executive Director
Thomas Neal
Tom is an Omaha native and completed his B.S. at Bellevue University, where he studied Human Resource Management. He went on to complete an MBA equivalent through the LOMA Society in Operations Management. A long-time leader in the non-profit arena in Omaha, including 15+ years of Board involvement, Tom has a passion for service and loves the rich history Douglas County has to offer.
Outside of work, Tom and his wife, Bridget enjoy gardening, wine tasting and travel. An ideal evening is sitting by the fire pit, enjoying a bottle of wine and good conversation with friends.
_______________________________________
director@DouglasCoHistory.org
Archives and Research Consultant
Elise O’Neil
Originally from the Omaha area, Elise completed a B.A. in history at Salem College in Winston-Salem, North Carolina in 2014. In 2020, she earned an M.A. in Museum and Exhibition Studies with a concentration in Collections Management at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Before coming to DCHS in 2021, Elise worked with collections at the Durham Museum, the Jane Addams Hull-House Museum, the Chicago History Museum, and the Puerto Rican Arts Alliance in Chicago.
Elise enjoys cross stitch and embroidery, reality television recap podcasts, and exploring Omaha’s many beautiful parks with her husband and their two daughters.
Archives@DouglasCoHistory.org
Collections Specialist
Daley Porter
Research@DouglasCoHistory.org
Community Outreach Specialist
Sara Atkins-Rauwald
Sara joined the Douglas County Historical Society in 2025 as Community Outreach Specialist, where she draws on her background in marketing, communications, and photography to help share the stories that shape Douglas County. A first-generation graduate of the University of Nebraska at Omaha with degrees in Journalism and Communication Studies, she has worked with organizations across Omaha in both nonprofit and corporate settings, including Union Pacific, the Greater Omaha Chamber, and LinkedIn. She also leads ARSAR Photography, where she specializes in capturing authentic stories through visual media.
Outside of her professional work, Sara enjoys exploring the area’s vibrant food scene, traveling to new places, scuba diving with her husband, practicing archery, and photographing life’s small but meaningful moments.
Admin@DouglasCoHistory.org
Finance Specialist
Denise Nunn
Raised in upstate New York on the Canadian Border, Denise moved to Omaha to be near other family members. Along with her husband and three grown children, she feels fortunate to be a resident of a city so rich in culture that as so much to offer. Most of all, Denise enjoys spending quality time with her family, gardening, loves all animals; great and small, biking and hiking.
Since moving to Nebraska, she worked in the field of accounting. Expressing her create side is something she finds very rewarding and is always looking for new projects.
Working part time as a bookkeeper for the Douglas County Historical Society allowed her to learn more about the history of Omaha.
Accounting@DouglasCoHistory.org
Teacher: History and Appreciation of Antiques
Pat Pixley
Curator@DouglasCoHistory.org
Weekend Greeter
Robyn Carter
Board of Directors
Board of Directors
President
George Martin III
Secretary
Kathy Gross
Treasurer
Cindy Hadsell
Past President
Members at Large
Phyllis Choat
Chris Giitter
Gary Kastrick
Robert Bozell
Dave Sommers
Whitney West
Ex-Officio
Susie Phillips
Emeritus Member
Bryan Zimmer