Presiding Officer: Rich Secor
Secretary: Matt McKeever
Chair of the Day: Deb Neary
Invocator: Gene Klein
Vocational Talk: Jim Olafson
Cashier: Bonnie Gill
Sgt. at Arms: Bev Karrer
Greeters: Susan Thomas and Pat Knowles
Speakers: Chad Wegener and John F. Carroll
John F. Carroll
Attorney and Registered Nurse
BIO: John F. Carroll is an attorney and registered nurse. He opened his Omaha firm, Watson & Carroll, in 2011. He specializes in civil litigation and medical malpractice. Carroll's health care journey started in 1987 as a medic in the United States Air Force, and continued as a Medical Assistant caring for people with HIV/AIDS in the 90s. He graduated from Bellevue University in 2000 with a degree in Criminal Justice and Creighton University School of Law in 2005. John was also on the fourth season of Survivor in 2002. He is also active in supporting breast cancer research and breast density notification following his Mom and Sister’s breast cancer diagnoses in 2014 and 2016.
Business Owner
BIO: Chad Wegener grew up in Pierre, SD, and moved to Omaha in 1994. He is now currently working full-time on the farm caring for the goats. He is in the process of developing a top secret egg carton design. He also manages the farms Tiny House business, www.piccolacasafarm.com. Chad is also developing a new apiary and will be setting up his first bee hive in the spring. Prior to working on the farm, Chad worked for many years at Hewlett Packard in Sales Operations and the Hitchin’ Post and Wooden Nickel. He graduated from Bellevue University in 2014 with a degree in Business Management.
Presentation Topic: Nebraska’s Willow Valley Farm—home to the largest herd of San Clemente Island Goats in the World
Program description:
Enjoy this light-hearted tour of “Willow Valley Farms” that will be presented by the farm owners, Chad Wegener and John F. Carroll. There are approximately 700 San Clement Island Goats in the world, and over 200 of them can be found right here in Nebraska. SCI Goats are a critically endangered breed of goat. Wegener & Carroll see it as their mission to save this breed from extinction. Beyond the goats, the couple have three boxer dogs name Maggie, Duke and Petey. The farm in Gretna is also home to a mixed flock of chickens, turkeys, ducks and guinea fowl. They have blackberry brambles, a vegetable garden, fruit trees and flower gardens. Willow Valley Farms was named the 23rd Pollinator Habitat by the State of Nebraska. In addition, John and Chad are working on plans to open a Class A micro dairy to make artisan cheeses with the rarest goat milk in the world.
More information can be found at these links:
Omaha World Herald Article: Rare Goats in Nebraska
San Clemente Island Goats: www.willowvalleyfarms.org
