MEET OUR STAFF
Click on each staff member to view their bio.
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Founder & Executive DirectorDr. Patricia Newman
Founder & Executive DirectorDr. Patricia Newman is a Clinical Child Psychologist and the Founder and Executive Director of RESPECT. She also holds graduate degrees in Educational Psychology and Special Education. Dr. Newman is in private practice with Family Enrichment, Inc. and works as a Medical Consultant for the Nebraska Department of Disability Determinations. She is the recipient of several professional and community awards including the Y/WCA Tribute to Women Award for her work in the areas of Human Service and Community Advocacy; the Nebraska School Psychologists Association “Psychologist of the Year” award; the Cultural Adult Program Award from the United Way of the Midlands; the Leadership Award for Prevention of Domestic Violence Programming from the Y/WCA; and the Community Service Award from the Jewish Federation of Omaha. Dr. Newman was awarded the 2022 School Mental Health Champion Award at the Nebraska School Mental Health Conference. She is the playwright of two of RESPECT’s plays.
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Associate Executive DirectorPaige Brenneman
Associate Executive DirectorIn 2016, Paige graduated with a Bachelors degree from the University of Nebraska at Omaha through the College of Public Affairs and Community Service with a concentration in Nonprofit Administration and a Minor in Women and Gender Studies. During Paige’s college career she spent her service learning project with the Women’s Center for Advancement as a group leader for the Girls Leadership Academy. Since starting her work with RESPECT in 2017, Paige has expanded her knowledge in nonprofit development and management. She looks forward to her growth within the organization and continuing to build relationships with community partners.
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Program & Development ManagerCara Neufeld
Program & Development ManagerCara joined RESPECT in 2017, initially contributing her expertise to data entry and analysis. Over the years, her commitment to RESPECT as well as her communication and organizational skills, led her to take on more significant responsibilities. Now, as the Program and Development Manager, she is excited to take her place as an integral part of our team. Cara thrives on building connections, offering support, and providing encouragement to both her colleagues and the community we serve.
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Co-Artistic DirectorCharisa Ramsey
Co-Artistic DirectorCharisa began her artistic journey at the age of five, practicing elaborate death scenes in front of her bedroom mirror. This flair for the dramatic led her to the stage, where she spent much of her adolescence and young adulthood performing in musicals and plays. From there, she ventured into directing, playwriting, and discovered a love of teaching. She has a special interest in Theatre for Social Change and is passionate about creating inclusive theatre spaces.
Charisa attended the University of Nebraska Kearney for undergrad and studied Theatre Performance. In 2022 she earned an M.Ed. Curriculum and Instruction – Theatre Pedagogy from Southeastern Oklahoma State University. She has held Teaching Artist Fellowships with The Rose Theatre and Opera Omaha in addition to a two season Directing Fellowship at Omaha Community Playhouse. She has had two of her original one-acts produced at the First Flight Festival in Lincoln, NE. Charisa is also a rostered artist with the Nebraska Arts Council’s Artist-in-Residence program.
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Co-Artistic DirectorMichele Phillips
Co-Artistic DirectorMichele was born in New Jersey, raised in Omaha and is a graduate of UNO with a Bachelor of Arts/Dramatic Arts degree. She has acted and/or directed in nearly every theatrical venue in the metro. Michele teaches TV Screenwriting at UNO and is a teaching artist for the Nebraska Arts Council. In addition to workshops for WHY ARTS with special needs students, Michele teaches at two area middle schools in the OPS After-School Program for Brigit St Brigit Theatre Company. She is the resident playwright for RESPECT.
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Education and Training DirectorKathleen McGee
Education and Training DirectorFor more than 35 years, Kathleen Sorensen McGee has worked with, and on behalf of children and teens – as a classroom teacher, a trainer, an author and a public speaker. She has written more than 20 books and articles including Unmasking Sexual Con Games: Helping Teens Avoid Emotional Grooming and Dating Violence, Who’s Raising Your Child: Battling the Marketers for Your Child’s Heart and Soul and There are NO Simple Rules for Dating My Daughter, all published by the Boys Town Press. Kathie has presented workshops nationwide on bullying, teen dating violence, the influence of media, as well as sexual harassment and abuse. She earned both her BA and MA from Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska.
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Actor EducatorConner Holben
Actor EducatorConner is a professional actor and singer-songwriter who comes from a small town in Iowa called Minden. Ever since he was young, Theatre had become an important fascination in his life. He never knew what it was like to have any big programs for music or theatre going to high school, but that all changed at Graceland University. He is now graduated with a Bachelors Degree in Music/Theatre. Some big shows he’s proud to have done were Rocky Horror, Chicago, Cabaret, and Hello Dolly, and Jersey Boys. Since leaving college and taking on bigger opportunities in Omaha, NE he has found himself at home building families in both the Omaha Community Playhouse and now, RESPECT. Conner hopes to deliver a very important message to those that are willing to join RESPECT in creating a beautiful impact on themselves and those around them who may need a helping hand.
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Actor EducatorBelle Rangel
Actor EducatorBelle is a professional actor and singer from Gretna, Nebraska. Her love for theater began when she was nine years old and knew since then she would be pursuing it for the rest of her life. Belle has been in numerous productions in the Omaha area with several different theaters. A few of her most notable performances include Eremengarde in Hello, Dolly! (OCP) Jean in American Psycho (SNAP! Productions) and Margot Frank in The Diary of Anne Frank (The Rose Theater.) In fall of 2023 Belle became the lead theater teacher for the 5-7 age group at McGuigan Arts Academy. This position further proved to her that theater and working with youth is her life’s purpose. Because of these passions, working with RESPECT is a dream opportunity for her. She is ecstatic to make a difference in the community and bring these important messages to life through theater.
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Actor EducatorJason Pandelidis
Actor EducatorPerformer, educator, and lover of all things music, Jason Pandelidis is a lyric tenor. Jason recently covered the titular role in Candide at the Northern Lights Music Festival. Previously, he performed Enrico Carouser in Cedar Rapids Opera’s Too Many Sopranos. Earlier in 2024, he debuted Bucky in the world premiere of The Red Songbird with FBN Productions, Inc. and performed in Opera Omaha’s first opera in Spanish, El último sueño de Frida y Diego. In 2022, Jason played The Ghost of Christmas Present in Omaha Community Playhouse’s A Christmas Carol and was a Teaching Artist for OPERA San Antonio’s Classical Music Institute. This season, Jason is a member of the Opera Omaha Chorus Roster, led by Head of Music, Josh Quinn. Their most recent production, The Rake’s Progress, was conducted by Steven White. In the spring of 2023, Jason received a Master of Music in Vocal Performance and Literature from The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, under the tutelage of Jerold Siena. His performance credits at UIUC include Basilio in Le nozze di Figaro under the direction of Nathan Gunn, Normanno in Lucia di Lammermoor, the Angel City Tenor in City of Angels, and Palhaço Beringela in the partial premier of João Guilherme Ripper’s opera in Portuguese, Candinho. In the summer of 2022, Jason had the opportunity to sing Rolf in Sound of Music and Parpignol in La bohème at the Bay View Music Festival. When he is not singing, he enjoys reading, playing board and video games, and engaging in other classical nerdy endeavors.