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A city clerk turned community champion following the 2019 floods, an organization leading the way to increase affordable housing in the Omaha-Council Bluffs metro and the retired President & CEO of the Greater Omaha Chamber who worked tirelessly on economic development were recognized for their work by the Omaha-Council Bluffs Metropolitan Area Planning Agency (MAPA) at its annual Council of Officials meeting Oct. 5 in Glenwood, Iowa.

Korrena Neppl, City Clerk for Pacific Junction, Iowa, received MAPA’s 2022 Regional Citizenship Award, Front Porch Investments received MAPA’s 2022 Regional Service Award and David Brown, retired Greater Omaha Chamber President & CEO, received MAPA’s Award of Merit.

The Award of Merit is MAPA’s highest award for service. From 2003 until his retirement in 2022, Brown worked tirelessly to improve the quality of people’s lives in the Greater Omaha region through economic development, understanding that improvements to the built environment are necessary to offer the lifestyle options the region’s diverse workforce desires.

“Through his leadership, David has helped the MAPA region begin to focus on building vibrant places which attract people, and young talent in particular,” said Michael Helgerson, MAPA Executive Director. “He’s accomplished this through efforts such as the Urban Core Strategic Plan and his work to create a robust transportation network to increase mobility and connectivity.”

The Regional Citizenship Award honors an individual who recognized regional problems and initiated and supported policies which required a shared regional effort and contributed to the region’s quality of life. As Pacific Junction City Clerk and a flood survivor herself, Korrena Neppl has been a selfless leader throughout the entire process of helping the community recover in the aftermath of the historic 2019 floods.

“Korrena is a wonderful representative of and champion for a small but determined community,” Helgerson said. “She has persisted in assisting the city and its residents in obtaining state and federal aid, which involved coordination with multiple levels of government.”

The Regional Service Award is given to groups that have contributed to the metropolitan area to help improve or grow it. Created in 2021, Front Porch Investments has jump-started a regional conversation about the need for affordable housing and has built a fund to support housing development throughout the region.

“Front Porch Investments not only sounded the alarm on housing challenges facing the region, but is leading a coalition of organizations to offer solutions, including education, advocacy and direct funding,” said Helgerson.