Skip to main content
University of Nebraska Omaha logo University of Nebraska Omaha
APPLY MY UNO DIRECTORY

APPLY MY UNO DIRECTORY
  • About Backback to Main menu
    • About
    • Leadership
    • Mission and Strategic Plan
    • Accreditation
    • Our City
    • Facts and Figures
    • Campus Safety
    • Buildings and Maps
    • Contact Us
  • Academics Backback to Main menu
    • Academics
    • Majors & Programs
    • Class Search
    • Catalogs
    • Academic Calendar
    • Colleges
    • Academic Affairs
    • Online Learning
    • International
    • Library
  • Admissions Backback to Main menu
    • Admissions
    • Undergraduate Admissions
    • Graduate Admissions
    • Tuition and Fees
    • Financial Aid
    • Registrar
    • Visit UNO
    • Request Info
    • Apply
  • Student Life Backback to Main menu
    • Student Life
    • Division of Student Life and Wellbeing
    • Academic & Career Development Center
    • Accessibility
    • Housing & Residence Life
    • Inclusion
    • Service
    • Student Conduct & Community Standards
    • Student Involvement
    • Student Safety
    • Wellness
  • Engagement Backback to Main menu
    • Engagement
    • Office of Engagement
    • Campus Resources for Community
    • Service Learning Academy
    • Barbara Weitz Community Engagement Center
    • Volunteer and Civic Engagement Programs
    • Samuel Bak Museum: The Learning Center
    • Faculty Resources
    • Student Resources
    • Voter Engagement
    • Community Engagement Partnership Initiative
  • Research Backback to Main menu
    • Research
    • Research News
    • Centers and Institutes
  • Athletics Backback to Main menu
    • Athletics
    • Baxter Arena
    • Omaha Mavericks Website
  • Alumni Backback to Main menu
    • Alumni
    • Transcripts
    • Thompson Center
  1. UNO
  2. News
  3. 2022
  4. 08
  5. Sara Woods Named Chief Engagement Officer

Sara Woods Named Chief Engagement Officer

Woods, who most recently served as Executive Assistant to the Senior Vice Chancellor for Community Engagement and as director of the Barbara Weitz Community Engagement Center, takes on the role effective immediately, joining Chancellor Li's executive team.

  • published: 2022/08/31
  • contact: Office of Strategic Marketing and Communications
  • email: contact@unomaha.edu
  • search keywords:
  • community engagement
  • Weitz CEC
  • CPACS
  • Chancellor
Sara Woods

Sara Woods has been named UNO's Chief Engagement Officer and will oversee the university's longterm strategies of community engagement, experiential learning, engagement scholarship, and community impact.

University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) Chancellor Joanne Li, Ph.D., has announced the promotion of Sara Woods, MPA, to serve as the university’s first Chief Engagement Officer. In this role, Woods will oversee the operation of the new UNO Office of Engagement, which will facilitate and strengthen UNO’s community engagement activities and serve as a storefront for community members to seek and access UNO’s broad array of resources.

Woods, who most recently served as Executive Assistant to the Senior Vice Chancellor for Community Engagement and as director of the Barbara Weitz Community Engagement Center, will take on the new role effective immediately.

An official launch of the new Office of Engagement will occur on Oct. 11, which will coincide with the next stage of UNO’s Career Connect initiative where students will participate in a signing celebration day as they recognize and formalize agreements for paid internships among dozens of area businesses and non-profits.

“We often say that Omaha is our campus and a big reason for that is because of the tireless work Sara has put in throughout her career at UNO,” Chancellor Li said. “For more than three decades, both locally and globally, Sara has had a hand in shaping our campus’ mission of engagement. She is the ideal choice to launch and lead the Office of Engagement.”

As Chief Engagement Officer, Woods will focus on establishing a formal, accessible, and sustainable infrastructure to increase, elevate, and celebrate UNO’s deep commitment to community engagement. This will include establishing mechanisms for improved community access, dialogue, and collaboration; expanding opportunities for students to benefit from community service and experiential learning opportunities; supporting the public engagement efforts of faculty and staff; measuring and communicating the effectiveness and impact of UNO’s engagement efforts on its students and the communities served by the university; and elevating national awareness of UNO’s engagement efforts.

The position will report directly to Chancellor Li as a member of the UNO executive leadership team.

“This is truly a great honor and opportunity for me as someone who believes so strongly in our Maverick community and the mission of an engaged urban metropolitan university,” Woods said. “I am truly excited to work closely with members of our campus leadership to strengthen and build our partnership with our multiple communities and constituencies.”

A UNO alumna, Woods started her career at UNO immediately after graduating. She would go on to serve as Assistant and then Associate Dean for Community Outreach and Program Development in the College of Public Affairs and Community Service before being named director of the Barbara Weitz Community Engagement Center in 2014.

During her career, Woods has contributed significantly to the university’s profile as a community engaged institution, including supporting UNO’s naming as one of the very first universities to be recognized, in 2006, as a Carnegie Community Engaged institution. The university successfully renewed its status in 2015.

Woods has also been a member of more than a dozen community boards over the past 17 years. Her efforts have long been recognized on campus and in the community including being part of the 25th class of Leadership Omaha, being awarded the UNO Chancellor’s Medal in 2005, earning the YWCA Woman of Distinction Award in 2009, recognition from the U.S. House of Representatives in 2017, and a Community Builders Award from Civic Nebraska in 2019.

Woods is also the author of four published articles on the concept of higher education-led community engagement.

About the University of Nebraska at Omaha

Located in one of America’s best cities to live, work and learn, the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) is Nebraska’s premier metropolitan university. With more than 15,000 students enrolled in 200-plus programs of study, UNO is recognized nationally for its online education, graduate education, military friendliness and community engagement efforts. Founded in 1908, UNO has served learners of all backgrounds for more than 100 years and is dedicated to another century of excellence both in the classroom and in the community.

Follow UNO on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, and YouTube. 

  • News Sections:
  • UNO News Center
  • Maverick Daily
  • The Bullseye
  • Campus Events
SHARE

News Sections

  • News Center
  • Maverick Daily
  • The Bullseye
  • Campus Events

Featured Stories

  • Social Mobility, Experiential Learning Focus of Interview with UNO Chancellor Li
  • UNO Students Graduate as Community Engaged Scholars
  • The Semester Guide
  • More Than 4,800 UNO Students Named to Dean's, Chancellor's Lists in Fall 2022

Contact Us

If you have a story idea, news tip, or other question, please email the UNO News team at unonews@unomaha.edu.

About University Communications

  • Next Steps
  • Visit UNO
  • Request Information
  • Apply for Admission
  • The UNO Advantage
  • Our City (Omaha)
  • Just For You
  • Future Students
  • Current Students
  • Work at UNO
  • Faculty and Staff
  • A-Z List
  • Popular Services and Resources
  • my.unomaha.edu
  • Academic Calendar
  • Campus Buildings & Maps
  • Library
  • Pay Your Bill
  • Course Catalogs
  • Internships & Career Development
  • Bookstore
  • MavCARD Services
  • Military-Connected Resource Center
  • Speech Center
  • Writing Center
  • Human Resources
  • Center for Faculty Excellence
  • Affiliates
  • University of Nebraska System
  • NU Foundation
  • Buffett Early Childhood Institute
  • Daugherty Water for Food Institute
  • National Strategic Research Institute
  • Peter Kiewit Institute
  • Rural Prosperity Nebraska
  1. University Policies
  2. Privacy Statement
  3. Accessibility
  1. 402.554.2800

University of Nebraska Omaha
University of Nebraska Omaha, 6001 Dodge Street, Omaha, NE, 68182
  • © 2023  
  • Emergency Information Alert
  • Report an Incident or Concern

Omaha Skyline

Our Campus. Otherwise Known as Omaha.

The University of Nebraska does not discriminate based on race, color, ethnicity, national origin, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, disability, age, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, and/or political affiliation in its education programs or activities, including admissions and employment. The University prohibits any form of retaliation taken against anyone for reporting discrimination, harassment, or retaliation for otherwise engaging in protected activity. Read the full statement.

scroll to top of page