Nicole Sedlacek, CEcD

Economic Development Manager

Nicole Sedlacek, CEcD, joined the NPPD Economic Development team in 2016 after spending more than ten years as the Executive Director of the Holt County Economic Development Agency, and stepped into the role of Economic Development Manager in 2021.

Sedlacek earned her associate degree from Northeast Community College and a Bachelor of Science in Management from Bellevue University. She is also a graduate of the University of Oklahoma Economic Development Institute.

Sedlacek currently serves as a Mid America Economic Development Council Board Member, Chair of the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce Economic Development Policy Council, Northeast Community College Board of Governors, Nebraska Community College Association Board Member, Nebraska Community Foundation Board Member, and is a past president of the Nebraska Economic Developers Association.

Lyndsy Jenness, CEcD

Economic Development Consultant

Primarily covering communities in north and northeast Nebraska, Jenness works closely with local economic development organizations and community representatives to help retain and recruit jobs, capital investment and electric load in NPPD’s service area.

Jenness previously worked with the State of Nebraska Economic Development Department, where she has served as a Field Service and Business Development Consultant for 16 counties in northeast Nebraska. Jenness currently serves on both the Board and awards committee for the Nebraska Economic Developers Association (NEDA). She is also a co-coordinator for the Nebraska Development Network-Northeast Region.

Lyndsy is originally from Bloomfield, Neb., and earned a bachelor’s degree in political communication from Nebraska Wesleyan University. She and her husband, Wade, live in Bloomfield with their daughter. She is active in TeamMates and the Bloomfield FFA Alumni.

Rick Nelsen, CEcD

Senior Economic Development Consultant

Rick Nelsen has helped drive development efforts in the state for more than 30 years, working previously with the State of Nebraska Economic Development Department, and now Nebraska Public Power District. He has served in leadership roles in numerous organizations at both the state and national level, including two stints as the president of the National Rural Economic Developers Association and one as the president of the Nebraska Economic Developers Association.  

He currently serves as the GROW Nebraska Foundation Secretary, Heartland Basic ED Course Board, Nebraska Chambers Association Board, and National Rural Economic Developers Association Conference Committee member and Sponsorship Chair.

Rick is originally from Friend, NE, but has lived around the state. He currently resides in Lincoln, and offices in NPPD’s governmental affairs office there.

Tricia Moyer

Economic Research Specialist

Tricia Moyer joined the NPPD Economic Development team in 2020 and serves as a research specialist. She works in compiling data for both NPPD and its customers for RFI responses, as well as community surveys and many other data related requests.

Moyer has more than 20 years of marketing and communications experience, mostly in the higher education and non-profit sector, working at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Creighton University Medical Center and Wayne State College.

Melissa Trueblood, Ph.D.

Economist

Dr. Trueblood’s responsibilities at NPPD include developing and evaluating economic development programs and other economic research activities in support of NPPD’s strategic goals. Her research activities will focus on identifying and recommending programs and activities that contribute to improving the service area economy and attracting new electric load and increased employment to NPPD’s service area.

Dr. Trueblood earned her bachelor’s degree from Millikin University. She also holds a master’s degree in political science from Eastern Illinois University and a Master of Community and Regional Planning from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She earned her Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2016, where her research interests included American politics and public policy.

Dr. Trueblood lives in Lincoln with her dogs.

Brian Vasa

Senior Economic Development Consultant

Brian Vasa is currently an Economic Development Consultant and Account Manager for the Nebraska Public Power District. His duties include providing economic development services to communities in 84 of Nebraska’s 93 counties and account management services to communities in the Ogallala area. Brian began his career with NPPD in 1979 with the retail operations team then transferred to the substation maintenance and metering department in 1985, was promoted to Local Manager in 1991, Customer Service Team Leader in 1998 and to his present position in 2004. As an economic development consultant, Brian focuses on industrial recruitment and retention of companies with a primary focus on the biofuels and renewable chemical industries.

Brian is currently President of the Ogallala Community Redevelopment Authority and Past President of the Mid America Economic Development Council, Nebraska Economic Developers Association and the Ogallala Keith County Chamber of Commerce. Brian also serves on the board of directors for the American Coalition for Ethanol and Cozad Development Corporation.

Sara Groteluschen

Economic Development Specialist

Sara Groteluschen is our Economic Development Specialist. She joined the NPPD Economic Development team in June 2023. She works with communities on the promotion of sustained economic development with NPPD’s service territory by focusing on marketing and promotion highly on-site development and helping to market communities with community guides, fliers, and brochures. Sara is also the Site Readiness Assistance Program administrator.

She holds an associate degree in business administration—Marketing/Management from Southeast Community College—Lincoln. Prior to joining NPPD, Sara worked as a Senior Account Manager at Pacific Premier Franchise Capital.

Sara and her husband Todd, live in Creston, Neb. with their four children.

Denon Feagin

Economic Development Website/Digital Specialist

Denon Feagin design, develops, and maintains NPPD’s community websites. Having previously worked with a variety of design and marketing firms, including Firespring, Sandhills Publishing, Ebbeka Design Co., and Apt Web Development, Denon has spent most of his work history designing and developing websites for a wide range of clientele. 

He enjoys working with the NPPD-served communities to provide them with websites that are unique and catered specifically to the community’s needs and wants, ensuring that the websites are built to be user-friendly on all devices, as well as easy for the community to maintain and edit themselves in the future. 

Originally from Columbus, Feagin graduated from the Southeast Community College Graphic Design and Media Arts program in 2017. In his free time, he enjoys going to see movies in the theater, helping friends and family with house projects, and drinking lots of coffee.