University of Nebraska Regent Elizabeth O’Connor announced Tuesday that she will resign from the Board of Regents, effective Jan. 9.
This comes just days before the start of the 2026 legislative session, where she was expected to face potential impeachment proceedings.
O’Connor, a former Douglas County deputy attorney, is charged with one count of DUI causing serious bodily injury stemming from a May crash in Omaha’s Benson neighborhood. Court records show O’Connor’s blood-alcohol level was 0.321%, roughly four times the legal limit. A passenger in the other vehicle suffered a broken back and pelvis. Four additional people—including three children—were also in the car.
“I am choosing to resign now because I want to do the right thing for our great university,” O’Connor said in a statement obtained by KLIN media partner 10/11 Now. “District Four must have a representative that can serve effectively on the Board.”
State Sen. Kathleen Kauth of Omaha said, if O’Connor would not resign, she planned to file impeachment articles against O’Connor when the session began on Jan. 7.
O’Connor was first elected to the Board of Regents in 2018 and was re-elected in 2024. She represents District 4, encompassing central and western Douglas County.
The Board of Regents thanked O’Connor for her service in a statement and said it looks forward to working with her successor. Gov. Jim Pillen will appoint a replacement to serve until voters elect a new regent in the November 2026 general election.
O’Connor’s charge is a Class IIIA felony, punishable by up to three years in prison and a $10,000 fine. She pleaded not guilty in August and was removed from her position with the Douglas County Attorney’s Office. Her case is scheduled for pretrial motions at the end of January.