Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird has nominated entrepreneur and former agriculture teacher Seth Derner to the Lincoln-Lancaster County Planning Commission. If approved by the Lincoln City Council and Lancaster County Board, he would replace Dick Campbell, who left June 11 after more than seven years of service.
Gaylor Baird said Derner’s professional background and community involvement would benefit the commission. “Seth Derner is an entrepreneur whose experience in education and workforce development, along with his strong record of community involvement, will add valuable perspective to the Planning Commission,” she said in a news release Monday.
Derner co-founded consulting firm Vivayic in 2006 and served as co-CEO before becoming principal and senior consultant in 2021. He previously worked as an education specialist for Future Farmers of America in Indianapolis and as an agriculture teacher for Elgin Public Schools in Nebraska.
He holds a Master of Education and a Bachelor of Science from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Derner said he wants to help build on the community’s strengths and support opportunities for businesses and families.
“I am thankful to Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird for nominating me to serve on the Lincoln-Lancaster County Planning Commission,” Derner said. “I want to do my small part to help build on that success for the future and support others in achieving it.”
Gaylor Baird also thanked Campbell for his service, citing his leadership at Campbell’s Nurseries and his involvement in Pinnacle Bank Arena and Village Gardens. “I am deeply grateful for his leadership and for the many ways he and his wife, Kathy, have invested their time and talents in making Lincoln an even better place to call home,” she said.
The nine-member Planning Commission advises the City Council and County Board on planning and development matters. Members are appointed by the mayor with approval from both bodies.