Jean Stothert: Leading Omaha Through a Historic First

In 2013, Jean Stothert made history as the first woman elected mayor of Omaha, breaking a long line of male leadership in the city’s top office. More than a decade later, she remains one of the longest-serving mayors in modern Omaha history.

A graduate of Seattle Pacific University, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in nursing, Stothert began her career in health care. She spent 12 years as a critical care nurse and nursing manager, including serving as head nurse and department head of cardiovascular surgery at St. Louis University in Missouri. There, she managed budgeting, hiring and staff oversight, experience she would later point to as preparation for leading a city.

After moving to Omaha with her husband, Joe, a trauma physician at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, and their two children, Stothert entered public service. She was appointed to the Millard Public Schools Board in 1997 and went on to serve three elected terms, including three years as board president. In 2009, she was elected to the Omaha City Council.

Stothert announced her mayoral candidacy in June 2012 and was elected on May 14, 2013, defeating incumbent Jim Suttle with 57.32% of the vote. She was reelected in 2017 and won a third term in 2021.

Her tenure has included infrastructure debates, a 2019 recall effort that did not make the ballot, and significant policy initiatives. In 2023, Omaha received $34.3 million from the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for environmental and housing programs. That same year, Stothert signed executive actions and council-backed resolutions addressing firearms on city-owned property.

From hospital floors to City Hall, Stothert’s leadership reflects a throughline of management, public service and historic firsts in Omaha.