Willie Barney: Building Systems of Opportunity in North Omaha
Willie Barney
Legacy Maker | North Omaha, Nebraska
Story by Aniya Porter
Willie Barney is one of North Omaha’s most influential contemporary leaders, recognized nationally for advancing economic development, neighborhood revitalization, and systems-level change grounded in collaboration and data-driven action.
Barney is the Founder and CEO of the Empowerment Network, a nationally recognized framework anchored in North Omaha that aligns residents, institutions, businesses, and philanthropy around common goals. As co-creator of Rebuild the Dream, he helped launch a comprehensive revitalization effort focused on jobs, education, housing, safety, and wealth-building, demonstrating how place-based strategies can scale impact when the community leads.
His leadership extends across several sectors. He previously rose in several leadership positions in the media industry at Lee Enterprises, the Quad-City Times, and the Omaha World-Herald. He also served as the Chief Operating Officer at Salem Baptist Church. Over the past 20 years, he has invested deeply in entrepreneurship and community infrastructure. Alongside his wife, Yolanda, he leads SMB Enterprises, LLC, parent company of Revive! Omaha Magazine and the Revive Center Omaha, and co-founded the Carver Legacy Center, a Black-owned financial institution and wealth-building system. He also serves as President of WDB Resultants, LLC, a national consulting firm specializing in strategic planning, marketing and communications, research, community organizing, and facilitation.
Willie Barney’s legacy is defined by partnership, persistence, and proof: when communities align around shared purpose, transformation is not only possible; it’s sustainable.
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