Howard Hawks

Howard L. Hawks
1044 North 115th Street, Suite 400
Omaha, NE 68154-4446
(402) 938-1604
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District 2

Chairman 2005
Vice Chairman 2004
Elected to the Board of Regents in 2002

Personal and Professional

• Born in Carleton, Nebraska, on June 2, 1935. Reared in Denver, Colorado and Bruning, Nebraska.
• Married to Rhonda Hawks, two stepdaughters.
• Married to Myrna Hawks until her death, three sons.
• Tenaska, Inc. - 1987-present.
  Founder, chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of Tenaska, an international independent energy company known for its expertise in power plant development, ownership and operations; natural gas and electric power marketing; fuel procurement, and asset acquisitions.
• Chairman, Tenaska Capital Management, LCC, manager of the Tenaska Power Fund - a private equity limited partnership formed in 2003 to invest in the energy industry.
• Founder and Chairman of the Hawks Foundation - 1994-present.
• Endowed Howard Hawks Chair in Business Ethics and Leadership at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln (UNL) College of Business Administration, 2003.
• InterNorth/Enron Corp. - 1966-1986.
  Served as president of three subsidiary operating groups:
  • Northern Natural Resources.
  • Northern Liquid Fuels Group.
  • Northern Plains Natural Gas Company.
• General Motors - 1957-1966.

Awards and Honors

• Honorary Chair for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Gala (2005).
• Honorary Chair for the Community Alliance's "Breaking the Silence" event (2005).
• Volunteer of the Year Award from (Nebraska) Thayer County Hospital (2005).
• Methodist Hospital Foundation's "Spirit of Philanthropy" Award (2005).
• UNL College of Business Administration Lifetime Achievement Award (2004).
• Finalist for CEO of the Year in the Energy Industry by Platts Power Magazine (2003, 2004).
• Downtown Omaha Rotary Club Free Enterprise Award (2003).
• Omaha Business Hall of Fame (2002).
• Methodist Hospital Honorary Board Member (2001).
• Clarence Swanson Memorial Award for Outstanding Dedication to the University and to Nebraska Football (2000).
• UNO College of Business Administration Distinguished Alumni Award (1999).

Education

• Master of Business Administration, University of Nebraska at Omaha, 1971.
• Bachelor of Science in Accounting, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 1957.
• Bruning High School, 1953.

Community Activities
Current

• Creighton University, Board of Directors.
• Creighton – Nebraska Universities Health Foundation, Board of Directors.
• Ironwood Golf & Country Club, Board of Directors.
• Joslyn Art Museum, Board of Governors.
• Joslyn Art Museum, Bodmer Society Member.
• Joslyn Art Museum, Durham Center for Western Studies Advisory Committee.
• Ak-Sar-Ben Future Trust, Board of Directors.
• Methodist Hospital, Board of Trustees, Honorary Member.
• Mid-American Council Boy Scouts of America, Board of Trustees.
• Omaha Zoological Society, Board of Trustees.
• Omaha Henry Doorly Zoo Foundation, Board of Directors and Executive Committee.
• Supporter of other area colleges, including Dana College and Midland Lutheran College.
• University of Nebraska Board of Regents.
• University of Nebraska Foundation Board of Directors.

Past

• Boys & Girls Club of Omaha, Board of Governors.
• Assistance League of Omaha, Advisory Board.
• Knights of Ak-Sar-Ben, Board of Governors.
• Boys Club, Board of Governors, President.
• Dana College Legacy Campaign; 2000-2001 Capital Fund Drive, Chair.
• Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce, Board of Directors.
• Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce, Presidents Club, President.
• Lutheran Church of the Master, Strategic Planning Committee.
• Martin Luther Homes Strategic Planning Committee, Chair.
• Methodist Hospital, Advisory Board of Trustees Committee.
• Mid-American Council Boy Scouts of America, Chair of Citizen of the Year Event (2003).
• Midland Lutheran College Vision 2000 Capital Campaign (1997-2000), Chair.
• Nebraska Business Higher Education Forum.
• North American Electric Reliability Council (now known as NAERO), Vice Chair of Stakeholder Committee.
• Omaha Symphony Association, Board of Directors.
• Opera Omaha Guild, Board of Directors.
• Salvation Army Tree of Lights Campaign and Kettle Klub, 2003 Honorary Chair; 2002 Honorary Vice Chair.