ESU 6 Newsletter
Fall 2026
ESU 6 Sees Changes to Board of Directors
Their leadership, dedication, and unwavering commitment to public education have made a lasting impact on our community. These exceptional board members will be deeply missed.
Kevin Wingard Wins District 1
Kevin Wingard is an experienced educational leader who brings extensive experience in public education. He previously served as Superintendent for Milford Public Schools and Ainsworth Community Schools, and currently works as an Ambassador for the Nebraska Council of School Administrators. Holding advanced degrees from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Doane College, he has built a strong foundation in educational leadership. Furthermore, his dedicated service has been recognized through multiple honors, including the NRCSA Outstanding Superintendent of the Year award.
Nancy Meyer Wins District 3
Nancy Meyer graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) with a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary and Special Education in 1972 and later earned a Master’s degree in Educational Administration from UNL in 1980. Her extensive career in education includes teaching at Norris Elementary from 1972 to 1978 and Milligan Public School from 1978 to 1980, serving as an administrator for the Geneva Support Services Cooperative from 1980 to 2006, and working as the SPED Director for ESU 6 from 2006 to 2016.
Andy Grosshans Wins District 7
Andy Grosshans works in Patient Experience at Nebraska Medicine, (commonly referred to as the University of Nebraska Medical Center). He served on the Waverly School District 145 Board of Education from 2008 to 2024, including 11 years as board president. Andy is a 1987 graduate of Norris High School and a 1991 graduate of Nebraska Wesleyan University. He and his wife, Kelli, live in Waverly and are the proud parents of two adult children, Brendan and Mollie, both graduates of Waverly High School.
Spotlight on Security: Shickley Beats the National Average in Recent Phishing Simulation
On Wednesday, October 28th, Juan Rodriguez met with the staff at Shickley Public Schools to provide an update on current phishing trends and share findings from their recent unannounced phishing simulation. The results showed strong engagement, with the Shickley team scoring higher than the national average for reporting suspicious emails.
During the session, Juan highlighted why reporting phishing attempts immediately is essential to the district's overall cybersecurity posture. Prompt reporting allows the technology team to act quickly, take down malicious emails, and protect everyone across the organization before an issue can spread.
A big thank you to Juan for leading an informative session, and great job to the Shickley staff for staying sharp and committed to keeping our systems secure. Keep reporting those suspicious emails!
ESU 6 Participates in Statewide K-12 Cybersecurity Tabletop Exercise
On Friday, October 23, 2026, ESU 6 hosted regional technology leaders for the Nebraska Statewide K-12 Cybersecurity Tabletop Exercise. Co-sponsored by the Nebraska Department of Education (NDE) and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), in partnership with the Omaha FBI Cyber Team, the Nebraska State Patrol, and the Office of the CIO (OCIO), the three-hour interactive simulation brought together educators and IT specialists from across the state to evaluate and enhance cybersecurity preparedness.
Hosted at NDE Headquarters and connected via video conference to ESU locations statewide, the tabletop exercise put incident response plans to the test through two realistic scenario modules:
Module 1: Phishing & Credential Harvesting
Module 2: Ransomware & Student Data Exfiltration
During the briefing, NDE leaders Chris Wlaschin and Commissioner Brian Marr highlighted that cybersecurity is a shared responsibility critical to protecting sensitive student data, ensuring learning continuity, and safeguarding essential operational services like transportation and payroll. The exercise provided actionable takeaways for ESU 6 and member districts to refine incident response plans, reinforce multi-factor authentication, and strengthen inter-agency collaboration against emerging cyber threats.
Highlighting Math Professional Learning
ESU 6 Well Represented at NeMTSS Summit
ESU 6 Employee Spotlight - Michelle Hatfield
Michelle Hatfield has been an essential member of ESU 6 for 12 years as Accounting Clerk. In her role, she manages key grant operations—working closely with the Nebraska Department of Education (NDE) to ensure state and federal compliance—and oversees Perkins grant equipment logistics for consortium schools. Michelle also manages core financial operations, including bank reconciliations, workshop billings, monthly manager reports, and reimbursement claims. She actively participates in her field as a member of NASBO and NAEP. Michelle and her husband, Mike, are proud parents to their son, Jake, who attends SCC.
