LesLee Hacker

President/Founder

LesLee Hacker serves as the Lolo’s Angels, Inc. Board President. LesLee founded Lolo’s Angels, Inc. in August 2016 after her daughter Lauren (Lolo) was diagnosed with Acute Myelocytic Leukemia (AML). Between Lolo’s first fight with leukemia and her relapse, LesLee spent years researching Acute Myelocytic Leukemia. When she saw the hope and inspiration Lolo received from friends and family, she knew that she had to continue the mission of helping those suffering from pediatric cancer. LesLee feels the best way to help is to find a cure which inspires her to help fund life-saving research.

LesLee worked as a Clinical Laboratory Scientist in the Pathology Department at the Children’s Hospital in Omaha. LesLee graduated from Eastern Washington University with a BS in Biology/Chemistry and a BA in Psychology. She also graduated from Sacred Heart Medical Center’s School of Medical Technology. LesLee also holds a Nebraska teaching license in Biology and Chemistry. This background has helped her understand her own daughter’s illness and the many complicated aspects of pediatric AML and other childhood cancers.

LesLee is an advocate in the community. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family. Her son, Jonathan is in Paramedic School at Creighton University. Lauren, Lolo, is a freshman in the Nursing Program at CU with her brother. Go Jays! When she isn’t fighting cancer LesLee enjoys live music, hiking, knitting, gardening, spending time with her cats and dogs, and travelling.

Phil Hacker

Board Member

After his daughter Lauren (Lolo) was diagnosed with Acute Myelocytic Leukemia (AML) he learned pediatric cancer research remains an underfunded field of study. He joined LoLo’s Angels because he wants to help skilled researches develop new tools and techniques to aid in early cancer detection and diagnosis, as well as, new medical protocols to fight and defeat cancer.

Phil is a retired Air Force officer currently employed as a civil servant at United States Strategic Command. In addition to volunteering with Lolo’s Angels he spends time with his family and is looking forward to seeing his son Jonathan attend college and his daughter Lauren continue on her post-cancer journey.

Maureen Strahl 

Treasurer

Maureen Strahl joined the board of Lolo’s Angels in 2019 as Treasurer. She chose to join this board because her oldest son, Andrew, was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in 2016 as a freshman in college; he finished treatment successfully in March 2020. Maureen loves that the goals of Lolo’s Angels are to help fund research and currently providing funding for the Survivorship Clinic at Children’s Hospital.

Maureen is married to Spencer Strahl and they have 3 children – Andrew, Diana and John. She works at Alley Poyner Macchietto Architecture and in her spare time loves to be out cutting grass or working in her garden.

Cathy Hausman

Secretary

Cathy Hausman is a Labor & Delivery Surgical Technician for CHI Lakeside and CHI St. Elizabeth. Prior to working in Labor & Delivery, she spent nearly a decade working in organ procurement and organ transplantation. She loves all things science—especially when the mission is saving lives.
She and her husband Jeff raised their four children in Omaha — just a few miles from the Hackers. Their kids were schoolmates at St. Margaret Mary Grade School. “I followed LesLee’s blog detailing Lolo’s battle with Pediatric AML. Her story painted such a vivid picture of what children fighting cancer go through. Having never known anyone diagnosed with childhood cancer, her blog made a big impact on me. I was simultaneously heartbroken and uplifted by Lolo’s struggles and triumphs.”

A line from one of her favorite Broadway musicals comes to mind when she thinks of Lolo’s story—Because I knew you, I have been changed for good. “Lolo’s story and Lolo’s courage changed me, for good—and as a member of the Lolo’s Angels board, I hope to change others for good and change the future of Pediatric AML patients for good. I am thrilled to be a part of an organization like Lolo’s Angels and the goal to fund life-saving pediatric cancer research.”

When she’s not welcoming babies into the world, she loves hiking in the Colorado mountains with her husband, kids, and siblings; and traveling, painting, and seeing Broadway musicals.

Emma Flynn

Social Media Director

Emma Flynn is a receptionist at Oxbow Animal Health and an office assistant at Nebraska Medicine. She answers phones. Her top skill is not yelling at people when she is annoyed with them. Which is most of the time. She also makes coffee, orders office supplies, and does small projects around the office that others can’t be arsed to do.

Emma has a deep passion for helping and being of service to others, sometimes. Most of the time she is very selfish. But when it comes to her work, her job is to make others’ lives and work run smoothly, and gosh darn it she’ll do her very best at it.

Emma’s relationship with the Hackers started at the beginning of the End Times. She was the lead of a knitting group at a local yarn shop, and LesLee was part of her group. When the End Times began, the group was disbanded for the safety of all. Emma and LesLee started meeting in the Hackers’ home (socially distanced of COURSE), and their work relationship developed into a deeper friendship. LesLee approached Emma about joining the Lolo’s Angels Executive Board in the capacity of a social media manager, and Emma gratefully joined in.

Her time on the board has led to relationships with the rest of the Board of Directors, a truly remarkable and exciting group to be a part of. “Thinking of the change that is possible in the field of pediatric cancer and pediatric cancer research is…breathtaking. The changes that have already been spearheaded in research, testing, and treatment of AML specifically by Lolo’s Angels are what really leads me to believe that the work they’re doing here is valuable and tangible.” The stories she has heard, the parents to whom she has connected, the successes she has witnessed, are all incredible. The bulk of her hands on work has been with Junior Board members and events, and that has been really satisfying to watch.

“Watching the Junior Board come together and put together some great events, it’s amazing! These students are the FUTURE and it’s just absolutely so exciting to see the work that they’re going to do further on in their lives. The fact that they have this much passion and energy and drive for their work only means good things for the future of this organization, this community, and this country.”

Danielle Knudson

Board Member

Danielle joined the board in the fall of 2020 with a unique skill set in healthcare and legal sales and marketing, non-profit management, education, and training. She also has event planning and floral design experience along with an understanding that non-profits require a variety of skills with an “all hands on deck” mentality to reach the goals and mission of the organization.

Her goals as a board member are to help families on their cancer journey and to help Lolo’s Angels, Inc. grow using Omaha’s community resources.

Danielle, and her husband Brian, have four boys ranging from 11 to 24 and two adorable doodle dogs that keep them busy and entertained.

Danielle became connected to the mission of Lolo’s Angles when she met the Hacker family when LesLee was teaching at St. Robert Bellarmine School and reconnected when the Hacker family had a resident at a senior living community where she worked as a sales director.

“He who has health has hope, and he who has hope has everything.”

Jeanne Brown

Board Member

 Jeanne Brown is employed at Children’s Hospital and Medical Center as the Outreach Coordinator – Pathology. She got to know the Hackers when their sons played soccer together in grade school. “Lolo’s initial diagnosis and relapse were heart-wrenching, and I am prepared to do all I can to spread the word, educate, and help those affected by pediatric cancer.”

Her family consists of her husband, three sons, and two male kittens – “because I must have needed more men in my life.” She is excited to be part of the Board of Directors and learn to use her skills in new ways to make a lasting difference in pediatric cancer research and survivorship.

“Working together with this Board and the community, I hope to be a small part of the change that is possible.”

Dr. Gina Coffey

Board Member

Dr. Gina Coffey is a wife, mother of three, and Pediatrician. She joined Lolo’s Angels because she has always wondered what happens to sick kids who don’t have a parent in science or medicine to advocate for them. Lolo’s Angels is the answer to that question. The research, blood and bone marrow drives, and the survivorship clinic they have funded benefit so many children with pediatric cancer.

Dr. Coffey is a creative tinkerer at heart. She is happiest doing a DIY project, gardening, cooking, or canning, and even happier if she can sucker her husband, one of her kids, or a friend into working with her.

Her wish for her time on the Lolo’s Angels board is that we bring awareness of Pediatric Cancer and the need for blood and bone marrow donors to typically unreached communities.

Lynece Daiker

Board Member

Lynece Daiker serves as Kent Circle Investments’ Omaha Project Coordinator and oversees assets and community relation’s efforts out of the Omaha office. She has a deep passion for revitalizing neighborhoods, planning, and community building.

Lynece is a native of South Dakota and attended Augustana College in Sioux Falls.
She has lived and spent the past 25 years of her career in Omaha. Lynece began working in commercial real estate at Lund Company. She later moved on to Oakview Construction, where her day-to-day hands-on education started in commercial construction for a national company. She worked closely with professional estimators, project managers, field superintendents, and assisted national retail and office users in their site selection, and facilitated the transaction. Before going on her own, she was an owner’s representative for M/M Development’s lofts, a ground-up urban condominium project.

She is a past Board Member of Adoption Links Worldwide and the Chamber of Commerce Capacity Building Task Force. She currently is a Board Member of Youth Emergency Services, leading the property development committee; Board Member for The Farnam Hill Business District and; Board Member and Volunteer at Omaha Street School.

“Supporting Lolo’s Angels as a Board Member and Community Partner will be rewarding and educational. To be able to be a voice and advocate for a non-profit that has the ability through their mission to support children and their families through childhood cancer will be a privilege.”

Meghan Lewis

Board Member

Meghan Lewis is mom to 13-year-old Elle and Vice President of Marketing for Xcel Roofing, a national roofing company based in Omaha. She has spent over 25 years in marketing in various industries and over 25 years in the not-for-profit community in Omaha.

Meghan’s daughter, Elle, was attending Saint Margaret Mary Elementary the same time Lolo was first diagnosed; she still remembers the day she read an email in which Peggy Grennan, school principal, was requesting parents to storm the gates of heaven with prayer for a 5th grader at their school. While waiting in the circle drive at school to pick up her daughter, she could hardly breathe thinking of this little girl and her family. In 2016 she remembers the “Glow Lolo Glow” gathering on Dodge in front of Children’s hospital with other prayer warriors supporting this ongoing battle for the Hacker family.

When LesLee asked about joining the board for Lolo’s Angels and continuing to support this journey, it was an honor and a yes for Meghan. The power of a determined mother is one of the greatest blessings. This organization has blessings in its origin and will continue to help and bless other determined mothers that are working to find hope and healing for their sweet babies.

“There is no greater warrior than a mother protecting her child.” – N.K. Jemisen

Patrick Stibbs

Board Member

On the Spot Productions is a full-service advertising and film event marketing firm owned by Patrick Stibbs, who is celebrating over 35 years in advertising and radio production and writing

After graduating from the University of Nebraska at Omaha (during which time he did on-air stints with KEZO and KOIL radio), Patrick went on to become a Marketing Consultant for KEFM, KOIL, KGOR and KQKQ (at the time one of the country’s most successful Top 40 radio stations).

As a writer/producer, Stibbs has over 7000 radio & television commercials to his credit, and over the past two decades has won dozens of local, regional and national awards for his creative and offbeat marketing campaigns.

For over thirty-five years, Stibbs has also been active in film marketing and promotions, executing over 1,500 radio and media promotional movie screenings for Walt Disney Pictures (a client since 1987) Warner Bros, 20th Century Fox, Sony Pictures, Lionsgate, Open Road, Weinstein Group, Paramount Pictures and more. Since 1984, he has provided over $35 million in promotional radio, TV and social media for his clients.

Stibbs is a nine-time recipient of the Nebraska Broadcaster’s Association award and two CableACE television award winner.

Patrick has written numerous screenplays: a film entitled THE CALL starring horror legends Lin Shaye and Tobin Bell, released by Cinedigm Studios and currently playing in theatres and VOD as October, 2020; and GHOST IN THEGRAVEYARD, a family film, currently being developed by Roslin Pictures. He has written, produced and directed two award-winning short films, MORE THAN WORDS and KNOCK KNOCK WHO’S THERE? , the latter which took top honors in the ABC Good Morning America’s “I See Scary Movies” Halloween film festival.

Patrick and his wife Monica have been married for 34 years and have three children: Chris, Kathleen and Nora, and live in Omaha, NE.