During its annual fall meeting Oct. 22-23, the Hastings College Board of Trustees elected two new members to the Board: Dr. John Bohmfalk and Wendy DeBoer ’96.
The Board also elected Vincent Cook ’80 as chair. Cook succeeds Ann Martin ’77, who completed her term as chair, a position she held since 2021, and was elected to continue serving in the role of vice chair. John DeBoer ’68 also continues to serve as vice chair of the Board, and Jill Farrell ’87 was elected secretary.
The Hastings College Board of Trustees’ mission is to lift Hastings College to an even higher level of excellence and service. The Board constitutes the legal governing body of the College and the final authority for policies in connection with students, faculty, organization and finances. College President Dr. Rich Lloyd reports to the Board.
Bios for the new trustees and board chair are included below:
Dr. John Bohmfalk’s teaching career spanned more than three decades, with more than a quarter century of that being at Hastings College as professor of biology from 1993 until his retirement in 2019.
He was faculty senate president during the construction of the Morrison-Reeves Science Center, and had the opportunity to weigh in on the design of the facility. In 2000, he was presented the Vondrak Outstanding Advisor Award. Two years later he earned the Richard B. and Dorothy K. Tickler Distinguished Professorship in Science. He was also honored with the Distinguished Senior Faculty Award.
Whether in his home over the holiday season, or in his lab coat in Steinhart Hall and later Morrison-Reeves, he inspired countless future scientists by helping them develop a deep understanding of biology and chemistry by meeting them at their own level. He was inducted in the Hastings College Pro Rege Society in 2023, and established the Bohmfalk Biology Equipment Endowed Fund in 2024.
Wendy DeBoer graduated from Hastings College in 1996 with degrees in economics and English before earning her Juris Doctor from the University of Nebraska College of Law in 1999. Following years of legal practice in Kansas City, she pursued an extensive academic path, earning master’s degrees from the University of Nebraska Omaha, the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago and Syracuse University.
Her dedication to higher education led her to the classroom, teaching at institutions including Syracuse University, Wells College, DePaul University and UNO. In 2018, she was elected to represent District 10 in the Nebraska Legislature, where she served two terms championing public policy and state investment. She continues her career in public service following her election to the Nebraska Public Service Commission for District 2 this fall.
Born and raised in Omaha, DeBoer shares deep, generational ties to Hastings College alongside her father, John DeBoer ’68, who serves as vice chair of the Hastings College Board of Trustees.
A 1980 graduate of Hastings College, Vince Cook is a retired finance executive. Previously he was the chief financial officer of several healthcare firms including ConcertoCare, Modern HEALTH and AccentCare. He has also held various senior finance and operation positions within the manufacturing, consulting and staffing industries for both public and privately held companies.
Cook grew up on the family farm in the Hastings area—his mother, two uncles and brother all attended Hastings College. After obtaining his bachelor’s degree in mathematics and business administration at Hastings College, Cook earned a MPA degree from the University of Texas at Austin. He is a certified public accountant (inactive).
Cook resides in San Clemente, California with his wife Kari. He serves on the board of the Jessie Rees Foundation, a not-for-profit foundation bringing help and hope to families facing childhood cancer.
He was elected to the Hastings College Board of Trustees in 2019 and sits on the Finance, Facilities & Executive Committees and has served as Board Secretary. He also sits on the Executive Committee of the Hastings College Foundation.
Hastings College is a private, four-year residential college focusing on student academic and extracurricular achievement. Founded in 1882, the College is dedicated to student success and community service. Discover more at hastings.edu.