Our Team
Jodi-Renee Girón
Advocacy & Outreach Advisor
402-261-9671 Ext. 113
Jodi-Renee (JR) Girón brings over 20 years of experience as a community organizer and policy advocate. Originally from Denver, she has worked extensively in program leadership and advocacy related to gang diversion, reducing prisoner recidivism, supports for immigrant/migrant families and young mothers and equitable access to education. After moving to Lincoln, she wanted to shift her focus to the preventative efforts that would improve outcomes for families and communities and joined the team at First Five Nebraska in 2021 as the Grassroots and Advocacy Advisor. She is a regular speaker at local and national conferences on topics around effective policy advocacy, unlocking community potential, and mobilizing grassroots efforts. As the leader of the Policy Leadership Academy, Nebraska’s premier advocacy training cohort, JR’s mission is to equip and support grassroots advocates with the skills and knowledge needed to collaborate with lawmakers, influence policy and create lasting change.
JR studied modern United States History at Metropolitan State University in Denver and pursued an M.Div. in Chaplaincy at Denver Seminary. She also holds certificates from the University of Michigan in Organizing for Social Justice and Determinants of Social Health. She and her husband, Greg, live in Lincoln with their rescued Frenchie, Coco. As the proud mother of three adult children – Sara, 27, Anna-Michelle, 25, and Nacho, 19 – her favorite role is being Gammy to Theodore and Oliver. Outside of First Five, JR is a jazz musician, an avid reader and a consistent patron of Lincoln’s Mexican restaurants.
Area of Focus
Advocacy, Diversity and Equity; Nebraska Early Childhood Policy Leadership Academy