Heath Mello, a former state senator and higher education executive, began his role as the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce President & CEO in August 2023. As President & CEO, Mello is responsible for the overall day-to-day management of the Greater Omaha Chamber, with a focus on economic development, public policy, workforce and community partnerships across an eight-county service region. Mello currently serves as a gubernatorial appointee to the Nebraska Highway Commission and also serves as a member of the U.S. Strategic Command Consultation Committee and the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition Nebraska Advisory Committee. Mello also serves on numerous boards including the Business Ethics Alliance and Aksarben Foundation Board of Councilors. For eight years, Mello served as a Nebraska State Senator representing South Omaha and spent four years as chairman of the Nebraska Legislature’s Appropriations Committee. While in the Legislature, Mello also served on the Nebraska Retirement Systems Committee, the Legislature’s Planning Committee, and a number of select committees and task forces. Prior to his time at the Greater Omaha Chamber, Mello previously served as the University of Nebraska System Vice President for External Relations, a nonprofit executive, and in various community affairs roles with Metropolitan Community College in Omaha. An Omaha native, Mello earned his bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.