Go Big Ed is presented as a public service by Susan Darst Williams, a writer in the Omaha area and fifth-generation Nebraskan with a passion for improving education.  

  

Susan attended the Westside Community Schools in Omaha and was graduated with honors from the University of Missouri School of Journalism. A former reporter for the Midlands Business Journal and The Omaha World-Herald, she taught newswriting and reporting at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, and has been a longtime free-lance writer and community volunteer in the Omaha area. 

  

With a particular interest in improving education for disadvantaged youth, she was named the Board Member of the Year by the Boys and Girls Clubs of Omaha for her efforts as a writing mentor and newsletter editor working with inner-city youth. Other past volunteer service has been for the Junior League of Omaha, the Omaha Children's Museum, the Child Saving Institute and the Neale Woods Nature Center. 

  

Susan and her husband Dave, president of Drake-Williams Steel, Inc., have four daughters, ages 23 to 6. The oldest, Jordan, was graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Neely is a senior at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Eden attends the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minn. "Whoopsie Daisy" Williams - Maddy, 6 -- is an eager-beaver first-grader. 

  

Among Susan's service to schools over the years: 

  

n       Founding president of a middle-school parents' organization in the local public district. 

n       Coach of a creativity team of sixth-graders that came in third in the world at an Odyssey of the Mind competition in Knoxville, Tenn. 

n       Chaired an alumni telethon that raised $10,000 for her alma mater public district. 

n       Desktop-published school directories that raised $5,000 a year for three years. 

n       Developed and maintained a grade-school learning garden. 

n       Served on district-level committees on English standards and strategic planning. 

  

Author of the book, "Show 'n' Tell on Schools" (www.amazon.com) and a series of educational advice columns, "Show 'n' Tell for Parents," she has testified about education matters before the State Board of Education and legislative committees, and attended education conferences around the country to build her knowledge base. 

  

Susan also operates a feature website, www.DailySusan.com