Bill Vobejda, GFDC Board President and Passionate Community Leader
10 Nov 2018
Bill Vobejda, Vice President of Operations at Methodist Fremont Health and President of the Board for the Greater Fremont Development Council has been a passionate community leader for nearly two decades. Since 2012, he has served as the Vice President, responsible for overseeing human resources, marketing and public relations, community health, the hospital foundation and external affairs. When speaking of him, Patrick Booth, former CEO of Fremont Health said, “I’ve also served with Bill on numerous committees over the last few years and have been very impressed with his passion and commitment on community projects that were all aimed at making Fremont a better place to live and work. He is a very talented and articulate leader …” (Buffington, 2012).
Prior to joining the hospital, Bill was in the newspaper business, having been a regional publisher with the Fremont Tribune and the marketing director for the Lincoln Journal Star. He is also an Adjunct Faculty Professor at Midland University.
As a Nebraska native, Bill graduated from the University of Nebraska – Lincoln with a Bachelors in Journalism and a Masters in Human Resource Development. He and his wife, Joan, have chosen to raise their two children in Fremont and are active members of the community, volunteering with numerous organizations. In addition to his work with the GFDC, Bill has served on the board and in leadership roles with the Fremont Area United Way, Fremont Opera House, Fremont Area Chamber of Commerce, and the Archbishop Bergan Catholic School. He is also a Rotarian.
When asked why he devotes so much time to Fremont’s community organizations, Bill said “One of the benefits of living in a smaller community like Fremont is the opportunity to get involved in a number of different groups and organizations. Many of these groups work to make lasting and measurable impact in our area – and this opportunity keeps me motivated to stay involved and work together with others to improve our community. It’s not easy work and there will always be roadblocks but Fremonter’s are passionate about their town and many lend their time, talent and financial support to make this a community where people choose to live and work.”
Of GFDC, Bill said, “GFDC in particular set an aspirational vision and strategic plan about five years ago and that plan and our ability to help grow this community has been a driving force behind my commitment to this organization. Including the voices of our investors, leaders, community groups and interested citizens has driven our plan of work and we are seeing great progress – making it easier to dedicate my time to this work. Fremont has a great history and tradition and with the work of many groups we can see the community maintain that legacy while growing and building a sustainable future for generations to come.”
Bill shares a common vision for Fremont with other board members and GFDC leadership, believing that Fremont is uniquely positioned with its’ proximity to a major metro, the necessary infrastructure to grow, and the assets necessary to be a standalone community that people want to move to and enjoy a high quality of life. Still, he believes that this is not feasible or sustainable without growth and so he is focused on projects that enhance quality of life - including housing, education, healthcare, retail, and parks and recreation. “There are so many communities wanting all of these same things – we simply don’t have the luxury of sitting back and resting on past successes or not being competitive for new business or development as the jobs bring the people and the quality of life keeps them here,” said Bill. Fortunately, leaders like Bill are not sitting back but are actively working to move Fremont forward.
References
Buffington, T. (2012, July 23). Vobejda stepping down from Tribune, taking job at FAMC. Retrieved from Fremont Tribune: https://fremonttribune.com/news/local/vobejda-stepping-down-from-tribune-taking-job-at-famc/article_13531e4e-d510-11e1-afd5-0019bb2963f4.html