Gov. Pillen Hosts ‘Growing Nebraska’ Summit, Inaugural Youth Summit in Kearney

LINCOLN, NE –  Governor Jim Pillen welcomed more than 900 participants to Kearney for the 2025 Governor’s Summit: Growing Nebraska and the first-ever Governor’s Youth Summit.

The annual Governor’s Summit, co-hosted by the Nebraska Department of Economic Development (DED) and the Nebraska Department of Agriculture (NDA), convenes the state’s economic development community to discuss shared strategies to grow Nebraska. This year’s event featured breakout tracks on manufacturing, workforce development, agriculture and the emerging bioeconomy.

The inaugural Youth Summit facilitated one-on-one interactions between high school students and business, college, and military leaders. Throughout the day, employers and educators presented student attendees with internship, scholarship, and job offers in Nebraska.

“Our state’s family farms and multi-generational manufacturers can compete with anybody, anywhere,” said Gov. Pillen. “Today was all about connecting youth to the great careers being created by our homegrown businesses. The message to our kids is clear: you can achieve your dreams here in the Good Life.”

Husker football coach Matt Rhule kicked off Thursday’s activities with keynote remarks. He was then joined by current Cornhuskers—and Nebraska natives—Derek Branch (Lincoln), Heinrich Haarberg (Kearney), Carter Nelson (Ainsworth), and Luke Lindenmeyer (Papillion) for a special session of the Youth Summit. Speaking to student attendees, the Husker players shared why they’ve chosen to spend their college careers in Nebraska.

Gov. Pillen moderated a lunchtime panel of state agency directors. The panelists spotlighted system improvements within state government that are resulting in better outcomes and savings for Nebraskans. The lunch session also featured guest speaker Stephen Vaden, deputy secretary of USDA. He provided an update on the Trump Administration’s work to advance American agriculture and grow the ag economy.

The Governor’s Summit concluded with an afternoon plenary session headlined by Eric Gehringer, Executive VP of Operations for Union Pacific (UP). He highlighted the company’s work to become America’s first transcontinental railroad and detailed UP’s commitment to Nebraska, which dates back more than 160 years.

At the conclusion of the event, CareerPathway.com, primary sponsor of the Governor’s Youth Summit, reported metrics from the inaugural event. During Thursday, students made 918 connections with employers/educators and submitted more than 250 scholarship, internship, and job applications.