23 Mar 2022
The Nebraska Alumni Association has introduced its 2022 class of Alumni Masters and alumni award winners. This year, the College of Law's Alumni Master is Rebecca L. Gould, '01.
Two other Nebraska Law alumni will also be honored: the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources is honoring Alumni Master Michelle Weber, '08, and Sen. Matt Hansen, '13, will receive the Public Service Award.
The Alumni Masters and award winners will be recognized on campus March 30 to April 1, ending with the Nebraska Medallion Dinner on April 1.
Rebecca L. Gould, J.D. (’98, ’01) College of Law
Since 2001, Rebecca Gould has worked at Nebraska Appleseed, a nonprofit law and policy advocacy organization. Since 2007, she has lead the organization as Executive Director. During her time with Appleseed, she has successfully litigated cases in state and federal court and engaged in policy advocacy at the state and federal levels on issues ranging from economic justice and child welfare to health care and immigration.
In addition to her work at Appleseed, Gould is the past president of the Robert Van Pelt Inn of Court and serves on several Board of Directors, including the Food Bank of Lincoln. She received her Bachelor of Arts in History with High Distinction from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and her Juris Doctor degree with Distinction from the University of Nebraska College of Law.
Michelle Weber (’05, ’08) College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources
Michelle Weber is a lawyer and co-founder of Zulkoski Weber, a client-focused lobbying and government relations law firm in Lincoln. Raised on a family farm near Blue Hill, Neb., she took her passion for agriculture to Washington D.C., where she worked as an aide in the U.S. Congress for more than six years, including service to two Nebraska U.S. Senators and the House Committee on Agriculture. She returned to Nebraska in 2015 and now advocates for policies to grow and improve the state to the Nebraska Legislature and state agencies.
As a CASNR student, Weber participated in Nebraska Human Resources Institute Leadership Mentoring, Mortar Board, the Honors Program and New Student Enrollment. She received her Juris Doctor degree with high distinction from the University of Nebraska College of Law, where she was Student Bar Association President and an executive editor of the Nebraska Law Review.
State Sen. Matt Hansen (’10, ’13) Public Service Award
Sen. Matt Hansen has represented District 26 (northeast Lincoln) in the Nebraska Legislature since 2015. He earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology and political science in 2010 and graduated from the University of Nebraska College of Law in 2013.
In the Legislature, Sen. Hansen serves on the Urban Affairs Committee, the Business and Labor Committee and is the vice-chairperson of the Government, Veterans and Military Affairs Committee. In his time in the legislature, he has worked on a number of issues including supporting housing, helping grow our economy and workforce, and improving outcomes in our criminal justice system. Sen. Hansen also is an adjunct professor at Bellevue University and Nebraska Wesleyan University, where he teaches classes in American politics.