She brought the FEI World Cup finals to Omaha–twice–defying the skeptics and giving the city one of its most memorable sporting events.
Lisa Roskens, who came up with the idea of staging an international equestrian event in a city that never hosted anything like that before, received the Omaha Sports Commission’s Dr. Jack Lewis Sportsperson of the Year award this week.
Lisa Roskens at the podium of last month’s FEI World Cup Finals in Omaha. (Photo © 2023 by Nancy Jaffer)
Dr.Lewis was the volunteer physician for Central High School’s sports programs for over 35 years. and a professor of internal medicine at the University of Nebraska. He passed away in 2016 at the age of 82.
“This is a very special honor for me because I knew Jack. He encouraged me to do many of the things for which I received this award. He was an amazing man and an inspiration. To be mentioned in the same breath is hard for me to imagine,” said Lisa, the chairman and CEO of Burlington Capital.
She is on the board of the Omaha Equestrian Foundation and the Nebraska Multisport Complex. She also chaired the Omaha Sports Commission for three years.
“Nothing that I have done in my life has been done by me alone,” Lisa emphasized, She brought Julie Boilesen, CEO of the Omaha Equestrian Foundation to the dinner, along with many of the other people “who have made possible the accomplishments credited to me,” she noted.
While it’s nice to get awards, Lisa said, she much prefers “helping people do cool things.”