Archdiocese honors ACD members

The Archbishop’s Committee for Development (ACD) honored three couples June 4 at its 44th annual ACD Recognition Dinner at the Happy Hollow Club in Omaha. Archbishop George J. Lucas acknowledged Tammy and Drew Blossom, Barb Fitzgerald, and Mary Pat and Steve Heck for their leadership and generous contributions of time, talent and treasure to the Archdiocese of Omaha and related organizations. 

Tammy and Drew Blossom, members of St. Vincent de Paul Parish in Omaha since 2005, have given countless hours to their parish, the Archdiocese of Omaha and the Omaha community. Tammy has served as a member of the parish’s Stewardship and Development Committee and has chaired its past two capital campaigns. 

She has been a member of the Omaha Catholic Schools Consortium board and Development Committee, the Catholic Schools Office Urban Regional Board and the Essential Pregnancy Services (EPS) board and Fund Development Committee. Tammy is a founding board member of the Smart Gen Society (formerly Smart Girl Society), a nonprofit working to protect today’s digitally dependent young adults. 

Drew is the office managing partner at KPMG, a network of professional service firms, and has had multiple leadership roles with the Boy Scouts, the Business Ethics Alliance, the Omaha Business Hall of Fame selection committee, the Creighton Prep Finance Committee and the Accountants Coalition. 

Barb Fitzgerald, a former elementary school teacher at St. Cecilia School and active member of St. Margaret Mary Parish in Omaha, has served as chair for the archdiocese’s Gathering fundraiser, Catholic Charities Foundation board member and chair, Christ Child Society officer, Creighton Home Health Care board member, Creighton Prep BASH chair, Duchesne Academy Board of Trustees and Congé co-chair and member of the Father Flanagan Canonization Committee.

She is also actively involved in the work of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, the archdiocese’s Ignite the Faith Capital Campaign, the Creighton University Council of Women and the Willing to Lead inaugural campaign.

Fitzgerald has served in leadership roles for a wide range of organizations, including Bergan Mercy Medical Center, Child Saving Institute, Children’s Hospital, Girls, Inc., Omaha Performing Arts, Salvation Army, United Way of the Midlands and Omaha Community Foundation.

Mary Pat and Steve Heck, members of St. John the Evangelist Parish in Valley, have made it their life’s work to care for their family, serve their church and give back to the community. 

Throughout her career, Mary Pat has been recognized for many accomplishments, including becoming the first woman in Principal Financial Group’s 140-year history to be inducted into the company’s Hall of Fame. For the past six years, she has chaired the ACD Estate Planning Committee, which has been renamed the Legacy Planning Committee. 

Mary Pat has worked on the V.J. and Angela Skutt Catholic High School Finance Committee, Marian High School board, Goodwill Industries board, and St. John the Evangelist Church Strategic Planning Committee. She has also served as chair for the St. Vincent de Paul Church Stewardship and Development Committee and as a hospice volunteer for the Visiting Nurse Association. 

Steve is a stay-at-home dad whose volunteer work includes co-founding the Boy Scouts troop, Venture Crew and baseball team, all at St. Vincent de Paul School in Omaha. He also serves as the varsity swim coach at Skutt, a pastoral council member at St. John the Evangelist, a TeamMates Mentoring volunteer and current trainer for the Coalition on Human Trafficking.   

The ACD was established in 1972 and currently has over 180 members. The committee provides leadership and expertise to the archbishop of Omaha regarding high-quality Catholic education, stewardship, estate planning, development and finance.