Getting the job done

Shay has a track record of getting things done for southeast Nebraska. In 2010, when the Crete swimming pool needed significant repair, Shay worked with City leaders, local business owners, and community stakeholders to create Crete’s first comprehensive economic development program. This program, adopted and funded by voters, has invested over $6 million into the community over the last fifteen years. The swimming pool was rebuilt in 2011, and since then the program has supported new businesses, repaired downtown facades, and even funded new housing developments.

Shay also led the restoration of Crete’s Isis Theatre, helping found the Blue River Arts Council (BRAC) and serving as its first President. She advocated for the passage of the Nebraska Shovel-Ready Recovery and Investment Act in 2021, which initially allocated $115 million to capital projects throughout the state, including a $355,000 grant for the Isis Theatre. Shay was selected by the Nonprofit Association of the Midlands for the Nonprofit Executive Institute in 2022 and BRAC was recognized by Governor Pillen as the Serve Nebraska 2024 Volunteer Group of the Year.

An active community volunteer, Shay is currently the President of the Crete Rotary Club, has chaired the holiday Toys for Tots program, volunteered as a Teammates mentor, and served on the Board of the Lincoln Midwest Ballet Company. She was a mentor for many years to pregnant women on bedrest with Sidelines National Support Network.

Shay Smith is a mom and business owner who lives in Crete with her husband, Michael, where they raised their three children. Raised in Paxton, Nebraska, Shay attended Doane University and was the first in her family to graduate from college. She received her law degree from UNL in 1994, then returned to Crete and built a successful general practice law firm with her business partner, Bradley Kalkwarf. As an attorney, Shay has helped southeast Nebraska residents for more than 30 years, representing clients in court in civil and criminal cases, assisting small businesses and family farms, and helping our neighbors plan for life’s bumpy roads.