Hi! My name is Marni Hodgen. I am an Omaha native and attended St. James/Seton grade school and Roncalli Catholic High School. I received my bachelor of arts degree from Doane College and shortly after graduation I traded the Omaha's Old Market for the city of Chicago. There I pursued an education in massage therapy. I have been a licensed massage therapist since 2006.
My husband Patrick and I moved to the Nashville area for his job the fall of 2009. We began our family with the birth of our first son in 2011. Although we enjoyed living in Tennessee, especially in the winter, the limited visits and strain of being so far from family was more apparent with the arrival of our second son. We prayed we would have an opportunity to move back to the midwest. A year later those prayers were answered when my husband was offered a job here in Omaha. We were happy to be closer to family! A couple years later we were blessed with our third son. I continued to work part-time at a chiropractic office until early spring of 2020. Like every family that year we faced uncertainty and a shuffling of our lifestyle. My older two boys had been at a Montessori school that we loved dearly but over the course of that summer it was clear the covid policies were not in alignment with what I deemed best for my boys. I made the decision to bring them home and we began new adventures in homeschooling.
Last spring when I read the State Board of Education's proposed health standards I was shocked and immediately concerned. I went to the first public comment hearing last April and have been actively involved in opposing the standards ever since.
As a mom I've had plenty of opportunities to advocate for my own children. I'll bring that fight to the State Board of Education for all Nebraska children while redirecting the board's focus back to where it should be: on education and student achievement. I will push for transparency, local control and encourage parental involvement. Parents are the sovereign caregivers, educators, and decision makers of their children and should always have the final say over any educational or health institution. I will work to make the board a reflection of what Nebraska parents want for their children to restore trust among our constituents.
My decision to run for State Board of Education District 8 has been made with a lot of prayer and nudges from people God has put on my path. I cannot shake the feeling He is calling me to put on His armor and step out to battle for our kids. I know I can be a voice for what is right. And what is right is protecting the minds, hearts, and innocence of our children.