Community Relations CoordinatorRoxann Rogers Meyer
The Continuing Adventures of Roxann Rogers Meyer
Before joining the Ovation Heartwood Preserve team as the Community Relations Coordinator, Roxann Rogers Meyer enjoyed some incredible career adventures. One of the most notable was meeting Olivia Newton-John, just one of the many celebrities she’s met and stories she’s lived over the decades.
“We had a sponsorship with the Omaha Symphony,” Roxann said when explaining how she met Olivia and a long list of other big-name entertainers during her time working for the healthcare provider. “When someone great would perform there, I’d get my picture with them. I have quite the collection.”
While her brush with fame includes celebrities, musicians, and politicians such as the late President George Bush 41, Roxann is a well-known, local celebrity in her own right – especially if you attended or listened to any football games at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in the mid-1970s.
“I was the first female radio broadcaster in Lincoln,” Roxann added when describing her time on the air. “I read the news and did the color commentary on the sidelines of the Cornhusker home games. I had the press pass, microphone, huge headphones, a very cute red pantsuit, and plenty of jealous friends.”
Roxann would don the appropriate radio gear and interview many of the players’ parents and homecoming queens.
“One time, I was on the sidelines doing a live interview and got run over by the tuba player in the marching band. I’m only 5-foot 2. He simply didn’t see me.”
While she was knocked out for only an instant, her parents listening to the broadcast back home were rightfully worried for several hours.
“The announcer in the booth said, “And…she’s down!” What a great memory. What I can remember of it,” she said with a laugh.
Unfortunately, not all of Roxann’s radio days were easy.
“I was given the job of announcing that Elvis Presley had died,” she quietly added. “I was at the racetrack doing the afternoon sports. The station got a hold of me and said I had to announce it. You don’t forget something like that.”
Over time, Roxann met her husband who had visions of being an optometrist in California. The couple moved out west, started a family, then moved back home to Omaha where Roxann continued to influence the local scene and play a pivotal role in the region’s marketing and advertising community.
“It’s been a great career,” she said when asked about the past decades. “Communication skills will serve you well, no matter what career you have.”
We’re thrilled to have Roxann on the Ovation Heartwood Preserve team and look forward to many more stories about her past and creative insights that will help guide the future.