OMAHA, NE — Open Range today announced the appointment of Laurel Oetken as Chief Executive Officer. Oetken previously served as Vice President of Operations and has played a central role in shaping the organization since its launch.
Since Open Range began operations in 2025, Oetken has helped build the organization from the ground up. In her role as Vice President of Operations, she worked closely with founders, ecosystem partners, and community leaders to better understand the needs of the Omaha startup ecosystem and how Open Range could reduce friction, close gaps, and strengthen coordination across the region.
During this time, Oetken helped lead several foundational efforts, including the launch of Open Range as a nonprofit backbone organization, the establishment of a multi year Startup Community Partnership with Techstars, and the launch of Omaha’s first Techstars Founder Catalyst cohort. She also led early stakeholder engagement efforts, meeting with hundreds of founders and community members, and helped build the internal operations of the organization, including staffing, policies, benefits, and the opening of Open Range’s physical office located in Millwork Commons.
In October 2025, Open Range announced a search for its first permanent Chief Executive Officer as the organization looked ahead to its next phase of growth. Following that process, the board determined that Oetken’s leadership, experience, and deep understanding of the ecosystem positioned her to continue leading the organization forward. Before starting at Open Range, Oetken was the Executive Director of Tech Nebraska.
“Laurel has a strong record of leading with focus, purpose, and a deep commitment to Greater Omaha’s startup community,” said Paul G. Smith, Board Chair of Open Range. “She has earned the trust of founders and partners throughout the region, and we’re confident her leadership will continue to improve coordination, expand access to resources, and drive founder success.”
As CEO, Oetken will continue to lead Open Range’s mission to expand access, activate collaboration, and amplify what’s possible for founders and startups across the Omaha region.
Oetken started her career at Flywheel, the Omaha-based WordPress hosting company now owned by WP Engine, and has since built a career supporting Omaha’s startup and technology community across the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. She has held leadership roles at organizations including Tech Nebraska and the Greater Omaha Chamber, helped lead community efforts such as Startup Omaha Week, and serves in volunteer leadership capacities, including board service with the Junior League of Omaha and Nebraska Innovation Labs.
“Since joining the Open Range team last April, I’ve seen firsthand the impact this organization can have for founders and the broader innovation ecosystem in Nebraska,” said Oetken. “I’m excited to continue this work through thoughtful programming, events, and storytelling that reduce friction, improve coordination, and better support founders at every stage.”
Looking ahead to 2026, Open Range has several initiatives already underway, with additional partnerships, programming, and publications expected to be announced in the coming months.
To learn more about Open Range and its work, visit https://openrange.org.