By Maya Chavez, Hola America
Yesenia Peck spends her days balancing responsibilities that center on service to her community. Her story began in Peru, where she practiced law, and continues today in Nebraska. She is the Diversity and Inclusion Manager at Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD) and President of the Nebraska Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (NHCC), where she’s volunteered for over seventeen years. Peck’s leadership is fueled by a deep commitment to access and opportunity for a more inclusive future for everyone in Nebraska.
For Peck, her journey is not just about titles or positions—it’s about people. Her legal background laid the foundation for her work in Nebraska, where she now fights for communities of color, especially the fast-growing Hispanic population. In a statement, Peck shares, “I am driven to be a benefit to people who have no other resource or entity they can turn to.” Perhaps one of the most inspiring aspects of Peck’s story is her commitment to continuous learning. After discovering that her legal credentials from Peru wouldn’t transfer to the U.S., Peck could have given up. Instead, she earned her M.A. from Bellevue University, then a doctorate from St. Thomas University. Peck is considering law school to be an attorney once again. She stresses for others to view education as a lifelong journey: “Skills are skills. Even if they don’t transfer, they help you in other ways.”
Peck’s path hasn’t been easy. She has witnessed firsthand the challenges the Hispanic business community faces in Nebraska, and her approach to diversity and inclusion has been about fairness, pure and simple. “It doesn’t matter what diversity segment they are from—whether they are Latino, white, or otherwise—I seek justice and solutions for those who have faced strife,” she shares. This unwavering commitment to fairness has shaped her leadership and advocacy.
When she first became involved with the NHCC, external forces like government regulations and sanctions often targeted Hispanic-owned businesses that lacked representation. Peck helped the chamber rise to the challenge, providing a voice, ensuring that businesses had an advocate when they were penalized by health departments or local regulations. NPPD has also been supportive of her dual roles, giving her the flexibility to meet her goals in both capacities and be more impactful in making changes as needed.
Nebraska’s Hispanic community is one of the fastest-growing in the state, with Hispanic-owned businesses making up nearly 8,000 enterprises statewide. As the Hispanic business community grew stronger, the struggles shifted. “For all challenges we face, we seek to be successful in our goals,” she points out. She leads the NHCC to find creative solutions, like identifying private funding to provide much-needed legal assistance, underscoring her commitment to finding solutions, no matter how difficult the circumstances. Peck’s leadership in fostering connections between Nebraska’s Hispanic and non-Hispanic communities has been a cornerstone of her career. Her work isn’t about forcing others to accept diversity; it’s about demonstrating its value through action. Peck’s goal is to let the success of the NHCC’s initiatives speak for itself, inspiring other organizations to adopt similar measures based on results. She believes this will lead to generational wealth and eliminate misconceptions about the Hispanic community as short-lived or simple. Her team steps up to contribute to that mission. “My board members are all volunteers, and each of them has their own strengths, so I lean on them when my workload gets high,” she explains. Her success lies in her ability to build teams that can work together toward a common purpose.
Peck’s story is one of resilience, adaptability, and a fierce commitment to justice. Whether she is advocating for Hispanic business owners, fostering inclusion between communities, or encouraging personal growth, her leadership has had a profound impact on Nebraska. Through her work, Peck is shaping a more inclusive state where diversity is not just acknowledged but celebrated as a strength.
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