Meet Scott Kleeb

A fourth generation Nebraskan, Scott Kleeb's great-grandfather started the Kleeb family homestead just outside of Broken Bow in 1884. For over 100 years, the Kleebs maintained a mixed farm in the Sandhills. Scott grew up listening to his grandparent's stories of homesteading, of neighbors coming together to build a home or dig a well, and it was here that Scott learned the values of hard work and community.

Scott's parents became educators for the Department of Defense, and Scott spent much of his childhood on a military base overseas. From here he was able to see the dedication of our men and women in uniform and to understand American policy from the frontlines of the Cold War. After high school, Scott returned to the states and worked his way through college as a ranch hand in eastern Colorado and in the Sandhills of Nebraska. He then went on to graduate school at Yale.

During college, Scott served as an Associate World Fellow and received a coveted position on the United Nations Policy Planning and Analysis Unit. He graduated with a Masters degree in international relations and a Ph.D. in history with a special focus on agricultural economics.

While studying for his dissertation on the history of American cattle ranching, Scott traveled 65,000 miles throughout every state west of the Mississippi. Living out of the back of his pickup truck, Scott talked to ranchers, farmers and small business owners about the problems and promise they experienced everyday in small town America.

Scott grew frustrated at the divide he saw between the difficulties facing middle class families and the discussions taking place back in Washington. This frustration spurred Scott to run for Congress, where he nearly won as a Democrat in one of the most Republican districts in the country. For Scott this was not a shock, but more a reality check that the party affiliation next to his name didn’t matter. Nebraskans want leaders who reach out to them, understand them and never turn their back on them.

Currently, Scott serves as Director of Operations for Morgan Ranch, a Nebraska-based beef company that promotes locally-grown food and responsible business practices. He recently taught history at Hastings College where he served as faculty adviser for the Center for Student Leadership, a program that encouraged young people to become more engaged in their communities.

Scott resides in Hastings, Nebraska with his wife Jane Fleming Kleeb who is a national youth vote expert. Scott and Jane have two daughters, Kora and Maya.

Kleeb family photographs courtesy of www.annmaysphotography.com