Ignite the Flame: Athletics Fundraising Luncheon
Doors open at 11 am
Program and lunch begin at 11:30 am
Lied Fitness Center Fieldhouse – CSM Campus
Don't miss this unforgettable event in support of Flames Athletics and celebrating excellence and leadership in women’s athletics.
Ignite the Flame, Community Impact Award Recipient and keynote speaker, Kirsten Bernthal Booth
Since Kirsten Bernthal Booth’s arrival to Creighton University from Kirkwood Community College in 2003, Nebraskans have borne witness to a meteoric rise in the popularity of Volleyball that has allowed us a push so prevalently to the forefront of the sport that Nebraska is now respectfully referred to and known as ‘The Volleyball State’. When Kirsten arrived in Omaha, the Jays competed in a high school gymnasium. CU now operates out of a state-of-the-art arena built exclusively for volleyball and women's basketball. While we celebrate the on-court record Coach Booth has diligently carved out over the course of her career along with the plethora of awards and accolades she has collected: CSM honors Kirsten with the Flames Community Impact award for the incalculable impact she has had on the development of women’s athletics in Omaha and across the state of Nebraska.
Coach Booth has inspired the lives of countless young women, encouraging her student-athletes to take on the challenge of a rigorous course load and pushing their off-court development as equally as on the court, graduating each of them with a mind and spirit poised to positively impact their communities through their professionalism, leadership, and emotional intelligence for decades to come.
The participation of young women in athletics has a profound impact on our community, training the confidence, communication, and interpersonal skills necessary to forge the way to self-respect, success, and satisfaction in life. As local trailblazers such as Mary Higgins & Connie Claussen paved the way for women like Kirsten to succeed, Kirsten has set forth an avenue for countless women to proceed in her footsteps and beyond. Coach Booth has been imperative to the growth of the sport of volleyball and all women’s athletic programming in Omaha, which have commanded unforeseen growth in participation, funding, and media attention over the past 22 years. While her long-term legacy is far from fully determined, we are honored to bestow the 2025 Ignite the Flame community impact award to Kirsten Bernthal Booth for her already remarkable impact on the lives of innumerable women in Omaha and beyond.
Honorary Chair – Lisa Utterback ’93
Utterback earned her degree in elementary education from College of Saint Mary and was a member of the softball team for all four years. She went on to earn a master’s degree in educational leadership from Doane University. With a distinguished career at Omaha Public Schools, she has held a variety of leadership roles, including dean of students, assistant principal, principal, and executive director. She now serves as the student and community services chief officer.
