Full Article

April 10, 2024

2024 School of Accountancy Alumni Class Notes

Editors’ Note: The Class Notes celebrate the milestones of our alumni during the past year. These updates were submitted to the school directly by the alumni themselves or compiled from news articles and corporate media releases. While we welcome alumni news, the Nebraska Ledger is not responsible for the information contained in these submissions.

Anna L. Andersen, ‘99, is a manager in Risk and Financial Advisory at Deloitte in Chicago. She is also a Certified Project Management Professional through the Project Management Institute.

Kaylee Bahun, ‘19, is a Deloitte audit project integrator under the Deloitte National Office. She previously had experience in Deloitte A&A practice (senior level) in Omaha, Nebraska, and Tempe, Arizona offices. She lives in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Jeff Ballew, ‘97, managing director of FSO assurance at EY. He serves on the Nebraska School of Accountancy Advisory Board and lives in Houston, Texas.

Janet Barnard, ‘81, retired executive vice president & Chief People Officer at Cox Automotive from Atlanta, served as a panelist in a session called Creating a Business in Which Women Thrive at the Women Lead: Shattering Glass Ceilings conference, March 1. A collaboration between the College of Business and the College of Law, the sold-out event was held at Nebraska Innovation Campus.

Clarke Beller, ‘10, is a director at Lutz inOmaha.

David Cargill, ’14, financial advisor with LPL Financial, based in Phoenix, was interviewed on the Influential Entrepreneurs Podcast discussing “How To Select The Best Financial Advisor” in August 2023.

Kayla Cody, ‘18, is an audit & assurance manager at Deloitte in Charlotte, North Carolina, currently focused on the aerospace and defense industry.

Ryan Cook, ‘07, is a shareholder at Lutz in Omaha.

Zach Crom, ‘17 & ‘18 MPA, is a manager at Labenz & Associates in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Eric Cruise, ’04 & ‘06, tax managing director at KPMG, serves on the School of Accountancy Advisory Board and lives in Lincoln.

Ellen Dasher, ‘91, vice president of global taxation at Valmont Industries, Inc., serves on the School of Accountancy Advisory Board. She lives in Omaha.

Holly (Heidemann) Dorathy, ‘04 & ‘05, is a healthcare manager at Lutz in Lincoln. She lives in Seward, Nebraska.

Todd Dross II, ‘22 & ‘23 MPA, is a staff auditor with Deloitte in Phoenix.

Ella (Janochoski) Feldner, ‘20 MPA, is an audit senior for Deloitte in Omaha.

Kelsey Folkers, ‘20 & ‘21 MPA, was recently promoted to senior tax accountant at Lutz in Omaha. She also obtained her CPA in 2022.

Taylor Gehring, ‘18 & ‘19 MPA, is a CPA and recently named a 2023 rising star for the Eide Bailly LLP. She is based in the Omaha office, where she is an audit manager.

Amanda Gonzales, ‘03 MPA, teaches as an associate professor of practice in accountancy at the College of Business. She was honored for 10 years of service to the university in a celebration in the fall of 2023.

Jeff Hansen, ‘86, the executive vice president and general counsel at Troon, a luxury golf management, development and marketing company, was named to the Reye Partners Asset Management Sports Practice Advisory Board, which provides outsourced chief investment officer capabilities to high-net-worth individuals and family offices. Before joining Troon, Hansen was a partner at Simmons Olsen Law Firm, based in Scottsbluff, Nebraska. Hansen also earned a juris doctor from the University of Nebraska College of Law and is a member of the Nebraska State Bar Association.

Steve Hegemann, ‘97 & ‘99 MPA, teaches as an associate professor of practice in accountancy at the College of Business. He counters accountant stereotypes for students by sharing his experience as a U.S. Army veteran, auditor and forensic accounting consultant working in New York City after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Carter Johnson, ‘17 & ‘18 MPA, is a partnership taxation specialist at Nelnet in Lincoln.

Matt Johnson, ’07 & ‘08, is partner at Baker Tilly US LLP. He serves on the School of Accountancy Advisory Board and lives in Eden Prairie, Minnesota.

Reid Hammitt, ‘17 & ‘18 MPA is an audit manager for Lutz in Omaha.

Crystal Hearst, ‘90, is a tax senior at Deloitte living and working in Atlanta.

Thomas Helligso, ‘94, is a shareholder of Lutz. He lives in Omaha.

Anna Howorth, ‘15 & ‘19 MPA, is a healthcare senior accountant at Lutz in Omaha.

Taylor Hoyt, ‘18 & ‘19 MPA, is a tax senior at Lutz in Omaha who also manages the international workforce team and creates and leads training and development for interns.

Howard L. Hawks, ‘57, and his wife, Rhonda, were honored by the University of Nebraska Board of Regents with the university’s highest honor, the Regents Medal, medal in May 2023. Established in 2006, the Regents Medal recognizes individuals whose service to the University of Nebraska benefits in furtherance of the goals and mission of the institution. The board selects the Regents Medal recipients. Honored at a private ceremony, the Hawks received their award in Howard L. Hawks Hall, home of the College of Business, for which they were the lead donors. Hawks Hall opened in 2017.

Howard served on the Board of Regents for 18 years, retiring in 2020. He served as chairman twice and chaired the NU presidential search committee in 2014. Additionally, Hawks served on the executive committee of the Campaign for Nebraska: Unlimited Possibilities, which raised $1.9 billion in private support for the university.

In addition to their support for Hawks Hall, they contributed to an endowed chair in business ethics and leadership in the College of Business, Nebraska’s Hawks Field at Haymarket Park, the Hawks Championship Center and Baxter Arena and more. Howard received the College of Business Lifetime Achievement Award. Howard Hawks is a member of both the Omaha and Nebraska Business Halls of Fame.

Howard founded Tenaska Energy, Inc., in 1987. He served as chairman and CEO of the company until 2010, growing it from a small operation in Omaha into one of the nation’s largest and most successful independent energy companies. He continued to serve as chairman until 2023.

Samantha (Karr) Keller, ‘19, is a senior tax accountant with Lutz in Omaha.

Taylor (Pugh) Kendall, ‘10 & ‘11 MPA, is a shareholder at Lutz in Omaha and serves on Nebraska’s School of Accountancy Advisory Board.

Thomas Kerr, ‘22, is a staff accountant at Lutz in Omaha, where he started working full-time in 2023, and passed the CPA exam.

Brian Klintworth, ‘15, was recently promoted to partner at HBE LLP, a Nebraska-based certified public accounting and consulting firm that serves clients in Nebraska and throughout the U.S. He joined HBE in 2015 as an intern and began his career there full-time as an accountant. He served as a trusted tax advisor to various businesses and clients, most recently as the firm’s tax director. While at HBE, Klintworth earned his Master of Taxation in 2019 from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law. Klintworth specializes in income tax preparation and consulting, specialized tax consulting, reviews and compilations, and estate/trust and agriculture specialty groups.

Lane Knott, ’21 & ’22 MPA, received the prestigious Elijah Watt Sells Award from the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. The honor recognizes exceptional performance on the Uniform CPA Exam. He works full-time at Labenz and Associates in Lincoln.

Jim Kruger, ‘86, is chief financial officer at Nelnet and serves on the School of Accountancy Advisory Board. He lives in Lincoln.

Alec Lake, ‘17 & ‘19 MPA, is an audit senior at Lutz in Lincoln.

Derick Lorentz, ‘08, was named chief financial officer of Grand Island Regional Medical Center in 2023. He provides financial oversight and guidance at Merrick Medical Center in Central City, Nebraska. Lorentz most recently served as vice president and chief financial officer for Centura Health, headquartered in Centennial, Colorado. He led financial teams that served multiple hospitals. He previously earned his master of health administration from Walden University. He is active with the Healthcare Financial Management Association and Rotary Club, and coaches youth basketball and baseball.

John C. Lukowski, ‘20 & ‘23 MPA, earned his juris doctor from Nebraska with distinction. He then joined the corporate department in the Koley Jessen law firm in Omaha that serves businesses and their owners as well as professionals in Nebraska and around the country.

Karli (Flanders) Mackley, ‘18 & ‘19 MPA, was recently promoted to manager at Labenz & Associates in Lincoln.

Mitchell McWilliams, ‘20 & ‘21 MPA, is a senior accountant at Lutz in Omaha.

Nathan Meisgeier, ‘95, was named new president of Werner Enterprises effective January 2024. He will also continue in his role as chief legal officer. He was promoted to Werner’s General Counsel in 2016. He also served as chair of the American Trucking Associations’ Legal Reform Advisory Committee. Meisgeier joined Werner in 2005. Prior to that, he was with Kansas City-based legal firm Stinson, Mag & Fizzell. Meisgeier graduated cum laude from Harvard Law School.

Tricia Montague, ‘92, is managing director at Deloitte in Omaha. She serves on the School of Accountancy Advisory Board.

Matt Muehling, ‘05 & ‘07 MPA, was recently promoted to tax managing director in the Omaha office of Deloitte Tax, where he has worked for more than 16 years. He specializes in serving closely held private companies, family offices, ultra high networth individuals and fiduciaries with their tax compliance and consulting needs.

Megan Mulder, ’94 & ‘01, is director of accounting and finance at Baird Holm LLP. She serves on the School of Accountancy Advisory Board and lives in Omaha.

Steven Nebbia, ‘12, is a director at Lutz in Omaha.

Anthony Pasternak, ’03 & ‘04, is partner at FORVIS, based in Omaha. He serves on the School of Accountancy Advisory Board.

Lukas Petersen, ‘12, works at Lutz in Omaha.

Rose (Fleck) Pinkman, ‘10 & ‘11 MPA, is an audit manager for Lutz based in Lincoln.

Travis Pritchett, ‘99, is partner at Labenz & Associates in Lincoln. He serves on the School of Accountancy Advisory Board.

Angie Proctor, ’00 & ‘01, is vice president of internal audit at Highlands Residential Mortgage in Allen, Texas, and serves on the School of Accountancy Advisory Board.

Brian Ruisinger, ‘87, is president and CEO of Republic Bank of Arizona. He serves on the School of Accountancy Advisory Board.

Tyler Rump, ‘17 & ‘20 MPA, is an audit senior for Deloitte in Salt Lake City, Utah. He is up for promotion to manager this year.

Victor Salerno, ‘17, is a senior accountant at Lutz in Omaha. He obtained his CPA Permit to Practice in 2023.

Eric Schiermeyer, ‘20 & ‘21 MPA, is a senior associate at Labenz & Associates in Lincoln.

Maclain Smigielski, ‘23, is an audit assistant at Deloitte working out of the Chicago office.

Ann Sullivan, ‘21 & 22 MPA, is a tax consultant II for Deloitte in Chicago. As a member of the Transaction and Integration Services national team, she assists with Section 382 implications, transaction cost recovery, and basis and E&P calculations for companies throughout their corporate life cycle and major transactions.

Megan Sullivan, ‘15 & ‘16 MPA, is tax manager in mergers and acquisitions for Deloitte Tax in Chicago.

Ansel Uerling, ‘20, is a senior accountant at Lutz in Lincoln, who received the CPA license in 2023.

Cole Varicak, ‘22 & ‘23 MPA, is a corporate tax accountant at Nelnet in Lincoln.

Allie (Stromp) Vetter, ‘20 & ‘21 MPA, is a senior accountant at Lutz in Omaha. She previously worked in tax at KPMG in Omaha and received her CPA Permit to Practice in 2024.

Corey Watton, ‘92, was appointed president and CEO of Fusion, an Omahabased healthcare company working to improve the clinician and patient experience. He oversees Fusion’s three business units in Medical Staffing, Marketplace and Workforce Solutions. Watton joined Fusion in 2019, serving as the company’s Chief Financial Officer. Previously, Watton served in various financial leadership roles at Home Instead Senior Care International, including chief financial officer. He was a partner at Lutz & Co., spending more than a dozen years there. Watton also is a CPA.

Zach Weis, ‘15 & ‘17, is a tax manager at Lutz in Omaha.

Sue Wilkinson, ‘90, was named president and chief operating officer of Ameritas, headquartered in Lincoln, in January 2024. She previously was executive vice president and chief financial officer.

Andrew Young, ’07 & ‘08, is partner of RSM US LLP based in Omaha. He serves on the School of Accountancy Advisory Board.