School of Accountancy Alumni Class Notes

ACCOUNTING ALUMNI SHARE UPDATES

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.

Ahmed Ahmed, ’21, was selected as the Student of the Year for 2020-21 by the Nebraska College of Business Student Advisory Board as an undergraduate. He lives in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Larry Anderson, ’11 and ’20 MBA, announced his candidacy for Nebraska state auditor in 2022. Anderson has his CPA license and is a captain in the Nebraska Army National Guard. He recently deployed overseas with the Army’s 734th Combat Support Sustainment Battalion out of Kearney, serving in Operation Allies Refuge. Anderson also is a project accountant in the business operations group at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He and his family live in Lincoln.

Terry Arvie, ’21, along with his family singing group The Arvies, released their new single “Best Days” in 2021. He is currently an MPA student at Nebraska Business. He lives in Lincoln.

Henry Bauermeister Jr., ’62, was inducted into the Nebraska School of Accountancy Hall of Fame in October 2021. The former owner and general manager of Cummins Mid-America is retired and lives in Kansas City and Bonita Springs, Florida.

Deb Cosgrove, ’88 & ’89 MPA, became the first in Nebraska Business history to be promoted to full professor of practice, effective August 1. She was promoted from associate professor of practice in the School of Accountancy.

Bob Gropp, ’95, joined Swanson Russell, a marketing communications agency, as director of finance in the Lincoln office.

Sierra Hassel, ’20, appeared in a panel on Gallup’s Called to Coach Webcast Series discussing the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s pioneering work supporting student-athletes in leveraging their name, image and likeness, how the university helps studentathletes develop life skills and how CliftonStrengths® are pivotal in student-athletes’ self-knowledge and pursuit of career goals. She is currently pursuing her Master of Education in Sports Management at the University of Texas in Austin.

Steven Hegemann, ’97 & ’99 MPA, earned promotion to associate professor of practice from assistant professor of practice in the School of Accountancy at Nebraska Business.

Norman R. Hedgecock, ’73 & ’75 MPA, was inducted into the Nebraska School of Accountancy Hall of Fame in October 2021. Now retired, he served as partner of BKD LLP.

Derek Knorr, ’04, was featured in various Lincoln media outlets in March for helping the Ukrainian employees of his company, Sprious. He is chief operations officer for Sprious, based in Lincoln.

Lifetime Achievement Award
JoAnn Martin, ’75, posthumously received the Nebraska Business Lifetime Achievement Award in April for her outstanding leadership, time, energy and guidance provided throughout her career. Her daughters Jennifer Bartholomew, ’03 industrial engineering grad & ’07 MBA, of Omaha, Nebraska, and Kim Neuwirth, ’05 finance grad, of San Francisco accepted the award at a celebration in Howard L. Hawks Hall. Her husband, Derrel, also attended. Martin served as a leader with Ameritas for more than 35 years, most recently as CEO. She passed away on October 20, 2021, at the age of 67

Read more about Martin’s unwavering support of the university at go.unl.edu/joann.

Tom Kubick, ’05, ’08 MPA & ’11 Ph.D., earned promotion from associate professor to full professor of accountancy at the School of Accountancy in Nebraska Business, effective August 1. He also serves as the Ellsworth L. Fulk Chair.

Mike Lee, ’90, is EY’s global leader of wealth & asset management based in New York City. He works alongside global teams to help clients address questions, devise and execute strategies and optimize their capabilities as they navigate a time of change. He recently co-authored an article in Barron’s called “Does Wealth Management Need a Hippocratic Oath for Data?”

Mackenzie Mapes, ’20 MPA, passed her final section of the CPA exam. Mapes also serves as treasurer of the Teammates+ board of directors and works for EY in Chicago.

Matt Maser, ’94 & ’97 J.D., is an attorney at Koley Jessen in Omaha and Lincoln and general counsel for Speedway Motors and Speedway Properties in Lincoln. He and his family live in Grand Island, Nebraska.

Jina Morris, ’94 & ’98 MPA, earned promotion in 2021 to associate professor of practice from assistant professor of practice in the School of Accountancy at Nebraska Business.

Chau Nguyen, ’21, inducted into the 2021 Jackie Gaughan Multicultural Center Hall of Fame by the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. The hall of fame honors outstanding multicultural alumni who have made a significant impact on students, university and community. The recognition is given to individuals who continue to serve as an advocate and support for students. Involved with the Asian Student Union, she was honored as part of the university’s 2021 homecoming celebration. She currently lives in Wichita, Kansas.

Tonn, ’81, and Holly Ostergard, ’80, received recognition for the Most Honored Citizens for 2021 at the Aksarben Ball, which honors the contributions of Nebraska residents and raises money for scholarships. Tonn is CEO of Crete Carrier. Holly is vice chair of the Crete Carrier board of directors and serves on the University of Nebraska Foundation board of directors.

Jill Trucke, ’99 & ’00 MPA, earned promotion to associate professor of practice from assistant professor of practice, in the School of Accountancy at Nebraska Business, effecive August 1.

Liz Wood, ’03 & ’04 MPA, serves as chief financial officer of TELCOR, a lab billing solutions company based in Lincoln, that serves almost 300 employees. Wood previously served as vice president of finance. She also is a certified public accountant and served as chair of the board for the American Red Cross serving Nebraska.

Published: May 19, 2022