Lifetime Achievement
JoAnn Martin
(Awarded Posthumously)
JoAnn Martin served as a leader with Ameritas for more than 35 years, most recently as CEO. Her leadership set the pace and was essential to the growth of Ameritas. Under her leadership, the company saw 61% growth in assets and customer numbers increased by 75%. Prior to joining Ameritas in 1984, then known as Bankers Life Nebraska, she began her professional career at Touche Ross & Company.
Throughout her career, Martin engaged in many community and industry organizations, both locally and nationally. She served as a board member for publicly traded companies NRC Health and Nelnet. She also participated in numerous other business and community roles. Among these were chairwoman American Council of Life Insurers (second woman ever), chairwoman of the University of Nebraska Foundation Board of Directors, member of the board of directors for the Omaha Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, chairwoman of the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce, and board member of the Million Dollar Roundtable Foundation to name a few. She is also a fellow in the National Association of Corporate Directors. She served on the Lincoln Vision and Prosper Lincoln steering committees and was vice chair for the Lincoln Community Foundation.
Among her numerous community accolades are the 2015 induction into the Nebraska Business Hall of Fame, 2018 Woman of the Year at the Lincoln Journal Star’s Inspire Awards, Burnham Yates Citizenship Award and Nebraskan of the Year by Lincoln Rotary Club No. 14. In 2004, she was inducted into the School of Accountancy Hall of Fame at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. Additionally, the University of Nebraska Foundation honored her with the 2021 Perry W. Branch Award for Distinguished Volunteer Service. She was recognized as the initial recipient of the JoAnn Martin Civic Leadership Award.
A lifelong Nebraskan, Martin earned her bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in 1975. She earned her master’s degree from Colorado State University in 1982. She also held Certified Public Accountant and Fellow Life Management Institute designations.
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