In recognition of her outstanding ability to educate and care for accounting students at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the Nebraska Society of CPAs is honored to recognize Kathryn C. “Kay” Maresh as the 2022 recipient of the Society’s Outstanding Accounting Educator Award.
From 2011-2017, Maresh held an adjunct appointment at UNL, where she developed curriculum and materials for a federal taxation course and prepared and taught a business course. She joined the UNL College of Business as a lecturer in 2017 and the following year was appointed assistant professor of practice. Today, she continues to teach undergraduate and graduate-level tax courses, as well as a course in accounting and ethics.
An accounting major in college, Maresh graduated in 1980 with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, High Distinction, from Colorado State University. She received a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Nebraska College of Law in Lincoln in 1985. Maresh is both a CPA and a licensed attorney.
During her 33-year career at Deloitte Tax LLP in Omaha, Maresh gained extensive experience in tax compliance, planning, and tax provisions for domestic and multinational businesses, as well as individual taxation. In addition, she supervised and mentored staff, served as the coordinator for Deloitte local office training, taught internal training courses at the local and national level, and developed the international assignment tax services practice in Nebraska.
After retiring from Deloitte in 2016 as a tax managing director, she began working part-time at HBE LLP in Lincoln serving as a director and consultant for advanced tax issues and planning for a select group of clients.
With more than 35 years of experience in public accounting, Maresh has had the perfect opportunity to incorporate her real-world experiences into the classroom to enhance student engagement and learning at UNL. With an extraordinary ability to mentor, guide, and support students as they prepare for their future careers, she has served as a faculty advisor for the UNL Deloitte FanTAXtic Regional Competition, as a guest speaker for a UNL Business Administration (BSAD) class and the Young Professionals at Nebraska (YPN), and as a co-organizer for the Dream Big Academy, Master of Professional Accountancy (MPA) program orientation, and School of Accountancy Professional Development Days.
Maresh has been a member of the Nebraska Society of CPAs for 40 years. She has taken an active role in the Society, serving on the board of directors as well as on various committees, including the Awards Committee, Continuing Professional Education (CPE) Committee (as vice chairman and chairman for five years), Lincoln MAP Roundtable, and Nominating Committee. Maresh also has served as a discussion leader and ethics speaker for the Society.
In addition, she is a member of the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA), the Nebraska State Bar Association, and MENSA.
Maresh previously served on the Great Plains Tax Institute Board of Directors and is a past chairman of the Valparaiso Parks and Recreation Committee and The Physicians Network Board. She also is a past president of and served for 14 years on the Raymond Central Public Schools Board of Education. She served six years on the Lincoln Community Playhouse Board of Directors and is a past president and past treasurer of that organization.
From previous recognitions, it’s evident Maresh has been extremely successful at teaching and guiding college accounting students. In 2017, she was presented the Delta Sigma Pi Outstanding Professor Recognition. In 2019, she was given the UNL College of Business Excellence in Teaching Award. She was presented the School of Accountancy Educator of the Year award by MPA students in both 2019 and 2021. Earlier this year, she received UNL’s Sue Vagts Faculty/Staff Partner of the Year Award for building relationships with employers and enhancing career development, education, and opportunities to help students succeed.
Maresh and her husband Floyd live in Valparaiso and have two daughters, Bailey and Sarah, and one grandson, Callum.
The purpose of the Outstanding Accounting Educator Award is to recognize full-time Nebraska accounting educators for excellence in accounting education. The nominee must be a CPA, be a member of the Nebraska Society, be a full-time accounting educator at a college or university, and be in good standing with the profession. Selection of the award recipient is made by a committee of Society members and approved by the Society Board of Directors.
