Michael R. Abramson, CPA has been promoted to director with Labenz & Associates LLC in Lincoln. He joined the firm in 2013 following graduation from Hastings College with a Bachelor of Arts in Accounting and a minor in mathematics. Abramson currently serves as a board member on the Lincoln Parks Foundation.
Lynda M. Anderson, CPA, a Crete native and financial industry veteran with 27 years of experience, has joined Pinnacle Trust Services in Beatrice as a trust officer. Anderson is a graduate of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting and finance and a master’s degree in accounting.
Laurie Ann J. Buhlke, CPA of Grand Island, has become a shareholder in Contryman Associates PC. Buhlke joined the firm after graduating from the University of Nebraska at Kearney, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with an emphasis in accounting. She began her career in 2016 with Contryman in Scottsbluff, relocating to Grand Island in 2019. She is a graduate of the Emerging Leaders Academy from Upstream Academy and currently participates in Upstream’s New Partner Program. Buhlke plays an active role in the Nebraska Society of CPAs, serving on the Society Board of Directors, CPE Committee (vice chairman), Taxation Committee, Women in Accounting Committee, Accounting Recruitment Campaign Task Force, and Pass-Through Entity Tax (PTET) Working Group. In addition, she serves on the Goodwill Industries Foundation of Greater Nebraska Board of Directors, the Habitat for Humanity Finance Committee, and the Central Community College Advisory Council. Countryman Associates celebrated 85 years of providing accounting and consulting services to clients in 2024. The firm has seven locations throughout central and western Nebraska.
As a professor, Ryan L. Burger, CPA continued his biennial tradition of developing and providing a grant for a selected Lutheran organization from his auditing class at Concordia University Nebraska in Seward. This year’s grant was more than $5,900 and was awarded to Lutheran High School in Fremont, which will open its doors in August 2025. Burger graduated from Concordia in 2004 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and accountancy. He returned to teach at the university in 2010. Burger is also a partner at Gabriel Burger & Else, CPA in Seward. He is a past chairman of the Nebraska Society of CPAs Board of Directors, has served as chairman of the Society’s Accounting Careers Committee for the past decade, and presently serves on the Foundation of the Nebraska Society of CPAs Board of Trustees.
Gail M. Endorf, CPA has been promoted to audit director at Frankel LLC in Omaha. Endorf joined the firm in 2007 and specializes in assurance and consulting services for not-for-profit organizations, government entities, and privately held companies. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Accounting and a Master of Accountancy from the University of Nebraska at Omaha.
Donald L. “Don” Erftmier, Jr. has joined Cline Williams law firm as of counsel to the transactional services team in the firm’s Omaha office. He brings nearly 35 years of experience to the firm and is an AV rated attorney with Martindale-Hubbell, the highest peer rating earned by attorneys at the highest level of professional excellence for legal expertise. Listed in The Best Lawyers in America, Erftmier is also recognized in Omaha Magazine’s Best Lawyers edition for corporate law and estate planning. In addition to his membership in the Nebraska Society of CPAs, Erftmeier is a member of the Omaha Estate Planning Council, the Business Law, Real Property, Probate and Trust Law, and Taxation sections of the American Bar Association, the Business Law section of the Nebraska Bar Association, and the Omaha Bar Association.
Megan C. Holt, CPA, FRM received the 2024 Young Alumni Achievement Award from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Established in 2014, the Young Alumni Achievement Award recognizes outstanding career achievement, active community involvement, or exceptional service to the university by UNO graduates 40 years old or younger. Holt is the CFO at Mutual of Omaha Mortgage Inc. She began her career with KPMG LLP and served clients in the financial services industry for six years before joining Mutual of Omaha Insurance Co. in 2016. She joined Mutual of Omaha Mortgage in July 2022 as vice president of financial reporting and took on the role of CFO in July 2023. Holt received her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with an accounting emphasis from the University of Nebraska at Omaha in 2009. She earned her CPA designation in 2010 and her Financial Risk Management (FRM) certification in 2022. Holt is a past member of the Nebraska Society of CPAs Board of Directors and presently serves on the board of directors for Live On Nebraska and Volano Software. She also serves on the Nebraska Society of CPAs’ Accounting Careers Committee and Women in Accounting Committee.
Joseph E. “Joe” Hunhoff, CPA and family of Bloomfield held their sixth annual Angels Among Us gift shopping event, honoring their mother Phyllis Hunhoff’s spirit of giving while helping children experience the joy of giving to others. The event was held at the local school for all pre-Kindergarten through 6th grade students.
Robert L. “Bob” Kardell, CPA has been elected to partner within Baird Holm LLP. Kardell is an attorney whose practice focuses on cyberbreach incident response, legal and technology-based risk management solutions, technology and cyber-defense policy and protections, intrusion remediation, and fraud prevention and investigation. He has more than 22 years of experience working for the Federal Bureau of Investigation as a special agent and supervisory special agent, as well as a program coordinator for public corruption, complex financial crime, healthcare fraud, and domestic terrorism. Kardell is a member of the Nebraska Society of CPAs’ Public Policy Committee.
Lane J. Knott, CPA was promoted to senior associate at Labenz & Associates LLC in Lincoln. Knott joined the firm in September 2022. He graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting in May 2021 and completed his Master of Professional Accountancy in May 2022. Knott was a recipient of the Elijah Watt Sells Award in 2023, a prestigious honor that recognizes exceptional performance on the Uniform CPA Exam. He is active in Junior Achievement of Lincoln as a classroom volunteer.
Paul H. Koehler, CPA and his wife Mary Ann of Lincoln donated a Steinway grand piano to Concordia University Nebraska in Seward in 2024, helping the university in its journey toward becoming an all-Steinway school. The Koehlers gifted the Steinway to the music department in honor of Paul’s late mother Elizabeth Koehler, who had started him on piano lessons in St. Louis when he was five years old. The Steinway is the Koehlers’ first donation to the music department but far from their first time supporting the university. In 2021, the Koehlers provided Concordia University Nebraska with $2.5 million, the largest endowment gift in the history of the university. Read more at https://bit.ly/KoehlersDonateSteinway.
Ronald J. “Ron” Nebbia, CPA was named the inaugural recipient of the John Connor Family Award by the School of Accountancy at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln during the school’s annual Celebration of Excellence last fall. Nebbia is a shareholder at Lutz. More than 300 alumni and friends attended the event sponsored by Deloitte, Eide Bailly, Forvis Mazars, KPMG, Labenz, Lutz, and RSM. The John Connor Family Award was established to recognize distinguished alumni who have made significant contributions to the success of the School of Accountancy. Nebbia was selected for his extensive involvement with the advisory board, his commitment to continually improving the school, and his contributions to the College of Business. The award is named after John Connor, a 1966 graduate of the School of Accountancy who had a successful career in public accounting and as an executive in the wireless telecommunications industry. Connor was a past chairman of the Nebraska Society of CPAs.
Jenifer Shaffer joined Labenz & Associates LLP in Lincoln as an intern in February 2024 and became an associate in August 2024. She attended Brigham Young University, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Classical Studies in 2003, and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where she graduated with a Master of Professional Accountancy in 2023. She is active in Junior Achievement of Lincoln as a classroom volunteer.
Jeffrey W. “Jeff” Sheets, CPA has been promoted to partner of Labenz & Associates LLC in Lincoln. Sheets joined the firm full time in 2013, after graduating with high distinction from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and minors in math and finance. He also holds a Master of Professional Accountancy from UNL. Sheets provides tax compliance services at all levels, including corporate, pass-through, individual, and trust returns. His areas of specialization include banking, real estate, and family businesses, providing guidance for both business and family planning. Sheets is involved in a variety of community organizations. He currently serves as treasurer of the Friends of Nebraska Dyslexia Association, as a board member of the Lincoln Children’s Museum, and as a member of the UNL School of Accountancy Junior Advisory Board.
Bryan E. Slone has announced he is stepping down as president of the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce & Industry in June, following a seven-year run leading Nebraska’s statewide business lobbying group. Prior to his arrival at the Chamber, he was a tax attorney with Koley Jessen in Omaha. Before Koley Jessen, he was the Nebraska office managing partner for Deloitte. In the 1990s, Slone worked in Berlin, Germany, as a tax attorney and co-founding partner for the Wilmer Cutler & Pickering law office. In the 1980s, he spent time in Washington, D.C., where he was legal advisor to the IRS commissioner and served as a House Ways and Means Committee staff member under former U.S. Rep. Hal Daub of Nebraska. In this capacity, he helped shape the 1986 federal tax law. Slone was also a candidate for Nebraska governor in 2014. He holds a law degree from the University of Nebraska College of Law, and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Jennifer L. Smydra, CPA recently opened a new event venue in a historic space in downtown Loup City. Smydra named the venue Sláinte (pronounced SLAWN-cha) Hall, reflecting her Irish roots. The hall accommodates 40 to 60 people. Sláinte is an Irish and Scottish Gaelic word meaning “health” or “cheers.” Smydra is a sole practitioner with offices in Loup City and St. Paul. She is a member of the City Council in Loup City and is president of the Loup City Chamber of Commerce.
Former State Senator John P. Stinner of Gering was inducted into the Nebraska Chamber’s Nebraska Business Hall of Fame in January. A native of Pittsburgh, Stinner attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, playing on the Nebraska Cornhuskers National Championship football team in 1970 and 1971 while earning a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and a Master of Arts in Economics with a minor in accounting. Stinner earned his CPA license while at Peat, Marwick, Mitchell, now KPMG, in Lincoln. He later moved to the Nebraska Panhandle to start a bank, which has evolved into a major employer in the region today. Scotts Bluff County has been home to the Stinner family for nearly four decades. Stinner has served in leadership positions for dozens of civic and statewide organizations over the years, including chairman of the Nebraska Bankers Association. He was elected to the Nebraska Legislature in 2014, representing District 48, and served as chairman of the Appropriations Committee from 2017 to 2022. He and his wife Rita were honored with the 2023 Distinguished NEBRASKAlander Award. He has also received a State Arts Award and the Scottsbluff/Gering United Chamber of Commerce Visionary Superstar award. In 2023, the Nebraska Society of CPAs recognized Stinner with the Public Service Award.
Amy T. Sughroue, CPA has been promoted to tax director at Frankel LLC. Since joining the firm in 2007, Sughroue has specialized in individual tax, pass-through entities, and not-for-profit organizations. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and a Master of Accountancy from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Firms in the News
HBE LLP has been recognized as one of the Accounting MOVE Project’s 2024 Best Firms for Equity Leadership for the 10th consecutive year. With women holding 46% of leadership roles in the firm, HBE joins just 17 firms nationwide receiving this award.
