The Nebraska Board of Public Accountancy recently elected Marcy J. Luth, CPA, of Grand Island, as chairman of the board. Luth is a shareholder with the CPA firm AMGL, PC, in Grand Island. She is a graduate of Hastings College and earned a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Nebraska at Kearney. A member of the Nebraska Society of CPAs for the past 29 years, Luth served on the Society’s Board of Directors from 2010-2013 and has been a member of the Society’s Governmental Accounting and Auditing Committee for the past 26 years, serving as vice chairman or chairman of that committee for many of those years. She is currently chairman of the State Board’s Education & Examination Committee and is a member of the State Board’s Executive and Licensing Committees. She served as secretary of the State Board for five years and as vice chairman last year. Luth has been serving on the State Board since 2013.
Melissa R. Ruff, CPA, of Lincoln, was recently elected vice chairman of the State Board. Ruff is an audit managing director with Deloitte & Touche LLP and has more than 20 years of experience providing audit services. She graduated from the University of Nebraska at Kearney with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, with an emphasis in accounting. She is also a graduate of Leadership Lincoln. Ruff has been a member of the Nebraska Society of CPAs for 21 years. She is currently chairman of the State Board’s Enforcement Committee and is a member of the State Board’s Executive and CPE Committees. She has previously served as State Board secretary and been serving on the State Board since 2019.
Christi L. Olsen, CPA, of Omaha, was elected secretary of the State Board. Olsen is a member of Circle CPA LLC in Omaha and has been practicing public accounting since 1989. She has been a member of the Nebraska Society of CPAs for 31 years, serving on the Society Board of Directors from 2016-2019. She has been serving on the Society’s Taxation Committee for the past five years and has also been on the Society’s Ethics Committee and Industry Committee, among others. Olsen is also past chairman of the Foundation of the Accounting and Financial Women’s Alliance (AFWA). She is a graduate of the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Olsen is chairman of the State Board’s CPE Committee and is a member of the State Board’s Executive and Education & Examination Committees. She has been serving on the State Board since 2020.
At the Sept. 10, 2021, meeting, Luth made the following State Board committee appointments for the 2021-2022 term:
- Executive: Marcy Luth, Chairman; Melissa Ruff, Vice Chairman; Christi Olsen, Secretary
- Legislative: Marcy Luth, Chairman; Melissa Ruff
- Enforcement: Melissa Ruff, Chairman
- Licensing: Ken Brauer, Chairman; Marcy Luth; Jeff Kanger; New Member*
- CPE: Christi Olsen, Chairman; Mark Manning; Melissa Ruff; New Member*
- Education & Exam: Marcy Luth, Chairman; Ken Brauer; Christi Olsen; New Member*
- Peer Review: Mark Manning, Chairman; Jeff Kanger; New Member*
* It is anticipated new State Board members will be appointed by Governor Pete Ricketts.
In addition, the State Board recognized and issued service awards at the meeting to Dr. Thomas Purcell, CPA, and Glen Waltemath, CPA, for their respective eight years of service on the State Board. Dr. Purcell also received an award for his service as chairman of the board.
The Nebraska State Board of Public Accountancy administers public accountancy law in Nebraska. Six of the eight board members are certified public accountants with active permits to practice and two are members of the public. Information about licensed CPAs can be obtained at www.nbpa.ne.gov.
Dan Sweetwood is executive director of the Nebraska Board of Public Accountancy. You may contact him at (402) 471-3595 or dan.sweetwood@nebraska.gov. You may also contact Kristen VanWinkle, administrator of the State Board, at kristen.vanwinkle@nebraska.gov.
