clients in Montana for seven years before returning to Nebraska in 2015. She worked at McDermott & Miller and KSO CPAs in Kearney, Neb., before joining Woods & Durham. Today, she specializes in small business and individual taxation, with an emphasis on agricultural enterprises. Eckhout is a graduate of the AICPA Leadership Academy and serves on the AICPA Individual and Self-Employed Tax Technical Resource Panel. She has been active locally, volunteering as treasurer of the Helena (Mont.) Area Habitat for Humanity, on the Kearney Area Children’s Museum Board and Finance Committee, as president of the Council of Catholic Women at St. John Capistran in Amherst, Neb., and currently as chairman of the Amherst PTO. Eckhout has served on the Society’s Taxation Committee for eight years, presently as vice chairman. She also has been involved with the Women in Accounting Committee, the PTET Working Group, and the Accounting Recruitment Campaign Task Force. She and her husband, Evan, have a daughter, Ember, and two sons, Barrett and Lane. CHAIRMAN-ELECT Justin M. Hope, CPA, FHFMA, is a partner at Eide Bailly LLP in Elkhorn, Neb. He graduated from Midland University in Fremont, Neb., with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, with an emphasis in accounting and economics. With more than two decades of experience serving nonprofit and healthcare organizations, Hope is recognized as a Fellow of the Healthcare Financial Management Association (FHFMA). He currently serves as certification co-chair for the Nebraska Chapter of HFMA. In addition, he volunteers as treasurer of Omaha Rodeo Inc. Hope is a graduate of the Nebraska Society’s Leadership Academy and has served on the Society’s Not-For-Profit Committee for 16 years. He and his wife, Meghan, have two daughters, Margaret and Elizabeth. SECRETARY Heather E. Barr, CPA, of Liberty, Neb., has been the controller at Endicott Clay Products Co. in Endicott, Neb., since 2017. She earned a Master of Professional Accountancy from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2007. Barr began her career in public accounting at Kennedy and Coe LLC (now Pinion) in Salina, Kan. She also held accounting positions at Saint Francis Community Services in Salina, The Salina Country Club, and the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma prior to making the move to Endicott. She is presently chairman of the Nebraska Society of CPAs’ Business & Industry Committee and is a graduate of the Nebraska Society’s Leadership Academy. She and her husband Lee, a farmer, have three children, Brooklyn, Logan, and Landon. TREASURER Grant H. Buckley, CPA, is a partner and fourth-generation accounting professional with Buckley & Sitzman LLP in Lincoln, Neb. He joined the firm in 2013 after spending three years with Deloitte & Touche LLP. Buckley graduated with highest distinction from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, earning a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in accounting, with minors in finance and sociology. He also received a Master of Professional Accountancy, with highest distinction, from UNL. Buckley is a board member and treasurer for the Community Action Partnership of Lancaster and Saunders Counties and also has served on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln School of Accountancy Junior Advisory Board. His wife, Kelsey, is a dentist and together they have two daughters, Libby and Claire. NEW DIRECTOR Mark F. Duren, CPA, is a business consultant and former managing shareholder of Lutz in Omaha, Neb. He began his career in 1985, joined Lutz in 1992, and has been a member of the Nebraska Society of CPAs for 37 years. As managing shareholder from 2015 to May 2025 and a longtime member of the firm’s board of directors, Duren plays a pivotal role in shaping Lutz’s strategic direction. Under his leadership, the firm doubled its workforce, grew into Nebraska’s largest accounting and business solutions provider, and consistently ranked among the nation’s Top 100 firms and “Best Places to Work.” Today, Duren continues to support the firm’s leadership and business development efforts while mentoring the next generation. He serves on the Greater Omaha Chamber Board of Directors, the Legislative Committee for the Associated General Contractors (AGC) – Nebraska Chapter, and as honorary chairman of Skutt Catholic High School. This year, he was named to Forbes’ inaugural Best-in-State CPAs list. He and his wife, Johna, live in Bennington, Neb. Outside the office, he enjoys boating, hunting, working out, and spending time with their four children and growing families. Photos of all members of the Nebraska Society of CPAs Board of Directors may be found on page 10. THANK YOU! We also extend our sincere gratitude to the following individuals whose terms on the Society Board of Directors have come to an end: Kelly J. Martinson, CPA, and Shari A. Munro, CPA. Martinson has served two terms on the Society Board; she was secretary from 2018-2020 and chairman of the board in 2023-2024. She also has been a part of the Society’s CPA Exam Task Force and the Women in Accounting Committee since its inception in 2022. Munro has served on the Society Board for four terms, was secretary of the board from 2014-2015, treasurer from 2015-2019, chairman in 2019-2020, and AICPA elected representative from 2022-2025. She was instrumental in establishing the Women in Accounting Summit, serving as chairman of the committee, and was most recently part of the CPA Licensure Task Force. In 2024, she received the Society’s Distinguished Service to the Profession Award. Guided by the vision of past leaders, today’s dedicated leaders now carry the torch—looking ahead with confidence and moving the profession forward, together. Joni Sundquist is president and executive director of the Nebraska Society of CPAs. You may contact her at (402) 476-8482 or joni@nescpa.org. 9 nescpa.org
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