OUTSTANDING CPA IN BUSINESS & INDUSTRY AWARD Edward T. Regan TODAY, NEARLY HALF OF THE SOCIETY’S members do not practice public accounting but instead have careers as educators, in government, or in a variety of capacities in business and industry in Nebraska. One of those outstanding Society members is Edward T. Regan, who is the recipient of the Society’s 2025 Outstanding CPA in Business and Industry Award—an honor he received shortly before his passing on Nov. 8, 2025. Although Ed left public accounting in 1969, he continued to apply the knowledge and expertise he acquired during that time to become one of Nebraska’s most respected wealth management advisors. Early in his career, he combed through SEC 10K reports to identify some investment opportunities, applying the analytical skills he gained through accounting—skills he continued to use in evaluating investment managers. Over the years, he served a broad range of investment clients, assisted their CPAs, and shared his knowledge with schools and nonprofits as chairman, board president, board member, treasurer, and investment committee member. Ed earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Creighton University in 1960, passing the CPA exam before graduation. In college, he worked for Brandeis, first in the men’s clothing department and later in the accounting department. After graduation, he became Brandeis’ internal auditor and soon joined Haskin & Sells (now Deloitte) in Omaha, Neb., as an audit department staff accountant. He practiced public accounting for 10 years, holding audit positions with accounting firms in Omaha, Neb., Nebraska City, Neb., and Mankato, Minn. During this time, he specialized in electric utilities, providing services to small and large businesses including OPPD. In 1969, he left public accounting and joined Dean Witter’s investment training program in San Francisco. This launched a 56-year career in Omaha with firms including Dean Witter; Chiles, Heider & Co.; Dain, Kalman & Quail; Robert W. Baird; Kemper Securities; and First Securities. In 1979, he opened the Omaha branch of EF Hutton, which later became Lehman Brothers’ Securities. As EF Hutton’s Omaha branch manager, he helped some major corporations go public. Ed was a member of the first class to earn the Certified Investment Management Analyst (CIMA) designation from The Wharton School of Business at Penn State. This distinction required extensive graduate-level coursework and examination. He helped found the Investment Management Consultants Association (IMCA, now known as the Investment & Wealth Institute, IWI) and also chaired the continuing education classes required to maintain the CIMA designation. IMCA recognized him twice for his significant contributions to the industry. In 2000, alongside his son Pat, he co-founded The Regan Group Inc., a wealth management consulting firm specializing in separate account management. Until his passing, Ed continued to assist clients at the Regan Group and prepared the firm’s monthly market newsletter, analyzing economic data and investment trends. 2025 AWARD WINNERS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 19 20 Nebraska CPA
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