Pub. 3 2021 Issue 1

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE BY JONI SUNDQUIST, NEBRASKA SOCIETY OF CPAS LEGISLATION, TASK FORCES & CPE PLANNING TAKE THE FOREFRONT The Society Executive Committee and Board of Directors held their f irst meetings of 2021 via Zoom on January 5, with Chairman Ryan Burger of Gabriel, Burger&Else, CPA, PC inSeward presiding. Megan Holt Joins Society Board Chairman Burger welcomed Megan Holt of Omaha to the Society Board. Holt was elected to fill a vacancy on the board and will be eligible for reelection in October during the Society’s Annual Meeting. She began her career in KPMG’s audit practice and served clients in the banking, asset management, and insurance industries for six years before joiningMutual of Omaha in 2016. At Mutual of Omaha, she held roles in technical accounting, internal controls, and financial riskmanagement before accepting her current position as risk management director in Mutual of Omaha’s Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) operation. In this role, Holt is responsible for monitoring and oversight of emerging and strategic risks facing the company. She is also an active member of Mutual of Omaha’s Financial Development Program (FDP) Leadership Team, where she supports the coordinat ion, management , and recruitment of FDP interns and associates, leadership of outreach efforts at local high schools and universities, and creation and maintenance of a competitive finance and accounting talent development program. Holt received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Nebraska at Omaha in December 2009. She earned her CPA designation in 2010 and is actively involved in theNebraska Societyof CPAs as amember of the Accounting Careers Committee and facilitator of the accounting mentorship program. Holt also serves as a member of the board of directors for Live OnNebraska, an independent, non-profit organization dedicated to saving and heal ing l ives through organ, tissue, and eye donation. Budget Finalized During the meeting, the Society Board reviewed the approximately $1.15 million preliminary Society budget for 2021-2022. There will be no increase in membership dues this coming year. The final version of the budget will be reviewed by the Society’s Executive Committee in late March prior to the Society’s new fiscal year, which begins April 1. In anticipation of the new fiscal year, Member Profiles and CPE Transcripts have been either emailed ormailed to allmembers; Member Dues Statements will be emailed/ mailed before April 1. Inaddition, theSocietyExecutiveCommittee and Board approved 13 Societymembership applications and approved recommendations by theAwards SelectionCommittee to honor four outstanding Societymembers during the 2021 Annual Meeting. Society Vice President Kelly Ebert presented the Board with a report regarding the Society’s 2020 Continuing Professional Education (CPE) programs; nearly 90 courses and conferences were held with a total of 2,549 registrants—an excellent year, particularly in light of the ongoing pandemic and the fact that all in-person programming was converted to webcast during the past year. The Society will continue offering all formal CPE via webcast through the end of July and will assess the feasibility of moving to live in-person events after that time. The Fall Conference & Annual Meeting is scheduled to be held in-person on Thursday, October 28, and Friday, October 29, at the Embassy Suites Conference Center in La Vista. Chapter 5 Rules of Professional Conduct Task Force Formed A Chapter 5 Rules of Professional Conduct Task Force, led by the Nebraska Board of Public Accountancy, has been formed this year to review Chapter 5, the Rules of Professional Conduct, adopted pursuant to the provisions of Section 1-112 of the Nebraska Board of Public Accountancy Act, Title 288. Discussion will center on whether Nebraska should adopt the AICPA Code of Professional Conduct; Nebraska is one of 17 states that has not adopted the AICPA Code. Members of the task force will include representatives from the State Board and the Nebraska Society as follows: • Chairman: Dr. Thomas Purcell, CPA, State Board Chairman • Vice Chairman: Dan Davis, CPA, Society Ethics Committee Chairman • Melissa Ruff, CPA, State Board Enforcement Chairman • Rand Hansen, CPA, Society Ethics Committee Member • Michele “Shel ly” Stromp, CPA, Former State Board Enforcement Chairman • Joni Sundquist, Society President • Dan Swee twood, St ate Boa rd Executive Director • Kristen VanWinkle, State Board Administrator • JimTitus, Esq., State BoardAttorney CPA Firm Ownership Task Force Created Yet another task force, the CPA Firm Ownership Task Force, has been formed this year to examine limitations on non- CPA ownership of CPA firms found in the J A N U A R Y / F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 1 6 nebraska cpas