On February 11, the Omaha Community Foundation celebrated the 2025 class of Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy (CAP®) graduates, welcoming a new group of leaders into one of the strongest philanthropic networks in the country.
The CAP® program, offered through The American College of Financial Services, brings together financial advisors, attorneys, nonprofit leaders, accountants and other professionals who share a commitment to thoughtful charitable planning. With this year’s graduates, Omaha’s CAP alumni network now approaches nearly 200 members, the largest concentration of CAP graduates anywhere in the United States. Together, they continue to shape a community known for generosity, collaboration and bold ideas.
Vanessa Denney, Vice President of Donor and Philanthropic Services at the Omaha Community Foundation, noted that in 2025, OCF distributed $315 million in grants, often in partnership with advisors and professionals across the region.
“The nearly 200 CAP graduates you join today shows our collective dedication to building a strong network rooted in philanthropy, partnership and forward momentum,” she shared. “You’ve had a front row seat to the generosity and innovation happening within our region, and now you are equipped to help fuel philanthropy even more.”
Mark Weber, who has led the CAP program study group locally for 15 years in partnership with the Foundation, reflected on utilizing the program, the people, and the Foundation in their financial work.
“You get a different perspective on the community through CAP,” Weber said. “OCF is highly respected across the country and is an invaluable resource. If you don’t utilize your relationship with the community foundation, you are missing out as a financial professional.”
Throughout the ceremony, graduates reflected on how the program reshaped their work.
Reflecting on the value of cross-sector learning, Michael Rickert of Guinan O’Siochain Law Group said, “Learning about the challenges nonprofit fundraisers face opened the door to understanding how to better partner with charitable organizations.”
For nonprofit leaders in the class, the cross-sector learning was equally powerful. Jeremy Bouman, CEO and founder of the nonprofit RISE, reflected on the depth of expertise in the room. “The expertise in our class is off the charts,” he said. “Hearing how tax and financial planning professionals use their expertise to create transformational giving broadened my understanding of what is possible.”
From conversations over coffee to coursework on tax strategy and charitable vehicles, this year’s graduates leave not only with a designation, but with a deeper understanding of how philanthropy intersects with planning, purpose and partnership.
Congratulations to the 2025 CAP® Graduates:
- Craig W. Benson – Lamson Dugan & Murray LLP
- Jeremy Bouman – RISE
- Jim Clements – HomeWoven
- Justin Frauendorfer, CPA, CFE, CVA, CAP – Bland & Associates, P.C.
- Ia Hagan, CFP®, CDFA®, CAP® – Baird Wealth Management, LLC
- Cortney Hansen – Creighton University
- Sue Kutschkau – University of Nebraska Foundation
- Jerry O’Doherty, – Eide Bailly LLP
- Zach Petersen – Dvorak Law Group, LLC
- Michael Rickert – Guinan O’Siochain Law Group
- Barbara Rizvi – FNBO
- Brooke Kavan Smithberg, JD, AEP®, CAP® – Bridges Trust
- Emily Sulzle, CAP® CFRE – University of Nebraska Foundation
- Justin Vossen, CFP®, CAP® – Lutz
- Katie Vogel – Truhlsen & Vogel Estate Planning
- Sarah Henneman Willson – Spectrum Financial Services
As Omaha continues to punch above its weight philanthropically, this growing network of CAP professionals will play an essential role in shaping the future of charitable giving in our community.