More about the 2024 CAP® Class
Tessa Barney is a Senior Advisor at the Omaha Community Foundation. She works with individuals, families, and foundations to carry out their philanthropic vision and goals. She has sixteen years of professional experience in the nonprofit sector, including major gift fundraising, volunteer engagement, strategic grantmaking, foundation administration, and facilitation. Tessa is a 21/64 Certified Advisor and member of Women Investing in Nebraska and the Omaha Venture Group. Outside of work, Tessa and her husband, Adam, enjoy supporting the interests of their four children, from soccer to baseball to regular visits to Omaha Public Library branches.
Matt Boyd serves Bridges Trust as Vice President of Philanthropy Services. His responsibilities include working closely with Bridges’ Relationship Managers and their clients, overseeing various facets of philanthropy including governance, research, education, planning and implementation. Matt holds a Journalism degree from the University of Nebraska and an MBA with an emphasis in Strategic Management from DePaul University. Matt is a board member for Leadership Nebraska and Teammates of Millard, where he also helps to provide mentorships and other support to young individuals. He also serves as a mentor within the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s College of Business MBA program.
Wayne Brown has served as the President and CEO of the Urban League of Nebraska since 2022. Previously he was the Vice President of Programs for five years. A native of Omaha, Brown graduated from Benson High School before serving in the Army for 10 years. He graduated Magna Cum Laude from East Tennessee State University and earned his law degree from Creighton University School of Law. He worked as the Chief Career Officer of the Avenue Scholars Foundation and the Vice President of the Omaha Community Foundation. He serves on the boards of the Metro Continuum of Care, Nebraska Early Childhood Collaborative, and the House of Afros, Capes & Curls. He is married to Dr. Nichelle Horton-Brown and is the proud father of three children.
Andy Deaver is a partner at Abrahams Kaslow & Cassman. His focus is on business law, estate planning, and probate law. He received his bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Dordt University and received his law degree from the Creighton University School of Law. Professionally, Andy is a member of the Academy of Special Needs Planners, the Meritas Emerging Leaders Advisory Board, and the Meritas US Leadership Committee. Being active in the community is important to Andy; he serves as a member of the Omaha Estate Planning Council, Omaha Networking Professionals, the Greater Omaha Chamber Membership Council, and the Association for Corporate Growth. He also serves on the boards of the Duet Foundation and Sheltering Tree.
Dr. Bradley Ekwerekwu (eck-where-eck-woo) is the President of Jesuit Academy, a faith-based educational institution aimed at supporting young men in grades 4-8. “Dr. Brad” relies on personal discipline, attention to detail, and teamwork to positively impact the community by combating the effects of poverty and resulting inequities. Serving on local boards allows him the platform to bring awareness to many issues, influence and provide educational opportunities, as well as sustain community activation efforts.
Courtney Foltz represents large corporations, small businesses, corporate fiduciaries, and charitable institutions across several industries in her work as an attorney at McGrath North. In addition, Courtney works with individuals and families to create custom estate plans and implement sophisticated wealth transfer techniques to help protect and enhance family legacies. Her practice focuses on federal tax planning, business succession, estate planning, nonprofit governance, charitable giving, probate and trust administration, and business entity structuring.
Robert Forrest is a dedicated Certified Financial Planner™ at Morgan Stanley with a rich background in business and vocational ministry. A graduate of Creighton University, Bob further enriched his understanding and passion for serving others by completing a two-year Bible school program, followed by two years of hands-on experience in full-time vocational ministry before entering finance in 2015. With a deep commitment to philanthropy and community service through his business and local church, Bob applies his professional skills to make a meaningful impact in the lives of others. Alongside his professional pursuits, Bob enjoys a fulfilling personal life with his wife, Katie, their newborn daughter, Riley.
Cory Garlock has been an integral part of The Garlock Group, part of RBG Wealth Management, for over a decade. He joined the team after graduating from Texas Christian University with a double major in economics and political science and a minor in mathematics. Cory earned his CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ certification, as well as his Retirement Income Certified Professional certification through the American College. He was selected as a 2020 recipient of the Midlands Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 Award. In 2018, Cory received the RBC Global Citizen Award for his work in the local Omaha community. Cory’s current philanthropic efforts are focused on the Effective Altruism and Giving What We Can movements. He is an Ironman, ultra-marathoner, runner, and meditator, and enjoys traveling in his free time.
Susan Gnann brings over 25 years of for-profit and nonprofit experience to the St. John Paul II Newman Center and the Sacred Heart Consulting team. Her passion for young people and the church drives her desire to help build sustainable fundraising programs to ensure these college ministries thrive long into the future. A strong donor-focused approach and relational fundraising has enabled the Newman Center to grow significantly in her 4.5 years as director of advancement. Susan has a degree in Industrial Engineering from Purdue University with a focus on how people interact with processes and technology. She currently serves as the board secretary for Essential Pregnancy Center in Omaha and as an Ambassador for the Cloisters on the Platte. Her interests include cooking, tennis, and reading. Susan lives in Omaha with her husband Sidney and college-aged sons Henry and Charlie.
Megan Koziol is a Tax Senior Manager and has been with Eide Bailly for more than 10 years. She specializes in providing tax compliance and planning services to tax-exempt organizations as well as large multi-state businesses and individuals. She has extensive experience with IRS Form 990 and enjoys assisting nonprofit organizations with their tax reporting needs.
Justin Korth is a tax director at Lutz. He earned accounting and finance degrees from the University of Nebraska at Omaha in 2017. Justin serves as Lutz’s tax department head and oversees operations for the CPA firm which includes two offices in India. Growing up in a family agricultural business, Justin specializes in serving closely held businesses and high-net-worth individuals with tax compliance and consulting. He and his wife, Natalie, have a daughter, Hattie.
Nathan Patterson is an attorney in the Estate, Business Succession, and Tax Department at Koley Jessen. He works closely with each client and their team of advisors to implement estate, business succession, wealth and tax planning to ensure each client accomplishes their personal and financial objectives, and leaves a lasting legacy. With hands-on experience operating and managing a family farm, he also provides “boots on the ground” expertise to agriculture clients and family businesses on planning matters specific to the ag industry.
Brady Suftin joined D.A. Davidson in 2022 as a Financial Advisor. Previously he earned his CCPA License working in Audit at KPMG and Tax at Lutz. He also worked at SilverStone Group in employee benefit consulting. Combining all three areas, he was able to gain broad experience that provides him insights and connections to many of the challenges facing clients, families, and business owners today. He uses those experiences to provide consultative solutions to the people he and his team works with today. A native of Omaha, Brady enjoys spending time with his wife, Sarah, and their friends and family. He is a graduate of the University of Nebraska at Omaha, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting.
Derek Sutton is a Certified Public Accountant and currently serves as a senior tax manager at RSM. He has worked in public accounting for more than 8 years. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and master’s degree in Professional Accountancy. Prior to joining RSM, Derek worked with a Big Four public accounting firm for the first five years of his career. Throughout his career Derek has focused on providing exceptional tax compliance and consulting services to a variety of public and private multistate entities in the asset management, consumer products, financial institutions, insurance, manufacturing, private equity, real estate, staffing, technology, and transportation industries. Derek also works with several ultra-high-net-worth individuals and family offices.
Lisa Wellendorf serves as Senior Vice President and Trust Manager at Core Bank, working with high-net-worth clients to meet their estate planning, estate administration, and wealth management goals. Lisa holds a Juris Doctor degree from the Creighton University School of Law and is a member of the Nebraska and Omaha Bar Associations. She has served as board President for Essential Pregnancy Services, on the Archdiocese of Omaha Legacy Planning Committee, and the Development Board at Christ the King Catholic Church. She has also served at Creighton Preparatory and Duchesne Academy, and Jesuit Partnership Council of Omaha. Lisa credits her years of staying home and raising four children as the foundation for her dedication and compassion to serving clients and families.
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