Four honored as CBA Distinguished Alumni
UNO's
College of Business Administration honored four alumni at its 2007
Distinguished Achievement Award luncheon in May. Of 18,000 CBA alumni, only 69
have received this award. Profiles of this year's honorees follow.
Donald E. Deter
President and Owner, Deter Motor Company
Don Deter
received his bachelor of science degree in business administration from the
University of Omaha in 1952. After working for Buick Motor Division in Omaha
and as sales manager for Salsness Buick in Sioux City, Iowa, Deter acquired the
Chevrolet and Buick franchises in Atlantic, Iowa, in 1964. He obtained the
Pontiac, Oldsmobile and Cadillac franchises in 1983 and added the Chrysler,
Dodge and Jeep franchises in 1992.
Deter was
a director for the Iowa Auto Dealers Association and was on the board of
Midwest Warehouse in Des Moines. He served on the General Motors Dealer Council
and has been a member of dealer advertising boards for Chevrolet, Buick and
Oldsmobile. He is a member of the Cass County Memorial Hospital Foundation
board and has served on many local community boards.
Deter and
his wife, Jane, have three children and three grandchildren. Born in Omaha, he
was raised in Sarpy County, Neb., and graduated from Papillion High School. He
also served with the United States Marine Corps.
Managing Shareholder, Darst & Associates
David
Emry earned his BSBA from UNO in 1970. He began his accounting career in 1968,
became partner with Ken Johnson & Co. in 1976 and merged that firm with
Darst & Associates in 1981. He has served as managing shareholder for a
number of years and has overseen the tremendous growth of the firm.
Emry
provides accounting, auditing, tax compliance and planning services for clients
in a variety of areas. A growing percentage of his work focuses on technology
consulting and includes systems analysis to assure that clients receive the
information they need.
Emry is
actively involved in both professional and community activities, including
service as president of the Nebraska Society of Certified Public Accountants,
which honored him with its Distinguished Service to the Profession Award in
1996. Emry also is a past council member, AICPA. He received the Melvin Jones
Fellowship Award in 1997 from the Lions Club International. He also has
volunteered with the Shriners and with the youth group at his church.
Emry is
married and has two grown children and two grandchildren. He grew up in
Fremont, Neb., and is a graduate of Fremont High School.
Private Investor
Clifford
Hayes transferred to the University of Omaha from Cornell College and earned
his degree with a major in finance in 1965.
Hayes was
a principal in Chiles, Heider & Co. Inc. where he was a vice president of
securities trading and a member of the board of directors. He was a registered
investment adviser, registered option principal and a member of the Chicago
Board of Options before becoming a private investor. A thorough researcher and
highly sought-after investment analyst, he was a personal broker for Warren
Buffett for several years.
Hayes
served on the boards of Travel and Transport Co. and Happy Hollow Club in
Omaha, and of Esplanade condominium in Naples, Fla., where he and his wife,
Meredith, spend a portion of their time.
Hayes was
born and raised in Atlantic, Iowa, and graduated from Atlantic Public Schools.
Vice President and Chief Nuclear Officer, OPPD
Ross
Ridenoure earned undergraduate degrees in sociology and nuclear engineering
technology from Excelsior College, and an MBA (Executive program) from the
University of Nebraska at Omaha in 2002.
Ridenoure
was named vice president and chief nuclear officer for the Omaha Public Power
District's (OPPD) Fort Calhoun Nuclear Station in 2003. He holds an senior
reactor operator (SRO) license or certification on three of the four types of
nuclear power plants operating in the United States. Ridenoure joined OPPD
operations in 1989 after serving as a nuclear training instructor at the
Clinton Nuclear Station and, previously, as nuclear training engineer at the
Zion and Braidwood Nuclear Stations for Westinghouse.
Ridenoure
recently retired from the U.S. Navy after nearly 29 years of service. His eight
years of active duty were spent as a submarine nuclear reactor prototype
instructor and on a nuclear power fleet ballistic missile submarine. He was
active in the Naval Reserves at the U.S. Strategic Command at Offutt Air Force
Base until retirement in 2005.
Active in
the community, Mr. Ridenoure serves on CBA's national advisory board.
