The Durham Museum Announces the Addition of Four New Board Members

The Durham Museum is pleased to announce the appointment of four community leaders to the Board of Directors.
-Avner M. Applbaum, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Valmont Industries
-Timothy R. Crockett, Chief Operating Officer, HDR, Inc.
-Beverly Kracher, Ph.D., Robert B. Daugherty Endowed Chair in Business Ethics & Society, Creighton University
-Rodrigo Lopez, AmeriSphere Companies

“We are thrilled to have this group of community leaders as a part of the museum’s Board of Directors. As with most organizations, 2020 was both a difficult and yet immensely inspiring year. The entire Durham team is looking forward to the visionary leadership these board members provide as we continue to navigate the challenges ahead,” said Christi Janssen, Executive Director.

These four members start their official term this month, January 2021. In addition, four long-time board members completed their terms at the end of 2020.
-Art Burtscher, Chairman (Ret.), Westwood Holdings Group, Inc.
-Harlan Falk, Senior Vice President (Ret.), Great Western Bank
-Rex Fisher, Senior VP and Director of Corporate Communications, HDR, Inc.
-Tommie Thompson, Mutual of Omaha (Ret.)

Avner Applbaum joined Valmont Industries in 2020 as executive vice president and chief financial officer. He is responsible for developing and implementing the company’s financial strategy. Avner oversees financial activities, including accounting and controllership, financial planning and analysis, tax, investor relations, internal audit and treasury. In addition, he leads the information technology function. Prior to joining Valmont, Avner held several CFO positions for private equity-backed companies and spent more than 15 years in senior financial and operational roles in publicly traded manufacturing companies, including Ametek, Belden and TE Connectivity (formerly Tyco Electronics). Earlier in his career, he worked for Ernst & Young. Avner has a proven track record of enhancing shareholder value, leveraging lean and technological advancements. His experience includes developing and deploying lean management systems and forecasting models to provide consistent, accurate and reliable information, supporting strategic decision making. Avner received his BA in accounting/economics from Bar-Ilan University in Israel and is a certified public accountant.

As chief operating officer, Timothy Crockett is responsible for the daily operations of HDR. He also serves on the HDR Board of Directors. Previously Tim was the Global Director of Operations for HDR. As operations leader, he drove growth, profitability and project delivery. He established goals and objectives for the business and developed strategies to help maintain HDR’s competitive position globally. Before that, Tim was the North Central Regional Director of Operations and NE/IA Area Manager for HDR. He has a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and a master’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Nebraska. He is a registered Professional Engineer. Since joining HDR, in 1994, Tim has over 25 years’ experience in domestic and global project management, multiple facets of civil engineering disciplines and organizational leadership.

Beverly Kracher, Ph.D., is the Founder, former CEO/Executive Director, and current Senior Ethicist at the Business Ethics Alliance whose purpose is to promote an environment in Omaha where the discussion and practice of business ethics is encouraged and expected. The Alliance’s community-based platform for busines ethics education is unique. Bev has driven the Alliance to be the most comprehensive and CEO-engaged business ethics networking group across the nation.
Bev holds the Robert B. Daugherty Endowed Chair in Business Ethics & Society in Heider College at Creighton University. She teaches graduate and undergraduate courses. Her research includes ethical decision making, behavioral ethics, and city-level business ethics and has been published in various academic journals, including Business Ethics Quarterly, Journal of Business Ethics, and Business & Society Review. She wrote an ethics column for 10 years for one of Omaha’s premier business publications, the B2B Magazine. She is co-author of the Ethinary, a common-sensical ethics dictionary. Bev is a frequent presenter and speaker including internationally in China, Bangladesh, Dominican Republic, Japan, England, Ethiopia, Poland, Kuwait, Greece, India, Uganda, among others. She serves on several boards including the Cary M. Maguire Center for Ethics in Financial Services at The American College, the Better Business Bureau, the Financial Hope Collaborative, Humanities Nebraska, and Firstar Fiber.
Bev was named one of the Top 100 Thought Leaders by Trust Across America. She has been vice-president for Plant Pros of Omaha, an interior plantscaping firm, for more than 20 years. She is a proud 1996 TOYO. In 2013, she was named the Omaha Business Woman of the Year by the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce. In 2020 she has been awarded the MBJ Woman of Distinction Award. A native Nebraskan and farmer’s daughter, she has deep roots in our state and city.

Rodrigo López, CMB, is a Certified Mortgage Banker who brings a strong background in finance and who has devoted decades to community service in Omaha. Offering over 30 years of experience in the financial services industry, López has held many roles of leadership. In 1997, he founded AmeriSphere Multifamily Finance, LLC, to provide capital solutions for the multi-family rental housing industry. López became the Executive Chairman for NorthMarq Capital, LLC, in 2015, when the company acquired AmeriSphere Multifamily Finance. In 2018, he was elected to serve as the Chairman of AmeriSphere Companies, LLC, which is engaged in commercial real estate investment and development. From July 2019 through September, he also served as interim president and CEO of Children’s Hospital & Medical Center.

In addition to his passion for building commercial and institutional projects, López demonstrates a passion for volunteering in the greater Omaha community. He currently serves on the boards of multiple nonprofit organizations within the human services, healthcare, housing, government, education, and arts and humanities fields. He and his wife Mary were recently named “Citizens of the Year” during the United Way of the Midlands’ virtual annual meeting. The “Citizen of the Year” Award is granted to a citizen of the Omaha community for his or her efforts in the United Way and other volunteer endeavors dedicated to the present and future social well-being of the community.