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WEITZ A Tribute to Walter Scott Jr A Lasting Legacy The Alliance s First Ethics Cadre Ethics DEI Philanthropy

Governing Board Executive Committee David Mayer Chair Dvorak Law Group Mark Pohl Vice Chair OPPD Steve Koesters Treasurer Fusion Medical Staffing Founding Partners Bob Bates Emeritus Jefferson Pilot Insurance David Brown Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce James Hegarty Better Business Bureau Anthony Hendrickson PhD Creighton University IN THIS ISSUE ON THE COVER 9 ETHICS DEI PHILANTHROPY Katie Weitz Weitz Family Foundation 4 A NOTE FROM THE TRUSTEE CHAIR 5 ETHICAL OMAHA PROJECT 6 A NOTE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR 7 ETHICSPACE CONFERENCE 2021 11 FIVE WAYS TO BE AN ETHICAL LEADER 13 FALL EXECUTIVE BREAKFAST 15 TRIBUTE TO WALTER SCOTT JR 18 BUSINESS ETHICS CADRE Lance Fritz Union Pacfic Valued Respected Appreciated Heard Members Luke Christiansen Linda Lovgren Buildertrend Emspace Lovegren Joel Falk Chad Mares UMB Bank Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce Allen Fredrickson Signature Performance Madeline Moyer Security National Bank Dale Gubbels Firstar Fiber Christine Neuharth Union Pacfic Keith Station City of Omaha Daniel Padilla Mayor s Office Lending Link Joe Woester Chad Richter Blue Cross Blue Jackson Lewis Shield Nebraska 2500 California Ave Harper Center Suite 3029 Omaha NE 68178 402 280 2235 www businessethicsalliance org Michael Robinson Business Ethics Alliance Driving a more ethical Omaha business community James Richmond Author of Culture Spark Corporate Social Responsibility A LASTING LEGACY Get to know the Cadre Team

TRUSTEE CREEDO As Trustees we are nominated for our demonstrated excellence in business ethics leadership A Trustee s primary responsibility is to serve as a beacon for good business ethics and through our commitment we send the message that ethics matter Business Ethics Alliance Trustees shall be Ambassadors Advocates and Supporters

THE BEACON QUARTER 3 2021 LANCE FRITZ CHAIR OF TRUSTEES I M PROUD TO SAY THE SEA HAS SETTLED AND A MUCH CLEARER ROUTE IS BEING CHARTED Dear Friends The last time you heard from me the Business Ethics Alliance was navigating a sea of change I m proud to say the sea has settled and a much clearer route is being charted I m happy to share that a more structured engaged and improved Trustee program is on the horizon Michael and the team at the Alliance have worked tirelessly to continue building on the foundation based on your feedback While we are focused on the future I encourage you to read the article on the 2020 census Whether we realize it or not the information put out by the census impacts our businesses and community Speaking of community the Alliance relies on the input and support of the Trustees so I look forward to seeing you at the Annual Trustee Meeting where the Alliance will give updates about 2022 s programming and events I m very encouraged by what the Alliance has planned for next year and anticipate a great year of Trustee engagement Part of that feedback has been the expressed desire to return to in person events Hopefully you had an opportunity to attend the in person Fall Executive Breakfast hosted by fellow Trustee organization Kiewit The event featured a powerhouse panel moderated by Kiewit s own Haley Armstrong Senior Communications SpecialistExternal Affairs The practical tips and tools shared at events like this are what the Alliance has become well known for which brings me to the upcoming EthicSpace Conference and Trustee Annual Meeting This year s conference will be hosted online and in person The theme Your Company Our Community All of Our Responsibility is the perfect precursor to the Alliance s 2022 programs and events PAGE 4 Lance Fritz President Chairman and CEO Union Pacific Railroad

Ethical Omaha Where EVERYONE feels valued respected appreciated and heard How are you helping to build a more ethical Omaha ethicalomaha

THE BEACON QUARTER 3 2021 EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR CEO Dear Friends of the Alliance This past quarter the Alliance has placed a significant emphasis on being more efficient while fulfilling our mission We are focused on getting Back to the Basics about business ethics education partnerships and trustee engagement We are not only an Alliance but a community of businesses who share insight and explore better ways to do business ethically Today more than ever we are faced with choices and dilemmas that can divide us Our communities are in a continuous state of change and the need for ethical cultures and decision making has never been greater Our team at the Alliance looks forward to sustaining relationships and culture because every business faces challenges but we are here to help them realize the opportunities through an ethical lens PAGE 6 Whether we are faced with good or bad times business ethics will always be about relationships and good decision making We continue to make many strides in diversifying our funding from corporate support grants and trustee organizations or a combination of all three Thanks for your continued support in creating a more Ethical Omaha I Iook forward to seeing you at this year s EthicSpace Conference Sincerely Michael Robinson M S

In Person or Online November 9 2021 KENYONSALO Keynote This year s theme YOUR COMPANY OUR COMMUNITY ALL OF OUR RESPONSIBILITY Our goals for this year s EthicSpace Conference To understand how every company plays a role no matter the size To define our community impact no matter the industry To know how every individual plays a role no matter their position Joe Gerstandt Breakout Sessions Lead With Trust Raising Your Emotional Intelligence EQ Conversations with a CEO Environmental Social Governance ESG Best Practices for a New Era Program Inclusion What Do You Offer REGISTRATION ENDS NOVEMBER 2 2021 Tiffany Adams Breakout Speaker Ken Blanchard Company For more information or to register visit ethicspace org Breakout Speaker Inclusion Strategist Bobby Brumfield Breakout Speaker Leonum Advisors Craig Moody Breakout Speaker Verdis Group

FIVE WAYS TO BE AN ETHICAL LEADER Many leaders don t consider how much their employees watch what they do and learn from it But leaders are by definition role models and employees assume what they do is acceptable behavior Ethical leadership is not easy nor can it be broken down into simple steps Nonetheless there are five key behaviors I believe all ethical leaders demonstrate 1 Lead by example The phrase lead by example might be overused at times but it still rings true If you want to be an ethical leader start with self reflection What are behaviors and attributes of others that keep you up at night Are you prone to the same behaviors How do you make decisions do you focus primarily on the common good or what will serve you personally Your conduct is a clear message to your organization Employees will emulate what you do not what you say 2 Cultivate external awareness External awareness is the ability to think beyond our own personal universe to think about what we do and how it impacts other people and society as a whole WRITTEN BY Jason Richmond Founder and Chief Culture Officer of Ideal Outcomes Author of Culture Spark 5 Steps to Ignite and Sustain Organizational Growth PAGE 11 The Statement on the Purpose of a Corporation published by the Business Roundtable in August 2019 delineated five commitments to all of their stakeholders delivering value to our customers investing in our employees dealing fairly and ethically with our suppliers supporting the communities in which we work and generating long term value for shareholders Such a focus lays a powerful ethical foundation for any leader 3 Put others first Ethical leadership puts others first An excellent book on this subject is Simon Sinek s Leaders Eat Last Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don t His main message is that the buck stops at the leader s desk I love this quote You can easily judge the character of any man by how he treats those who can do nothing for him Think about your own relationships and why you choose to cultivate them Is it because of what they can do for you or who they are Or better what kind of person do they inspire you to be It has been shown time and time again that employees respect bosses who can admit their failings and not gloss over them They appreciate leaders who are transparent and not afraid to acknowledge their shortcomings 4 Hold yourself accountable Ethical leaders draw a line in the sand regarding their own behavior and the behavior of others They do not fingerpoint They do not blame others for their own errors and are willing to admit when they are wrong You can t expect accountability from others if you re not willing to impose it on yourself 5 Let your values be your guide Ethical leaders don t hedge when it comes to company values or moral decisions They are consistent and predictable when it comes to such decisions They do not take the easy way out and bend their ethical standards for convenience or expediency And they reflect on these values when they are faced with the tough calls Sure plenty of things in this complex world are gray but honoring others respecting others and demonstrating integrity are not You do it or you don t If you want to build an ethical business my advice is simple Model the way Speak often of your values and bring them to the forefront when making decisions Share your thinking Above all hire like minded leaders Don t make excuses for someone who is unethical but brings in the numbers The numbers will be forgotten How they were earned will never be

THE BEACON QUARTER 3 2021 ETHICS DEI PHILANTHROPY Q A WITH KATIE WEITZ What does business ethics mean to you Ethics means outward expression of the core values of the group and morality of the individuals inside the organization What is your idea of an ethical organization One where internal mission is clear and the staff believe they are able to make a difference and feel purpose There is compassion for the staff and their humanity is recognized The work that is done is done by fair and just means striving for win win solutions and the client receives high quality goods and services at fair prices Why did you join the Business Ethics Alliance Weitz Investment Management has been a member for as long as I can remember and growing up I always knew that integrity was crucial to the business My dad would always say We eat our own cooking meaning that if he didn t perform the clients would get in line behind my mom and us kids to reprimand him What are some of your most ethical qualities and why I make a lot of mistakes sometimes out of ignorance or thoughtlessness or perceived prudence or desire for efficiency and sometimes simply because what I want feels more important in the moment However I spend time reflecting and making things right when I can I believe integrity is central to my character PAGE 12 After graduating from Carleton College with a BA in Political Science Katie moved to Chicago and became a middle school teacher earning a M Ed from DePaul University She soon learned that the issues inside education were much broader than what happened in the classroom and returned to academia achieving a Ph D in Human Development and Social Policy Katie moved home to Omaha for a dream job at The Sherwood Foundation and spent six years there growing as a professional and as a person Taking what she learned there she has now turned her focus to her own family s foundation and is currently the Executive Director

PAGE 9 What are the ethical obligations of DEI in the workplace This is a blind spot for many organizations Sometimes people believe that just by saying or having open hiring practices they have gone far enough yes it is critical to post jobs in places where people with different perspectives will find it and feel comfortable applying I know that many places still hire by networking with those they know but even beyond that when people are working inside the company it must have an environment that appreciates the humanity of all their employees It is always hard to feel like an outsider and DEI means creating culture where there is psychological safety and acknowledgment by the majority of the culture to own the learning and language of inclusivity DEI also means not just looking around the table for different colors when hiring it means intentionally choosing your suppliers event venues and caterers print shops contracted accountants lawyers designers fix it people landscape property managers and on and on It means when presenting information you don t center majority culture So when listing race and ethnicity consider doing so alphabetically and consider the implications behind how you present your data check in with your clients or consumers does this accurately reflect what is happening Is it in a language they understand Have you ever had an issue of ethics arise in past positions Past present and likely future when I was teaching there were so many ethical challenges day in and day out and many times the question was can I keep going Am I doing what is right by my students or do they deserve better If I burn myself out will it have been in service of caring for this year s class or a disservice to future students I left teaching I couldn t do enough of what students needed and I made myself sick trying In philanthropy so many initiatives come up that have no basis in science or research we don t know what works How sensible is it to fund initiatives or agencies that are working to make change in their community where the outcomes aren t as easy to see as test scores I believe that is why philanthropy does so much building you can see the money went where it was expected to go and achieved the desired result An ethical organization is one where every decision is looked at through the lens of it s values Katie Weitz Weitz Family Foundation Team l to r Kaitlan McDermott Robia Qasimya Alexzia Plummer and Katie Weitz

THE BEACON QUARTER 3 2021 FALL EXECUTIVE BREAKFAST HOSTED BY CSR Panelist photo l r Andy Shefsky Cristina Castro Matukewicz Haley Armstrong and Tahnee Makussen On September 21st executive level leaders gathered for thought provoking ethics strategies shared by distinguished speakers Our Executive Breakfast consisted of CEOs presidents chairs owners and executive directors who discussed executive business ethics issues We discussed our featured topic Corporate Social Responsibility Professionals A Career in Perspective Haley Armstrong Senior Communications Specialist External Affairs of Kiewit Corporation was the moderator for the panel discussion Corporate Social Responsibility CSR is a type of business self regulation with the aim of being socially accountable There is no one right way companies can practice CSR many corporate CSR initiatives strive to positively contribute to the public the economy or the environment In today s socially conscious environment employees and customers place a premium on working for and spending their money with businesses that prioritize CSR PAGE 14 COMPANIES ARE INCREASINGLY RAMPING UP THEIR FOCUS ON SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY WHETHER ITS CHAMPIONING WOMEN S RIGHTS PROTECTING THE ENVIRONMENT OR ATTEMPTING TO OBLITERATE POVERTY ON LOCAL NATIONAL OR GLOBAL LEVELS FROM AN OPTICS PERSPECTIVE SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE COMPANIES PROJECT MORE ATTRACTIVE IMAGES TO BOTH CONSUMERS AND SHAREHOLDERS ALIKE WHICH SERVES TO POSITIVELY AFFECT THEIR BOTTOM LINES CHRIS MURPHY

THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS THE EXECUTIVE BREAKFAST WAS A GREAT REMINDER OF CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY TO OUR COMMUNITIES GABE ROMERO CORDOVA PAGE 15

THE BEACON QUARTER 3 2021 WALTER SCOTT JR A PAGE 16 LASTING LEGACY 1931 2021

To me high ethical standards are like air If air is present we don t think much about breathing If it s absent you notice right away Walter Scott Jr Walter Scott who grew up during the Great Depression after being born in Omaha in 1931 spent his entire career working for the Peter Kiewit Sons Inc the Omaha based construction company which builds major projects all over the world He worked his way up from overseeing construction projects in California and New York to become the company s executive vice president in 1965 He also went on to serve as chairman of a Kiewit spin off Level 3 Communications until that firm was bought in 2014 When Peter Kiewit died in 1979 Scott succeeded him as Chairman and CEO and led the company until 1998 Arguably no other Omaha figure in the last half a century has had more influence on the city s course He was a private pompless man whose low public profile belied the considerable influence his leadership fundraising ability and hundreds of millions of dollars in personal contributions had on Omaha s civic affairs ETHI CAL TI PS FROM WALTER 2011 EXECUTIVE BREAKFAST SPEECH Number One Start by hiring people of personal integrity Perhaps I m wrong and it s not more difficult than in the past ButI know that if you begin with people of integrity the rest of your job will be easier Number Two Never assume An ethical culture will not automatically perpetuate itself Any business organization is only one generation away from losing its ethical moorings as we saw locally in a great company like InterNorth becoming the tragedy of Enron so we can never stop reinforcing an ethical culture Walter Scott Jr was our keynote speaker for the 2012 Annual Trustee Meeting photo l r with Dr Beverly Kracher Bob Bates and Walter Scott PAGE 17 Number Three Have an open culture where it s recognized that mistakes happen In the world of politics our leaders learn or perhaps don t learn that it s never the scandal that gets you It s the cover up

BUSINESS ETHICS CADRE The Business Ethics Alliance s Cadre brings together experts in ethics education and business for profit and nonprofit to assist with its mission of building leaders strengthening organizations and elevating communities through positive practical ethics education The purpose of a diverse cadre is to utilize members intelligence influence and effort which create synergies and partnerships thus ensuring Alliance programs services and tools remain applicable and top quality Casey Putney leads the Ethics Cadre for the Business Ethics Alliance He is a John Maxwell certified leadership speaker coach and trainer He holds a master s degree in Organizational Leadership from Bellevue University a certification in Business Ethics from Duke University as well as certifications in Diversity Equity and Inclusion Safety and Lean Six Sigma For over 20 years Casey has focused on the study and application of organizational culture and leadership principles He has experience within nonprofit and for profit organizations driving global leadership development efforts and leading statewide training teams Casey Putney M A VP of Leadership Development Business Ethics Alliance PAGE 18 Casey s career in the United States Air Force helped him understand the implications of highpressure expectations and relenting deadlines having held a Top Secret security clearance while working within the National Airborne Operations Center program supporting the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Secretary of Defense

MANAGEMENT AND LEADERSHIP Dr Regina Taylor Dr Regina Taylor is an Assistant Professor of management at Creighton University Heider College of Business in Omaha Nebraska She is a former Human Resource professional with experience working inside of Johnson Johnson and The Walt Disney Company Her research focusses on factors that support or inhibit ethical behavior from leaders and employees and has been published in the Journal of Business Ethics Journal of Social Psychology and the Journal of Organizational Behavior Dr Taylor earned her Ph D in Management from the University of Central Florida an M A in Human Resources from the University of Minnesota and an MBA from Florida A M University Assistant Professor CREIGHTON UNIVERSITY HEIDER COLLEGE OF BUSINESS PAGE 19

CORPORATE ETHICS Butch Ethington Butch Ethington is a longtime friend and partner of the Business Ethics Alliance He assisted in no small part to the early success of the Alliance as he created ethics programming bringing together community members within an atmosphere of safety and goodwill Here the Business Ethics Alliance carved out the reputation of being a facilitator of important conversations where all views are respected and heard Butch used his knowledge of ethics to help Union Pacific Railroad become one of the countries premier organizations related to ethical values and behavior In his 30 plus years with the company Butch served in numerous rolls including Director of Internal Audit Director of Planning and Compliance and Director of Ethics Butch earned his MBA in Finance from the University of Iowa and a Bachelor s of Science in Economics from Northwestern University Retired FIRST OMAHA ETHICIST PAGE 20

FINANCE Kathleen Day Kathleen Day is lecturer on Financial Crisis Ethics Corporate Governance and Business Communication during Crisis at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore Maryland Kathleen is a former financial reporter for The Washington Post LA Times and USA Today and former lecturer at Georgetown University in Washington D C She is the author of two books Broken Bargain Banks Bailouts and the Struggle to Tame Wall Street and S L Hell The People and Politics Behind the 1 Trillion Savings and Loan Crisis Kathleen earned her MBA from New York University Stern School of Business and her MS from Columbia University School of Journalism Lecturer JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY CAREY BUSINESS SCHOOL PAGE 21

FAITH AND FAMILY Dr Brian Stiltner Brian Stiltner is Professor of Philosophy Theology and Religious Studies at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield Connecticut He is cochair of the university s Interprofessional Palliative Care Committee and co director of the university s Hersher Institute for Applied Ethics His teaching and research focuses on virtue ethics Christian ethics bioethics religion and politics and the ethics of war and peace He is the author of Religion and the Common Good 1999 Faith and Force A Christian Debate about War with David L Clough 2007 and Toward Thriving Communities Virtue Ethics as Social Ethics 2016 His current research project Faith in Community is an ethnographic study of suburban churches and their members sense of community and civic engagement Raised in Columbus Ohio Stiltner received his undergraduate degree from John Carroll University in Cleveland Ohio his master s degree from Yale Divinity School and his Ph D from Yale University Professor of Philosophy SACRED HEART UNIVERSITY PAGE 22

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY Marcos Hernandez Marcos Hernandez is the V P of Community Affairs with U S Bank in Omaha Nebraska In this roll he manages a multimillion dollar community investment and social impact foundation grant portfolio supporting banking regions in Nebraska Southwest Iowa Kansas Missouri and Arkansas Prior to joining U S Bank Marcos served in the United States Air Force Here he excelled as Senior Analyst and Project Lead leading teams of analysts with the Defense and National Intelligence agencies and implementing Joint Forces data collection and analysis Marcos earned his Bachelors of Applied Science Degree in Industrial Engineering from Southern Illinois University VP of Community Affairs US BANK PAGE 23

Driving the Mission OF A MORE ETHICAL Jack Stephanie Koraleski Jon Adrian Minks Moglia Family Foundation OMAHA McGowan Family Foundation