CPAs, Enrolled Agents & Accountants
Cruise & Associates is a tax, business consulting, and accounting services provider and works closely with MDT, LLC, a separate Nebraska licensed CPA firm providing audit, review, and attest services. The service you may receive from Cruise & Associates or its affiliates are not provided by a licensed CPA firm and are not regulated by the Nebraska Board of Public Accountancy. There may be overlapping services with the CPA firm, therefore, if you are uncertain which entity is providing any of the services, you should ask for clarification from the individual providing such services.
Jac has been a part of the Cruise & Associates team since June of 2022. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in business administration with a major in accounting and a minor in finance and mathematics from the University of Nebraska Lincoln. Jac also earned his Master’s Degree in Professional Accountancy from UNL and is currently working on his CPA certification. He is actively involved in Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity at UNL doing community service projects, serving as the athletics chairman and helping with the intramural sports by talking to the office on behalf of the 30 teams involved. Jac grew up in Elmwood and graduated from Elmwood-Murdock High School where he played football and ran track. In his free time, he loves watching baseball, golfing, and spending time with friends and family.
Rob is the President of Cruise & Associates. He founded the company in 1991 with the goal of providing an integrated, personalized approach to an individual’s income tax, business and financial life. Rob has obtained certification as an Enrolled Agent (EA), which is a federal license allowing him unlimited practice rights to represent taxpayers before the IRS. He regularly represents taxpayers with basic audit issues, advanced collection issues, appeals cases, and tax court cases. He holds the following FINRA securities registrations: series 6, 7, 63, 66 and insurance licenses for life, health and annuities.
Robert F. Cruise offers securities through Grove Point Investments LLC, member FINRA/SIPC and also offers Investment Advisory Services through Grove Point Advisors, LLC. Grove Point Investments, LLC & Grove Point Advisors LLC are subsidiaries of Grove Point Financial, LLC. Cruise & Associates is not affiliated with Grove Point Financial, LLC or its subsidiaries. Since 1995, he has been professionally managing money for clients. Rob is an active entrepreneur who operates several businesses and is a real estate investor, who owns, operates, develops and re-develops properties. Rob is a private pilot, enjoys golf, theatre, travel and a good bottle of wine. He is married to Michelle, and they have two children.
Diane has been with Cruise & Associates since the merger with Morrow, Davies & Toelle, P.C. in July of 2021. She grew up on a farm west of Madison and graduated from Madison High School. Diane earned her public accounting degree from Wayne State College. She worked for three years for a CPA in Norfolk before purchasing a tax practice in 1981. She joined Morrow, Davies & Toelle, P.C. in 1984. She has three children: Matt and his family live in Norfolk; Jessica and her family live in Wisner; and Paul and his family live in Hartington. Diane serves on her church finance committee and a school’s foundation board. In the past, she has served on the following boards: Women Empowering Lifeline, Northeast Community College Foundation and Pilger Library. In her free time, Diane enjoys reading and baking.
Maggie has been a part of the Cruise & Associates team since July 2022. She was born and raised in Wayne. She earned her Associate of Applied Science in business administration with accounting from Central Community College Columbus. She currently is working on her bachelor’s degree in accounting from Wayne State College. Maggie was born and raised in Wayne and graduated from Wayne High School. She volunteers for church activities and helps with the fair clean-up. She enjoys coloring, working out and reading. She has one younger brother and sister and two older sisters.
Pete is a 1991 graduate from the University of Nebraska-Omaha and has been a member of the Cruise & Associates team since 2011. Prior to joining our team he owned and operated several businesses and was the Vice President of Finance for a large advertising agency in the Omaha area. He specializes in accounting for restaurants & bars, as well as individual and business income tax. Pete enjoys golfing and traveling in his spare time.
Tom has been a part of the Cruise & Associates team since November 2021. Tom earned his Bachelor of Science in accounting and finance from Southern New Hampshire University. He was born in Colorado but grew up in Minden, Nebraska. In his free time, Tom collects sports cards, spends time with family and goes fishing and camping. He also coaches youth baseball.
Mark has been a part of the Cruise & Associates team since December of 2023. He holds an associate degree in accounting and has 19 years of accounting experience. Mark also helped several new businesses set up their accounting. He has extensive knowledge in the hospitality, restaurant, and bar industries. He grew up on a farm in Academy, SD, and currently lives in Omaha. In his free time, he enjoys jogging, listening to music and painting.
Charla has been a part of the Cruise & Associates team since November 2022. She earned her bachelor’s degree in business administration with an emphasis in accounting from the University of Nebraska Lincoln. Charla was born and raised on a farm and went to school in Bruning, Nebraska. After graduating from high school, she served four years in the Army and was stationed in Germany. When she came home, she enrolled at UNL and remained in the Nebraska National Guard. After graduating, she moved to Wisner to raise her son, Joseph, in a small community. Prior to joining our team, she was the executive director and did accounting for a community action and housing agency for several years. Charla is involved in the Wisner-Pilger TeamMates program, was a Cub Scout leader and Sunday school teacher. In her free time, she enjoys reading, spending time with family, traveling, playing cards or hot dice and helping others.
Sammy has been a part of the Cruise & Associates team since November 2022. She grew up in Mongolia and received her Master of Business Administration from DeVry University Keller Graduate School of Management in Chicago. She also holds a bachelor of legislation administration in law. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with friends and family, going to music festivals, and traveling.
Jeff has been with Cruise & Associates since the merger with Morrow, Davies & Toelle, P.C. in July of 2021. Jeff grew up on the family farm near Hartington. He earned his bachelor’s degree in public accounting/finance with a minor in mathematics from Wayne State College in 2001. He interned for Morrow, Davies & Toelle, P.C. in 2000 and was hired upon graduation from college. Jeff and his wife, Sarah, have four children: Blake, Gavin, Ashton and Alyssa. He is a member of the Christ Lutheran Church Council and Christ Lutheran School Board of Education. In his free time, he enjoys basketball, running, working out, hunting, fishing, watching college and professional sports, playing with the kids, gardening and spending quality time with family and friends.
Cruise & Associates is a tax, business consulting, and accounting services provider and works closely with MDT, LLC, a separate Nebraska licensed CPA firm providing audit, review, and attest services. The service you may receive from Cruise & Associates or its affiliates are not provided by a licensed CPA firm and are not regulated by the Nebraska Board of Public Accountancy. There may be overlapping services with the CPA firm, therefore, if you are uncertain which entity is providing any of the services, you should ask for clarification from the individual providing such services.
Jackie is from Spalding and currently lives in Fullerton, Nebraska. She has a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Bellevue University. Jackie obtained certification as an Enrolled Agent (EA) which is a federal license allowing her unlimited practice rights to represent taxpayers before the IRS.
In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with family and friends.
Bookkeepers
Pete has been with the Cruise & Associates team since May of 2023. Prior to joining our team, he was the general manager and golf pro at North Bend Golf Course, which was awarded the No. 2 short course in the U.S. in 2021 by Golf Advisor. Pete was born in Williston, ND and spent his formative years in Fort Morgan, Colorado. He graduated from North Platte High School and attend Fort Hays State University on a gymnastics scholarship before transferring to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He holds a bachelor of science degree in business administration from UNL. He is a member of Peace Lutheran church and former president and member of the Columbus Noon Rotary. In his free time, he enjoys woodworking, golf, and attending Nebraska gymnastic meets. Pete and his wife, Carol, have three children: Katie, Beth and Nick.
Jacob has been with the Cruise & Associates team since November of 2021. He moved to Columbus in the fifth grade and graduated from Columbus High School and Central Community College with an associate’s degree in business administration – accounting. In his free time, Jacob enjoys playing video games and reading books.
B.J. is a 2006 graduate of Central Community College and has been a member of the Cruise & Associates Team since 2015. He worked in the marketing until moving to the bookkeeping in May of 2017. BJ was promoted to Bookkeeper Manager in August of 2022. Prior to joining our team he spent 6 ½ years working at a call center as an operations supervisor and training coordinator. B.J. enjoys spending time with his family, producing electronic music and gaming.
Tasha has been with the Cruise & Associates team since June of 2022. She graduated from Central Community College with a diploma in business administration with an accounting focus and a certificate in bookkeeping. Prior to joining our team, she was a clothing store manager. In addition to living in Columbus, she has also resided in Arizona and Illinois. Tasha has five children. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with family and watching crime and medical shows and reading.
Financial Services
Andrew Anderson
RICP®, CPB, CPS, CQA
Office Location: Columbus
Securities offered through Grove Point Investments, LLC, member FINRA/SIPC. Investment Advisory Services offered through Grove Point Advisors, LLC. Grove Point Investments, LLC & Grove Point Advisors, LLC are subsidiaries of Grove Point Financial, LLC. Cruise & Associates is not affiliated with Grove Point Financial, LLC or its subsidiaries.
Rob is the President of Cruise & Associates. He founded the company in 1991 with the goal of providing an integrated, personalized approach to an individual’s income tax, business and financial life. Rob has obtained certification as an Enrolled Agent (EA), which is a federal license allowing him unlimited practice rights to represent taxpayers before the IRS. He regularly represents taxpayers with basic audit issues, advanced collection issues, appeals cases, and tax court cases. He holds the following FINRA securities registrations: series 6, 7, 63, 66 and insurance licenses for life, health and annuities.
Robert F. Cruise offers securities through Grove Point Investments LLC, member FINRA/SIPC and also offers Investment Advisory Services through Grove Point Advisors, LLC. Grove Point Investments, LLC & Grove Point Advisors LLC are subsidiaries of Grove Point Financial, LLC. Cruise & Associates is not affiliated with Grove Point Financial, LLC or its subsidiaries. Since 1995, he has been professionally managing money for clients. Rob is an active entrepreneur who operates several businesses and is a real estate investor, who owns, operates, develops and re-develops properties. Rob is a private pilot, enjoys golf, theatre, travel and a good bottle of wine. He is married to Michelle, and they have two children.
Administrative
Jalyn has been with the Cruise & Associates team since November of 2022. She grew up in Grand Island and graduated from Grand Island High School. She moved to Norfolk for college. In her free time, she enjoys reading, gaming, and spending time with her dogs
Genesis has been with the Cruise & Associates team since June of 2022. She grew up in Columbus and graduated from Columbus High School. She has three adult children. In her free time, her and her boyfriend enjoy competing in audio competitions.
Deb has been with Cruise & Associates since the merger with Kathol & Associates in 2019. While at Kathol, Deb worked as a tax preparer for several years, a role she continued at Cruise & Associates until 2022. Her new job involves helping customers as well as others in the office. Deb and her husband, Dennis, have farmed west of Wayne since 1976. They have two daughters, two sons and 11 grandchildren. In her free time, she enjoys reading, sewing, crafts, spending time with grandkids and spending time outdoors.
Amber has been with the Cruise & Associates team since January of 2022. She lives in Wayne with her husband Michael, and they have three children: Grant, Angel and Emma. They also have two ducks Jerry and Jenny. When her husband is not farming, they enjoy going to the cabin and camping. Amber also loves to cook.
Kylee has been with the Cruise & Associates team since January of 2010. She has four children one son, Anthony, and three daughters, Vanessa, Elena, and Lola. One of her hobbies is photography. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family and traveling. Kylee is the youngest of four children.
Deana has been with the Cruise & Associates team since January of 2022. Her hometown is Idledale, CO, but she moved to Nebraska 12 years ago for her husband’s job and currently lives in Grand Island. She has been married for 18 years to her best friend, and they have three kids and six grandchildren. In her free time, she enjoys camping and spending time with the grandchildren.
Marketing
Kelly is a 2009 business management graduate of Northeast Community College and has been a member of Cruise & Associates since 2017 as the Client Development Specialist. She was promoted to Business Development Director in February of 2022.
Prior to joining our team, she spent 3 years as a Sales Executive in Specialty Tub sales for nursing homes and assisted living communities and 20+ years in retail, mainly in the shoe business.
Kelly lives in Columbus with her significant other, Tom, and their 2 puppies, Katrina and Molly. In her spare time Kelly enjoys cooking, bowling, traveling, and spending time with her family, especially her 3 grandchildren. She also has a passion for shoes, purses, jewelry, crafting, and she always loves a good garage sale.
Michelle Cruise
Vice President of Operations
Office Location: Columbus
Michelle graduated from the University of Nebraska at Omaha with a degree in journalism. Prior to joining the Cruise & Associates team in September of 2019, she was a reporter for a newspaper for eight years and worked as the communications coordinator for a public school system for 20 years. Michelle has been involved in the TeamMates Mentoring program since the program started in Columbus and she is currently on her fifth mentee match. Michelle has also served as a co-chair for the Columbus Area Holiday Spirit Inc. for more than 25 years. This program helps families in needs during the holidays. She has been married to Rob for 26 years and they have two children. In her free time, Michelle enjoys attending her children’s activities, going to the theater and attending concerts with her family. She is also a huge UNO Maverick Hockey fan.
Michele grew up in a military family and moved to Nebraska in 1990. She joined the Cruise and Associates team in December 2019 as the Client Communication Specialist. She lived in Grand Island for 29 years before moving to Bellwood in February of 2019. Prior to joining our team, Michele was the senior representative with Primerica. She has a background in customer service, retail sales, restaurant and coffee shop service, and loves meeting new people. In her free time, Michele enjoys crocheting, listening to music, cooking, traveling and spending time with family. She has been married to Craig for 20 years and has two adult children, eight grandchildren and ten cats.
Other Staff
Lincoln Location
John Carmichael, Accountant
JohnC@cruise-associates.com
Omaha Location
Chris Henderson, Tax Preparer
ChrisH@cruise-associates.com
