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UNO Alumni Association honors
AAA Nebraska, Tenaska executives
The UNO Alumni Association bestowed its Citation for Alumni Achievement upon UNO graduates Mark E. Grieb, a regional president for Auto Club Group, and Paul G. Smith, vice chairman, Tenaska Energy Inc. during the university’s December commencement Saturday, Dec. 17, on the UNO campus.
The citation, inaugurated in 1949, is issued at each UNO commencement. The association’s highest honor, it encompasses career achievement, community service, involvement in business and professional associations, and fidelity to the university. UNO Alumni Association President Lee Denker presented the awards, bringing the total number of Citation recipients to 157.
Mark E. Grieb
 Mark Grieb earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a major in accounting in 1981, graduating cum laude.
After serving 12 years as a CPA at KPMG Peat Marwick, Grieb in 1994 became vice president of finance for AAA Nebraska. In 1999, he was appointed senior vice president and CFO of AAA Nebraska’s statewide operations. Two years later, he was appointed regional president of AAA Nebraska/North Dakota.
Under Grieb’s leadership, AAA Nebraska has grown to serve more than 200,000 members across the state. In 2001, AAA Nebraska joined the Auto Club Group, an alliance of eight AAA clubs in the upper Midwest representing 4.2 million AAA members. As a result of AAA Nebraska’s positive reputation, image and brand loyalty, the Auto Club Group selected Omaha as the site for a regional customer care operations center. The center opened in 2003, creating more than 350 new jobs in Nebraska. In 2011, Omaha was selected as the site for the Auto Club Group’s first full-service retail bank.
Grieb was instrumental in creating the Cornhusker Motor Club Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to highway safety, crime prevention and tourism efforts. Largely supported by AAA and its members, the foundation has earned several awards and honors, most recently the Friend of Tourism Award presented by Governor Heineman during the Nebraska Travel Industry Conference.
A member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Grieb has served on many organization boards and committees, including the United Way of the Midlands Foundation, New Cassel Retirement Center, and St. Stephen the Martyr Parish. He also was 2011 membership campaign chairman for the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce.
Grieb’s service also has extended to his alma mater. He served on the UNO Alumni Association Board of Directors from 2003 until 2011. He was the association’s chairman in 2009 and received its Outstanding Service Award in June 2011. He also is a member of the National Advisory Board of UNO’s College of Business Administration.
Grieb lives in Omaha with his wife, Frances Pallas Grieb (UNO class of 1982), and their two children.
Paul G. Smith
 Paul G. Smith earned a master’s degree in business administration from UNO in 1984. He is vice chairman of Tenaska Energy and co-founder, CEO and senior managing director of Tenaska Capital Management (TCM), the manager of Tenaska Power Fund (TPF I) and TPF II.
As vice-chairman, Smith co-leads Tenaska, an independent energy company concentrating on reliable, cost-efficient and environmentally responsible power plant development, ownership and operations. Tenaska also provides energy risk management services and is involved in natural gas, biofuels and electric power marketing; gas exploration, production and transportation systems; and electric transmission development.
Smith is vice chairman of the Tenaska Board of Stakeholders and is a member of the company’s five-person executive team. He also is a member of various management committees associated with Tenaska business units.
Under Smith’s leadership as co-founder, CEO and senior managing director of TCM, total assets under TCM’s management are approximately $5 billion and include power generating plants and natural gas pipelines, and gas storage, gathering and processing facilities.
As TCM’s CEO and senior managing director, Smith, along with the company’s other senior managing directors, is responsible for the overall strategy, investment, operation and disposition of TPF I and TPF II investments. He also is a member of the Investment Committees for TPF I and TPF II and serves on the boards of directors for fund portfolio companies.
Smith has worked in the energy industry for more than 30 years, including 22 years with Tenaska or its affiliates. His broad experience includes mergers and acquisitions, corporate strategy, equity placements, business development, project development, power company management, natural gas production management, marketing company management, commercial contract negotiations and engineering.
Smith also earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Iowa State University. He lives in Omaha with his wife, Annette. They have three sons.
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