footnotes
LETTER FROM THE CHAIR
Dear Alumni and Friends,
As the fall semester unfolds, I am excited to share some updates and highlights from the Department of Accounting at Illinois State University. Our enrollment is up 7% year-over-year, reflecting the growing enthusiasm for our programs. This year, we hosted the 2nd Annual High School Accounting Challenge, welcoming 185 Central Illinois students from 16 high schools. The event was a great success, showcasing the talents of future Redbirds and building excitement for accounting careers.
We are proud of our current students, particularly Jessica Laughlin and Gracie O’Brien, who secured first place in the graduate division at the Utah Valley University Women in Leadership Case Competition. Their achievements demonstrate the excellence and ambition of our students and the dedication of our faculty, such as Dr. Maddy Trimble, who served as their advisor. You can read more about their accomplishments, along with other student awards and honors, in this edition.
I’m also excited to share news about our faculty. Jomo Sankara has taken on the role of College of Business (COB) Director of Business Sustainability, focusing on sustainability initiatives within the college and university. Maddy Trimble was selected as the COB Director for Engagement and Societal Impact, working towards our college’s goals in those areas. Additionally, Brent Lao has stepped into the position of Director of Graduate Accounting Education, and Dr. Rosie Hauck has returned to the department as a faculty member in Business Information Systems, now also serving as the BIS internship coordinator, taking over from Matt Nelson. We also want to recognize and celebrate Jay Rich’s retirement after 20 impactful years in our department. Jay’s contributions, from his teaching and mentorship to his leadership as Interim Chair and Director of Graduate Programs, have left a lasting legacy.
Our 40th Annual Accounting and Business Information Systems Awards Banquet was a highlight of the year. We awarded 75 scholarships totaling
MY REDBIRD STORY
The decision I made to attend Illinois State University wasn’t entirely to pursue an Accounting or Business degree. I was recruited by ISU to play basketball during a time when they were making a big splash in the Missouri Valley Conference as well as the NCAA Tournament with the first of three straight appearances beginning in 1983. That happened to be my junior year at Pekin Community High School, approximately 30 miles from campus, and the style of basketball played by ISU under Head Coach Bob Donewald was a great fit for my game.
ISU recruited me the summer before my junior year in high school and became very interested after I was named the runner-up MVP at the prestigious Five-Star team camp in Louisville, Kentucky. I accepted ISU’s scholarship offer in the fall before my senior season began, which took a great deal of pressure off me that season. It also resulted in a 24-4 record, a period ranked as the number one team in Class AA, and an All-State selection at the end of the season. There was one game of significance during the regular season when we played Peoria Manual who was also ranked number one in the state for part of the season. The game was supposed to be played at Manual’s home gym with a capacity of about 1,500. This was the second matchup with Manual that season after we defeated them at Pekin in triple overtime in front of a standing room capacity crowd of over 4,000. The decision was made to move the game to the Peoria Civic Center and the game was a sell out at 10,700 fans and was covered on the local NBC station. This was the largest crowd to see a regular season game in the history of Illinois high school basketball at the time. Manual won the game by 4 points, but the interesting fact was that ISU and Bradley were scheduled to play the next night at the same arena. ISU and Bradley have long been heated rivals, and it was particularly strong in the decade of the 1980s. Coach Donewald attended our high school game the night before. The next night the Redbirds and Braves played before a crowd of 10,400, less than the high school game the night before.
Even though I was committed to attend ISU to play basketball, I was also very interested in pursuing a business degree. I was always good with math, but I really wasn’t introduced to accounting until my senior year in high school. At that same time, my older sister Kelly was at Illinois State and was pursuing an accounting degree and that made me curious about what continued on page 4 continued on next page
$225,000 to 57 outstanding students, a testament to the generosity of our donors and the hard work of our students. We deeply appreciate the support that makes these scholarships possible and the positive impact they have on our students’ academic and professional journeys. Our alumni also continue to make an impact. This year, we proudly inducted Jere Eyer (’83) into the College of Business Hall of Fame for his entrepreneurial achievements and contributions to the accounting profession. I encourage you to check out our feature on Matt Taphorn (’88), who shares his journey from ISU basketball to a successful career at Caterpillar and beyond.
Additionally, I’m excited to share that our Birds-Give-Back day is coming up on February 27, 2025. Last year, we raised an incredible $48,816 through 101 gifts, and we aim to exceed that success with your support. This event is a meaningful way for alumni to come together and positively impact the department and the university community.
Looking ahead, be sure to watch for upcoming events like our homecoming eve gathering, our social events at Mackinaw Valley Vineyards, and an exciting alumni event in Chicago scheduled for August 2025. These are fantastic opportunities to reconnect, network, and celebrate our shared achievements.
Thank you for being an integral part of the Redbird family. Your continued involvement makes a significant difference, and we value the relationships we’ve built over the years. I encourage you to explore the newsletter for more updates and ways to stay involved with the department.
Kind regards,
Joe Johnston
Professor and Department Chair, Accounting - Illinois State University
JAY RICH RETIRES
Jay Rich retired in the summer of 2024 after 20 years as a faculty member in the Department of Accounting. He also spent time on the faculty at the University of Connecticut, the University of Iowa, and the University of Washington and was an auditor at Price Waterhouse - Chicago. His connection with Illinois State University and the Town of Normal goes back to 1964 when his father, John, joined the Business Teacher Education Faculty at Illinois State.
Jay’s primary teaching responsibilities were in financial accounting. He taught Intermediate I and Intermediate II at the undergraduate level and Financial Statement Analysis & Equity Valuation and Current Issues in Accounting at the graduate level. He also co-authored a textbook that is widely used in Principles of Financial Accounting. Jay served two years as the Interim Chair of the Department and seven years as the Director of the Accounting Graduate Programs. He helped restart the department’s spring internship program and started the Accounting Career Fair. Jay loved the interactions with students and won numerous teaching awards, including the 2014 Illinois Society of CPA’s Accounting Educator of the Year Award. Jay has published research in The Accounting Review, Auditing: A Journal of Practice & Theory, Accounting Horizons, Contemporary Accounting Research, Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Accounting Organizations and Society, and others. He also served on the editorial boards of Auditing: A Journal of Practice & Theory and Current Issues in Auditing. Jay’s dissertation was awarded the Outstanding Dissertation Award from the Audit Section of the American Accounting Association, and another paper received the Notable Contribution to the Literature Award from the Audit Section. He was also involved with the PCAOB, in particular its efforts to formulate a standard related to the auditing of fair value measurements.
In retirement, he would like to travel, continue with his textbook author responsibilities, read publications like The Economist and The Atlantic that he couldn’t keep up with when working full-time, and possibly teach a class now and again. He is married (Jane) and has three grown children. For now, he plans to stay in town, so feel free to look him up when you come back to campus.
We have several faculty members in new positions.
Jomo Sankara is now the College of Business (COB) Director of Business Sustainability. In this position, Jomo serves as a liaison for business sustainability initiatives in the COB and university. Madeline Trimble was selected as the College of Business (COB) Director for Engagement and Societal Impact. Her responsibilities include documenting and contributing to the COB achieving our Engagement and Societal Impact goals. Also, Brent Lao is now the Director of Graduate Accounting Education.
Congratulations and thank you for your hard work!
The Department of Accounting has a successful internship program designed to encourage closer ties among employers, students, and faculty. During the Spring 2024 semester, the department placed 31 student interns with various organizations and 62 students in Summer 2024.
If you are interested in participating in the internship program, please contact the internship coordinator Dr. Ron Guidry by phone: (309) 438-2968 or e-mail: rguidry@illinoisstate.edu.
• Anderson Tax LLC, Chicago: 1 Summer
• ADM, Decatur: 2 Summer
• Alter Domus, Chicago: 1 Summer
• Caterpillar, Peoria: 1 Spring, 3 Summer
• CCC Intelligent Solution, Chicago: 2 Summer
• CliftonLarsonAllen LLP, Bloomington: 4 Spring
• CliftonLarsonAllen LLP, Oak Brook: 1 Spring
• Crowe LLP, Chicago: 1 Summer
• Eagan and Company, Darien: 1 Summer
• Edward Jones, St. Louis, MO: 1 Spring
• Ernst & Young, Chicago: 3 Summer
• Ernst & Young, Indianapolis, IN: 1 Summer
• Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Princeton: 1 Summer
• Forvis, Decatur: 1 Summer
• Forvis, Oakbrook Terrace: 1 Summer
• Guarantee Trust Life Insurance Company, Princeton: 1 Summer
• Heartland Bank and Trust Company, Bloomington: 1 Summer
• Johnson Lambert, Park Ridge: 1 Spring, 1 Summer
• Kerber, Eck, & Braeckel LLP, Springfield: 1 Summer
• KPMG, Chicago: 2 Spring
• Kull and Associates, LLC, Shelbyville: 1 Summer
• Legacy Professionals, Westchester: 1 Summer
• Mack & Associates, P.C., Morris: 1 Summer
• Madison Industries, Chicago: 1 Summer
• Martin Hood LLC, Champaign: 2 Spring
• Maui Jim, Peoria: 1 Spring
• Miller Cooper & Co., Ltd, Chicago: 6 Summer
• Miller Cooper & Co., Ltd, Deerfield: 3 Summer
• Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, Peoria: 2 Summer
• ORBA, Chicago: 1 Spring
• PBC Advisors, LLC, Oak Brook: 1 Summer
• PepsiCo, Chicago: 1 Summer
• Plante Moran, Schaumburg: 2 Summer
• Porte Brown, Elk Grove: 1 Summer
• Production Stampings Inc., Leland: 1 Summer
• Purr Dating, LLC, Normal: 1 Spring
• PwC, Chicago: 3 Spring, 1 Summer
• RLI Corp., Peoria: 1 Summer
• RSM, Chicago: 1 Spring, 1 Summer
• RSM, Madison, WI: 1 Summer
• RSM, Nashville, TN: 1 Summer
• RSM, Peoria: 2 Spring, 1 Summer
• RSM, Schaumburg: 2 Summer
• RSM St. Louis, MO: 1 Summer
• Rodosky Accounting, Dwight: 1 Summer
• Sikich, Brookfield, WI: 1 Summer
• Sikich, Naperville: 1 Summer
• Sikich, Peoria: 2 Spring
• Sikich, Springfield: 4 Summer
• State Farm, Bloomington: 2 Summer
• Striegel Knobloch & Company, LLC, Bloomington: 1 Spring
• Tighe, Kress & Orr, Elgin: 1 Spring
• UnitedHealth Group, Minnetonka, MN: 1 Summer
• Wipfli, Tinley Park: 1 Spring
• Wojcicki & Mulroe P.C., Schaumburg: 1 Summer
accounting INTERNSHIPS
Business Information Systems Club
The Business Information Systems (BIS) club has been busy this semester. Recently, the club appointed new officers to lead the charge. Peyton Elwell is the new president and Josh Baysore is the new vice president and treasurer of the club.
In addition to new leadership, the club hosted representatives from CNA, Whitney Brooks, Lior Fafolovitz ’22, and Logan Birchbauer ’24, who shared valuable insights on internship opportunities available to BIS majoring students.
One of our own, Josh Baysore, has an exciting opportunity collaborating with the marketing department on an analytics project. We’ll have more details on this project in upcoming issues - stay tuned!
National Association of Black Accountants
NABA members had a busy and successful Spring semester with several receiving awards at the Department of Accounting Outstanding Students awards Ceremony, including Christian Amoakoh, Caren Chumba, Leonard Kagbo, Faith Lagat and Benjamin Yeboah. Several members also received MBA awards and Benjamin Yeboah was nominated for a University Club Scholarship 2024 Award. About 20 students attended the NABA national convention in Las Vegas with faculty advisor, Dr. Jomo Sankara with several students taking home NABA national awards. Thank you to NABA national, Illinois State University program funds, the accounting department, and the COB for financial contributions so students could attend.
NABA also elected a new e-board with Armani Tubbs being reelected as NABA President. The RSO has stayed visible and active within the College of Business as they attended the Department of Accounting advisory board meeting in April and discussed the NABA organization at the event. NABA also collaborated with Business Acumen and ALPFA to host Total Quality Logistics (TQL) in April. Finally, NABA together with the accounting department and other department RSOs organized NABA Crunch Time in May.
Student Accounting Society
Student Accounting Society hosted a more casual and interactive event with Forvis this spring bringing together our members and Forvis Redbird alumni to compete in a general trivia competition. This event allowed students the opportunity to get to know Forvis staff and recruiters in a more personal manner as well as build community within our Registered Student Organization (RSO). Prizes were presented to the winners of this event; however, all attendees benefitted by networking with an accounting firm that is actively involved with the College of Business.
that specific curriculum would provide. Upon completing my high school graduation, I was accepted into the Honors Program at ISU and started on the path to obtain my degree.
My first two years at ISU, I lived in the dorms with one of my teammates. Jeff Harris, who was from Indianapolis, Indiana, and I lived in Manchester Hall and then lived together in an apartment for our last two years. Jeff was also in the Honors Program and was a Chemistry (Pre-Med) major. Jeff and I were good for each other as we had similar challenges of dealing with the demands of basketball and classes. We both excelled in class and Jeff went on to medical school at Indiana University and then became an Orthopedic Surgeon in Ft. Wayne, Indiana where he lives today. He is retiring this spring and plans to spend more time with his four children and currently three grandchildren.
The first couple of years included mostly General Studies courses, but also gave me an opportunity to begin my accounting curriculum. My first course was Intro to Accounting and Linda Leinike was the professor. Linda was a relatively new professor at the time, and oddly enough I think she has recently retired from ISU. She did a great job with the introduction of the accounting principles that sparked an interest in me. The next semester it was Cost Accounting taught by Harlan Fuller. Harlan was a big basketball fan and understood the demands on my time and was very accommodating when necessary. He was also passionate about the subject and many of the lessons I learned in that class I used throughout my career. Harlan has remained a key member of the ISU accounting faculty for years and is active in outreach programs as well. I had some other memorable professors during my four years at ISU. Max Rexroad stands out as one of the more unique professors. Max had a passion for ISU and accounting and was well known for his red derby hat that he wore every day. Den Patton was another instructor that created a lot of interest in the subject which rubbed off on me as well as my fellow students. I completed my accounting degree and graduated in May of 1988.
I mentioned that my older sister attended Illinois State, as did my younger sister Pam who was a coryphée dancer for football and basketball games. I also met my wife at ISU. Kelly Nimmo was a cheerleader, and we met my senior season. She had a little more than a year to complete her degree, and we were married in November of 1989 before she graduated in December to become the second Kelly Taphorn to graduate from ISU. She also sat next to my sister Pam in the ceremony since they now had the same last name. Two of our four children have graduated from ISU as well; Drake with a Master’s in Accounting degree in 2013 and Drew with a degree in Business Information Systems in 2021.
The four years I was at Illinois State resulted in some highlights with the basketball team as well. We went to the NCAA Tournament my freshman season which was the third straight year the team had played in that event. That year we beat the University of South Carolina in the first round at Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma and then lost to the number one seed Oklahoma Sooners and Waymon Tisdale in the second round. I even scored in that game, which ended up being the only 2 points I scored in an NCAA tournament game. We did play in the National Invitational Tournament (NIT) both my junior and senior seasons and fell one game short of playing in New York at Madison Square Garden in the final four. There were a couple of more notable games; one was a victory over the Iowa Hawkeyes in a holiday tournament my senior season where I made seven three-point shots including the winning shot with three seconds remaining. The other notable game was senior night against Butler, which we thought was going to be the final game at Horton Fieldhouse with the new arena scheduled to open the next year. Once again, I made seven three-point shots, and we defeated a good Butler team that night. I had a few injuries during my career but ended with the season and career three-point percentage records both over 50% that still stand today more than 35 years later.
Prior to my graduation in May of 1988, I had an internship with Price Waterhouse in Peoria. PW, as it was known back then, was one of the Big 8 public accounting firms (now Big 4 and known as PwC). After graduation, I went to work for Price Waterhouse as well and started my career in accounting. I was with PW for three years and worked on audit clients in manufacturing (mainly Caterpillar), banking, education, customer services as well as some tax related work. During that time, I passed the CPA exam which would serve me well for the many opportunities I would have in the future. After three years with PW, when most of my peers were going to Caterpillar, I became the Controller for another client of the Peoria office, PJS Publications. PJS was the former magazine publishing business owned by the Peoria Journal Star newspaper. I was with PJS for seven years, during which time all four of our children were born from 1991 to 1995. Yes, we had four under four at one time. PJS was bought and sold a couple of times to a private equity firm and then to a larger publishing company based in New York City. When the company wanted to move the accounting and finance operations to Manhattan, I didn’t think that was an ideal place to raise four children and took a different path in my career. I became an Investment Advisor with AG Edwards, Inc. based in St. Louis, Missouri but I remained in Peoria. After a couple of years, I left AG Edwards and went to Robert W. Baird & Co, Inc based in Milwaukee, but again I remained in Peoria. Over the years, I maintained my relationships with those that I worked with at PW and Caterpillar and in 2004 decided to make the move to the “Big Yellow,” I joined Caterpillar in the Corporate Cost and Business Analysis group. Over my nearly 20-year career with Caterpillar, I have worked in the Remanufacturing business, had the opportunity to work on significant acquisitions and divestitures, and have spent many years in the Resource Industries segment working with our mining products as well as some of our more significant manufacturing operations facilities and now our technology division. My career with Caterpillar has provided me with the opportunity to travel the world and experience Mexico, Canada, Europe (Germany, France, UK, Poland), Russia, India, China, Singapore, and South Africa. I am fortunate that I have never had to relocate my family but am equally fortunate to have had the opportunity to experience these locations and cultures.
My wife Kelly and I will celebrate 35 years of marriage this November. Our four children are all married and starting families of their own now and we have nine grandchildren with another one on the way before the end of the year. We have been very blessed, and it all started for us at Illinois State University.
GO REDBIRDS!
Matt Taphorn -
The students and faculty gain valuable insights and knowledge regarding professional practice each time a practitioner visits campus. We thank the professionals listed below for coming to campus and sharing their knowledge and experience with our students and faculty. This past semester the following firm representatives visited classes, met with student groups, and/or held seminars with the faculty:
• Logan Birchbauer ’24, CNA Insurance, Chicago
• Whitney Brooks, CNA Insurance, Chicago
• Carter Calarco ’21, Wellpath, Nashville, TN
• Gabrielle Cargill ’19, Archer Daniels Midland, Decatur
• Josh Crowder, ISU Office of Technology Solutions, Normal
• Kelly Gilbert ‘18, Miller Cooper & Co, Chicago
• Steve Hastings, ISU Office of Technology Solutions, Normal
• Zech Jacob ‘21, ISU Office of Technology Solutions, Normal
• Jason Jennings ‘12, GROWMARK, Bloomington
• Andrew Moore ‘19, Discover Financial Services, Chicago
• Adam Nitecki ‘19, Arch Capital Services LLC, Chicago
• Luke Peifer ‘13, Miller Cooper & Co, Bloomington
• Lior Rafolovitz ‘22, CNA Insurance, Chicago
• John Rassi, CliftonLarsonAllen, Peoria
• Trisha Schaubroeck, ISU Office of Technology Solutions, Normal
• Rich Sheridan, Menlo Innovations, Ann Arbor, MI
• Doug Williams ‘23, iManage, Chicago
• Cameron Ziegler, ADM, Decatur
ALUMNI RETURN ALUMNI RETURN
Meet the Firms
On February 22, 2024, Student Accounting Society’s Meet the Firms Night introduced 16 firms and organizations to around 50 Illinois State accounting students. The dinner event allowed the students to network with representatives from various firms and learn about their organizational culture and available employment opportunities.
Participating organizations included:
Adducci Vega Financial Group
Alvarez & Marsal
CliftonLarsonAllen
Country Financial
Deloitte
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
FORVIS
Office of the Comptroller of the Currency
Martin Hood Miller Cooper
DR. ROSIE HAUCK RETURNS TO FACULTY FROM TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR POSITION
After helping Illinois State University’s Office of Technology Solution navigate Covid times and successfully rollout a campus-wide technology initiative, Dr. Rosie Hauck has returned to the Department of Accounting as faculty in Business Information Systems. Dr. Rosie Hauck started her career in the Business Information Systems area of the Accounting Department as an assistant professor in 2004. Most of her courses were in business systems analysis, in which her students honed their skills in becoming the bridge that connects business needs with technical solutions and process change.
In 2019, Dr. Hauck accepted the position of the Executive Director of the Office of Advanced Technology Support for Faculty within ISU’s Office of Technology Solutions. Reporting directly to ISU’s CIO, her primary charge was to make sure that the faculty perspective was represented in all technology initiatives on campus. Some of her responsibilities included overseeing the Learning Spaces and Audio Visual Technologies (LSAVT) unit tasked with supporting the classroom technologies across campus; facilitating and coordinating the efforts of the College Technology Directors Council (CTDC), which is made up of all the IT directors across all the colleges and Milner Library; serving as a liaison between the Office of Technology Solutions and Dean’s and Provost’s staff; serving on the initial review team for ISU’s new College of Engineering, as well as working on numerous Information Technology and Facilities projects.
While in the executive director position, Rosie’s largest and most important project was to help spearhead the management,
communication, and implementation of ISU’s transition from the ReggieNet Learning Management System (LMS) to the ISU’s new Canvas LMS. She served as part of the executive steering committee and project management team to facilitate the “NextLMS” evaluation committee, the Canvas Advisory Committee, as well as leading the Spring 2023 Canvas LMS Pilot project. As one of the primary ‘faces’ of the project, she gave multiple presentations to ISU’s Academic Senate, Student Government, Board of Trustees, and individual departments and units across campus. After over 10 years of using the older ReggieNet LMS system, the new Canvas LMS was rolled out in all ISU courses at the start of Fall 2023.
Oftentimes when faculty leave their position to assume an administrative position at the university, it is rarely in their discipline of study. Dr. Hauck says that she feels lucky to be able to do for the university what she has taught in the classroom over the years. She is extremely proud of her accomplishments during her time in the Executive Director position and is glad to be able to share her experiences and stories with her students now that she is back in the classroom full time.
Accounting Hosts Annual High School Competition
The Accounting Department welcomed approximately 185 Central Illinois high school accounting students for the 2nd annual High School Accounting Challenge on April 19, 2024. Fifty-two four-person teams from 16 area high schools participated in the competition.
Up from 11 participating high schools in 2023, the competition had to take over multiple large classrooms with our words of welcome broadcast through Zoom. After registration, breakfast, and a brief introduction, the High School Accounting Challenge started with a written exam on accounting fundamentals, including terminology, accounting cycle, journal entries, depreciation, inventory, and receivables; advanced accounting students were additionally tested on managerial accounting concepts such as break-even analysis, costing, and budgeting. While students took the test, their accounting teachers participated in a coach’s clinic. Team-building activities, lunch and a panel session featuring ISU accounting students were all offered throughout the day.
The top three performing individuals took home $3,000, $2,000, and $1,000 scholarships for first, second, and third places, respectively. The top teams took home trophies; so did the squad with the best team name, as determined by ISU accounting student volunteers. Fun activities were sprinkled in throughout the day. They included a guessing game where students guessed the number of objects in jars. Winners took home the jars, containing items like pennies, Jolly Ranchers, and Girl Scout cookies.
A huge thank you to our event sponsors, State Farm and Forvis. And special recognition to our faculty Ed Seipp, Liesel Mitchell, Deborah Seifert, and Joe Johnston, for coordinating this event. We hope to see these talented students return to campus as COB students to put their newly earned scholarships to use.
women in leadership: COLLEGIATE CASE COMPETITION
We are proud to recognize accounting students, Jessica Laughlin and Gracie O’Brien, who took home first place in the graduate division of Utah Valley University’s (UVU) Women in Leadership Case Competition. The event was open to undergraduate and graduate student teams of all majors and genders with cash prizes awarded to first, second, and third place teams. Academic teams came from across the United States, including those from Stetson University, Middle Tennesse State University, Brigham Young University, and more.
UVU partnered with Dr. Krista Andersen, founder and CEO of FIKSAL, to create a real-world case competition. Students were to analyze, propose, and present innovative solutions to help solve a real-world challenge relevant to FIKSAL. Through three rounds of demanding presentations, students showcased their complex problem-solving and presentation skills to propose solutions to fundraising and management-related issues. A group of local business leaders served as judges and awarded Gracie and Jessica with top honors in the graduate division. Gracie was especially impressed by the quality of their competition, “It was amazing to see what other teams came up with for their solutions. There were ideas that we hadn’t even thought about that ended up being really solid strategies!”
The competition provided attendees the opportunity to work with Illinois State University
faculty prior to the event and then network and engage in critical conversations of women in leadership during the competition. Jessica noted “the Women in Leadership Case Competition at UVU was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. My favorite part was being able to collaborate with a variety of professors to reach an ultimate solution. Our professors were instrumental in expanding our knowledge on the topics of AI and entrepreneurship. Additionally, they guided us in the “right” direction and provided so much feedback and encouragement along the way. The event was a testament that there are oftentimes no right answers, however, preparation and confidence are vital to case competition success. I really hope that ISU accounting students continue to go because it was one of my
Help a fellow redbird.
OPPORTUNITIES FOR GIVING
Alumni support of Illinois State University is tremendously important for many reasons. Gifts received from alumni provide the “margin of excellence” in our programs. Additionally, outside organizations view alumni giving as a measure of “customer satisfaction.” For example, the percentage of alumni who give to Illinois State University factors into the US News and World Report’s “Best Colleges” rankings. While the number is only a small factor in the overall ranking, Illinois State University stands well behind the institutions we strive to emulate. For these reasons, your annual gift is extremely important. Your gift, no matter the size, can make a real difference to Illinois State University students.
The students, faculty, and staff of the Department of Accounting thank all those who have supported the department and the university. This significant support is testimony to the enhanced sense of mutual responsibility to ensure quality education in accounting and business information systems. Last year, the Department of Accounting had 229 donors contribute $630,940.44. Many of the recent donations have been to create endowments for scholarships. This year, the department gave $225,000 at the spring scholarship banquet.
Thank you to all of you for your support.
YOU CAN HELP THE DEPARTMENT REACH ITS GOAL ONE OF TWO WAYS.
One way is to make the donation online using this QR code to right and checking the “Department of Accounting” box at the link. The other way to donate is to mail a check payable to: Illinois State University Foundation Office
Campus Box 8000 • 1101 N. Main Street
Normal, Illinois 61761
Please write “Department of Accounting” on the memo line of your check, and your entire contribution will go to support the department.
The Debbie Lindberg SCHOLARSHIP Hall of Fame
In spring 2024, in conjunction with Business Week activities, Dean Ajay Samant inducted three outstanding alumni into the College of Business Hall of Fame, one of whom is an accounting alumnus.
Jere Eyer Roche ’83 CPA, Entrepreneur
Jere graduated from ISU in May 1983 with a degree in accounting and business administration along with passing the CPA exam. That same year he also married Ally (Harlan) Eyer an ISU Fine Arts alum ‘84. After graduation, Jere immediately went to work as an audit and tax accountant with the public accounting firm Clifton Gunderson, now known as CliftonLarsonAllen. Within a few years he left for a senior auditor position with the public accounting firm BDO.
At BDO, Jere quickly rose through the ranks and was able to develop extensive expertise in the technical aspects of a variety of privately owned mid-sized businesses. During his tenure with BDO, he was able to work in many of the mid-west and Texas offices of BDO along with becoming a national instructor for the firm’s auditor training curriculum designed to further develop the firm’s large audit staff.
In 1994, Jere had the urge to transition from advising clients on how to successfully operate their businesses to actually owning and operating private companies. He left the comfort of public accounting to become an equity partner and Chief Financial Officer of a large Midwestern transporter of bulk liquid commodities. By 1999, Jere was the President of the holding company and helped transition the company to profitable growth before it was ultimately sold to a national public company in 2002.
After briefly trying retirement for a few months, he quickly started a similar transport company concentrating on the Chicago metro market and specializing in the more specific petroleum and jet fuel liquid commodities markets. Along this same time period he also founded several other companies in other industries including a company that concentrated on the ownership of pipeline and tank farm commercial properties, a company specializing in transport equipment repair facilities, an entity designed to build and own commercial manufacturing facilities within enterprise zones, and a firm that specialized in providing temporary high level accounting and financial services to companies that may have lost their financial officer. In his spare time, Jere also worked with one of his old partners at BDO to develop a new local public accounting firm that was ultimately sold to CliftonLarsonAllen.
In 2009, Jere started to exit his businesses to concentrate his efforts on growing and developing a mid-sized plastic manufacturer he helped as a start-up during his tenure with BDO. Jere became the Managing Director and with his business partner grew and expanded the plastic manufacturing business by concentrating on refining the manufacturing processes to compete in a global marketplace. This business was a dominant plastic manufacturer in the gaming markets including slot machines, video arcade games and pinball machines. After more than a decade, the business was sold to a Midwest private equity firm.
Redbird Harlan Fuller ’77, M.S. ’79, created a scholarship for accounting students to honor retired faculty member, Debbie Lindberg, who served Illinois State University for 26 years. Your donation to the new Deborah L. Lindberg Accounting Scholarship will provide financial assistance to accounting undergraduate students in need. We ask you to consider a meaningful gift to help build up the fund to assist more students for this academic year.
Thank you for your gift in support of Accounting Redbirds and in honor of Debbie!
MORE ABOUT DEBBIE LINDBERG:
Debbie, a Professor in the Department of Accounting at Illinois State University in Normal, Illinois, joined the faculty in 1997. She earned a doctorate from Boston University, an MBA from Florida Atlantic University and a BA from the University of Northern Iowa.
A member of numerous professional and academic organizations, including Beta Alpha Psi, Beta Gamma Sigma, the American Accounting Association, and the Institute of Internal Auditors, she has received many honors and awards, among them several Department of Accounting Outstanding Performance Awards for teaching, service and scholarly productivity, the Arthur H. Winakor Award for the Outstanding Accounting Faculty Member of the Year for both the 1998-99 and 2002-03 academic years, and the Outstanding Educator Award from Illinois CPA Society in 2009.
THANK YOU FOR GIVING!
Jere now concentrates his time on working in a volunteer role with other small and medium sized companies that are unable to afford the internal costs of a financial officer. He also still has a small accounting and tax practice working with past clients and business partners to assist them with their tax needs along with their trust and estate planning administration. When not working, Jere and his wife Ally spend their summers at their lake home in Wisconsin and are transitioning to winter life in Florida along with enjoying boating, swimming, golf and friends.
ANNUAL ACCOUNTING AND BUSINESS INFORMATION SYSTEMS AWARDS
The following awards were presented at the 40th annual Accounting and Business Information Systems Awards Ceremony on April 25, 2025. This year, 75 awards totaling $225,000 were given to 57 students. We are very proud of our students and their accomplishments, and we thank the organizations that provided financial support for these awards.
42nd annual CliftonLarsonAllen Award
• Nina Carey
18th annual COUNTRY Financial Award
• Faith Lagat
• Toby Plattner
• Katherine Coffman
• Jennifer Hernandez-Sandoval
• Malik Khatib
• Darwin Salvatierra
• Josephine Chavez
• Sean Collins
• Landon Cook
• Emma Gregory
• Kirsten Kindred
• Grace Johnson
• Adam Kirch
• Lucas Kozak
• Liam Rudin
44th annual Dunbar, Breitweiser & Co. Award
• Owen Schroeder
18th annual Enterprise Rent-A-Car Award
• Henry Ryan
23rd annual FORVIS Award
• Tyson Kralis
23rd annual MCK Mary Ann Webb Scholarship
• Katelyn Krahn
15th annual Miller Cooper & Company Award
• Aaron Heppner
• Nolan Mueller
25th annual PricewaterhouseCoopers Award
• Mackenzie Cotner
18th annual RSM Award
• Michael Cassidy
• Billy Doebler
• Kyra Feltz
• Joe McLaughlin
• Libby Schmidt
3rd annual Sikich LLP Accounting and BIS Diversity Scholarship
• Emma Gregory
• Ashley Heagy
• Tyson Kralis
17th annual State Farm Award
• Miguel Ayala
• Carson Brozenec
• Payton Dundas
• Clayton Eck
• Emma Norden
5th annual Tighe, Kress & Orr, PC Award
• Christian Gomolchak
2024 Department of Accounting Scholarship
• Christian Kofi Amoakoh
• Joseph Appelhans
• Nina Carey
• Caren Chumba
• Carson Forbes
• Rian Jacquat
• Katelynn Krahn
• Timothy Mayer
• Anthony Miritello
• Takuhiro Uesugi
• Brandon Whetsell
1st annual Anderson Family Accounting Scholarship
• Quynh Bailey
• Josephine Chavez
8th annual Bradley Benson Memorial ISACA-Illini Chapter BIS Scholarship
• Faith Lagat
4th annual Business Information Systems Scholarship
• Jennifer Hernandez-Sandoval
12th annual Caroline Kern Craig Endowed Fund Scholarship
• Joe Harrington
• Jessica Laughlin
16th annual David Currie CPA Scholarship
• Leonard Kagbo
4th annual Brad Dawson Memorial Fund Scholarship
• Kyleah Darnell
• Liam Rudin
8th annual Duane and Diana Debs Scholarship
• Keelyn Tyrell
13th annual Eovaldi Family Accounting Scholarship
• Cobi Blair
• Lucas Hofer
• Kyle Krogstad
• Andrea Rivera
• Benjamin Yeboah
8th annual Mike and Karen Essington BIS Scholarship
• Faith Lagat
6th annual Jacalyn Ferree
Endowed Scholarship in Accounting
• Julia Naronowicz
13th annual Flessner Family
Endowed Scholarship Honoring Dr. Gerry McKean
• Logan Birchbauer
• Sean Hopkins
4th annual Foltz Family Scholarship
• Subash Chaudhary
• Carson Forbes
• Jessica Laughlin
3rd annual Mary Graffy Memorial Scholarship
• Gracie O’Brien
35th annual Accounting Alumni Association
James A. Hallam Scholarship
• Eric Harper
7th annual Jim & Jeanette Hallam
CPA Candidate Scholarship
• Cobi Blair
3rd annual Douglas W. Hart Accounting Scholarship
• Joey Appelhans
• Keelyn Tyrell
2nd annual Howley Family Accounting Scholarship
• Clayton Eck
4th annual Industrial Accounting Scholarship
• Eric Harper
10th annual Lafrence Family Accounting Scholarship
• Christian Kofi Amoakoh
• Benjamin Yeboah
7th annual McMullen Family
First Generation Student Scholarship
• Miguel Ayala
5th annual Eric Mickel Scholarship for Accounting
• Katelyn Krahn
27th annual W. Max Rexroad Scholarship
• Kyleah Darnell
• Billy Doebler
• Kirsten Kindred
• Erin Patton
16th annual James H. Schlesser Endowed Scholarship
• Jack Priller
20th annual Herbert C. Sieg Endowed Scholarship
• Quynh Bailey
• Michael Cassidy
• Nina Carey
• Joe Harrington
• Payton Dundas
• Takuhiro Uesugi
3rd annual Kelley and James Smith
Accounting Scholarship
• Mckenzie Cotner
26th annual Nims Associates
Bill Spaniol Memorial Scholarship
• Toby Plattner
3rd annual Tanyi Family Accounting Scholarship
• Anh Nguyen
2024 William Townes Memorial Scholarship
• Kyleah Darnell
MULTI-YEAR AWARDS
Gary and Helen Anetsberger Scholarship
• Sean Collins
• Adam Kirch
• Anthony Miritello
William A. Fortsch Accounting Scholarship
• Miguel Ayala
• Brooke Covey
Sears Accounting Scholarship
• Steel Martin
3rd annual Vandermyde Family Scholarship
• Michael Koczwara
17th annual Kate King Wu & Horace C. Wu Scholarship
• Evan Capps
• Subash Chaudhary
• Brittney Oakley
8th annual Zarcone Family Scholarship
• Christian Kofi Amoakoh
• Christian Gomolchak
• Ashley Heagy
• Gracie O’Brien
• Natalie Starkey
• Benjamin Yeboah
21st annual Becker Professional Education Scholarship
• Faith Lagat
• Andrew Miller
2nd annual Dr. Thomas Secoy CPA Exam Scholarship
• Anh Nguyen
• Matthew Varland
1st Annual Gleim CPA Review Scholarship
• Ryan Fryer
12th annual Steve Michels CPA Review Course Scholarship
• Caren Chumba
4th annual Surgent CPA Review Scholarship
• Sachin Suji
7th annual UWorld CPA Review Scholarship
• Nate Cundiff
2024 Business Information Systems Alumni Outstanding Undergraduate BIS Student Award
• Logan Birchbauer
2024 Marcotte Family Outstanding Undergraduate Accounting Student Award
• Liam Rudin
2024 Marcotte Family Outstanding Master of Professional Accountancy Award
• Natalie Starkey
2024 Marcotte Family Outstanding Master of Science in Accountancy Award
• Anh Nguyen
DEPARTMENT
OF ACCOUNTING PROFESSIONAL ADVISORY COUNCIL 2023-2024
• Stephanie Petri, CliftonLarsonAllen
• Doug Ellerman, COUNTRY Financial
• Nathan Isenberg, Sikich
• Ben Turner, Sikich
• Jason Jennings, GROWMARK Inc.
• Zach Fortsch, RSM
• Robert Glazik, RSM
• Brett Schaefer, RSM
• Kelly Doornbos, ADM
• Steven Harms, PriceWaterhouseCoopers
• Diana Kunz, KPMG
• Heather Powell, FORVIS
• Ryan Prevo, Young America Realty
• Dena Rucker, Deere & Co.
• Ryan Young, Caterpillar Inc.
• Joseph Johnston, Illinois State University
• Weslie Sawyer, State Farm Insurance
• Loni Steinkamp, Striegel Knobloch & Company
• David Brown, MCK CPAs and Advisors
• Korey Davis, Memorial Health System
• Phil Johnsen, Miller Cooper & Co. Ltd.
• Steve Leazzo, Tighe, Kress & Orr
• Scott Lehman, Crowe LLP
• Jim Krinninger, IDEX Corporation
• Holly Nelson, IDEX Corporation
• Chinedu Iwuora, Deloitte & Touche LLP
• Kyle Johnson, Afni, Inc.
DEPARTMENT OF ACCOUNTING EARLY CAREER ADVISORY BOARD 2023-2024
• Ita Adebayo, Google
• Brandon Brown, Caterpillar
• GaBrielle Cargill, Archer Daniel Midland
• Michael Goodman, Aon
• Jason Martinez, GATX
• John Massey, COUNTRY Financial
• Fawna Ribbe, Watchfire Signs
• Alec Rueff, PFK Mueller
• Alexandra Schwartz, CliftonLarsonAllen
• Miah Shah, PwC
• Nathan Steckel, PwC
• Seth Stalter, State Farm
• Silvia Villegas, Deloitte
• Sophia Wan, Kraft Heinz Company
DID WE MISS SOMEONE’S ACCOMPLISHMENT?
Alumni Updates
We are proud of the accomplishments of our alumni. If you have professional accomplishments you would like to share with us, please report them to: Dr. Kristie Young at kmyou13@ilstu.edu.
• Kristie Young
• Harlan Fuller
• Brent Lao
• Aubrey Whitfield
