Footnotes - Spring 2023 Accounting Newsletter

ILLINOIS STATE UNIVERSITY ACCOUNTING DEPARTMENT

footnotes

FROM THE CHAIR

It has been my privilege to have served as the Acting Chairperson of the Department of Accounting for Fall of 2022. I’ve learned much about the impact of the department on our community, our students, and the profession. We create this impact through initiatives like VITA, our student organizations, our strong internship program, and our connection to practitioners. I want to note a few initiatives not included in this newsletter.

We have completed another cycle of reaccrediting by the AACSB, the premier business school accrediting body. This accreditation helps ensure that we have the processes and practices that provide our students with a high-quality education. We hold a separate AACSB Accounting Accreditation, a distinction held by fewer than 200 universities.

To help stimulate interest in the accounting program at Illinois State University, we will be holding our first-ever high school competition. For this competition, we’ve invited high school accounting classes to visit our beautiful campus and compete for scholarships and trophies. This event is intended to stimulate interest in our accounting programs and the profession.

We have expanded our curriculum to adapt to today’s market. We have added graduate certificates in forensic accounting and data science. We are preparing for the changes to the CPA Evolution coming up in 2024.

Our faculty continue to receive accolades in teaching, research, and service. They publish academic, educational, and practitioner research in high-quality journals. I am impressed by the dedication of our faculty and staff to our mission of providing quality education in Illinois.

Please take a look at the details of these many accomplishments and other departmental events in our newsletter. We encourage all of our alumni to be involved in programs that assist our students, such as the mentoring program, speaking in classes, providing scholarships, and participating in networking and recruiting events. A special thank you to the many alumni who have increased their giving to the department. In closing, thank you all for supporting the department in many ways.

With kind regards,

Joseph Johnston

Joseph Johnston, Ph.D. , Acting Chairperson - Fall 2022 Faculty Awards

MY REDBIRD STORY

My love for Illinois State University started well before I even took my first class. During my high school years, my sister (Jessica J. Gentzel ’03) was attending Illinois State as an accounting student. I remember visiting my sister and admiring the campus as well as the college environment. When it became time for me to start applying to colleges, Illinois State University was one of the top schools on my list.

The decision became an easy one when I was notified that Illinois State University selected me as a 2002 Presidential Scholar recipient. I remember the scholarship coming with very specific academic requirements, some of which were a little intimidating. The thought of studying abroad for a semester or interviewing accounting professors my freshman year in order to select a faculty mentor was something I had not planned on going into my college education. While those requirements seemed daunting at first, they really enhanced my overall college experience and education. Some of my greatest memories during my time at Illinois State were from the summer semester studying abroad in Bristol, England with other Illinois State business students. I took full advantage of my time overseas, getting to explore seven different countries in a short nine-week span (which included six weeks of classes).

My selection for faculty mentor (Professor Deborah Lindberg) also could not have turned out better. While she helped guide me with accounting questions, course selections, etc… it was the out of the classroom experiences (Illinois State University athletic events, Madrigal Dinner, and numerous other Illinois State events), we attended together with her husband, Terry, that showed me a lot of what Illinois State had to offer. It pretty much goes without saying but Illinois State University’s College of Business gave me the tools for a successful future and career. The classes I took, along with the mentors I had, prepared me for what to expect from a career in public accounting as well as an important

MY REDBIRD STORY

(continued from page 1)

goal of mine… passing the CPA exam. As a result of my education at Illinois State (and a lot of studying), I earned the 2008 Excel Award recipient for outstanding performance on the 2007 Uniform CPA Exam.

While Illinois State University’s College of Business did a great job preparing me for my future career, the relationships I developed while at Illinois State have had the most impact on my life. Friendships started to develop almost immediately during the first 7th floor Atkin/Colby “meet and greet”. The activities that I joined outside the classroom (Delta Sigma Phi fraternity, intramural sports, student government, etc…) provided me with lasting memories and relationships that I value to this day. Many of those relationships turned into lifelong friendships, even some 15 years later. Most importantly, I met my wife (Nicole D. Thompson ’07). We have fond memories of our time together at Illinois State University and enjoy reminiscing about those days. Ultimately, our relationship led us to Rockford, Illinois where we started our family and careers.

After graduating in 2007, I had offers from many different accounting firms (Big Four, Regional and small firms). After many interviews and internal deliberations, I selected a small public accounting firm in Rockford, Illinois (Millikin Benning Kleckler and Kobischka, MBK&K). The deciding factor for me was the smaller firm not only allowed but encouraged their new staff to get experience in both audit and tax. I had minimal experience in both so selecting one direction right out of college terrified me to the core. What if I did not like my selection? How far behind would I be if I decided to switch mid-career? If I never work in one of the areas, how will I ever know if I made the right decision?

To this day I’m still working in both areas. While it is definitely harder keeping up in both areas, enjoying what you do and having a strong team makes it seem easy!

During my first year at MBK&K, I got to experience my first of many mergers as MBK&K went through a merger with a larger regional firm. While I learned a lot and enjoyed most of my experiences at the regional firm, I knew the hands-on client approach of a smaller local firm was my passion. I reconnected with two of the original partners of MBK&K in 2013 at a firm named Benning Group, LLC. I became a partner in 2016 and as of January 1, 2023, I’m the managing partner of our Rockford office. Benning Group, LLC currently has three office locations (Rockford, Illinois; Freeport, Illinois; and Monroe, Wisconsin) with around thirty employees between all of the offices. We service clients in a variety of industries with our focus on providing outstanding service based on our three underlying principles of professionalism, responsiveness and quality.

Ultimately, I credit Illinois State University for so many of my personal and professional accomplishments. Without my experiences at Illinois State, I wouldn’t be where I am today. Not only did my love for Illinois State start before stepping into my first classroom at Williams Hall, but it still continues many years later. GO BIRDS!

COLLEGE OF BUSINESS REGISTERED STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS OFFICERS

Accounting and Financial Women’s Alliance

Natalie Starkey – President

Gracie O’Brien – Vice President

Dana Bays – Event Coordinator

Aava Farokhian – VP of Community Involvement

Jessica Laughlin – Secretary

Ashley Heagy – Treasurer

Beta Alpha Psi

Brandi Tate – President

Victoria Chaidez – Vice President

Billy Doebler – Treasurer

Dana Bays – Secretary

Business Information Systems Club

Malik Khatib – President

Brady King – Vice President

Tyler Lindahl – Treasurer

Denis Arhin – Secretary

National Association of Black Accountants

Janice Nyarko – President

Isaac Robinson – Vice President

Benjamin Yeboah – Treasurer

Chijioke Nzelu – Secretary

Jacob Selasie Attieku – SCREP Chair

Oluwabusayo Bello – Marketing Chair

Armani Tubbs – Events Coordinator

Motinade Adeniyi – Events Committee Member

Student Accounting Society

Grace Johnson – President

Kirsten Kindred – Vice President

Mackenzie Cotner – Banquet Chair

Katie Krahn – Event Coordinator

Nina Carey – Membership Coordinator and Treasurer

Michelle Lopez – Marketing Coordinator

FACULTYAWARDS

Our accomplished faculty have received a number of awards over the past few years. We are proud of our award winners!

RSM’s Arthur H. Winakor Outstanding Teacher Award is selected by a student vote and is funded by RSM. This award has a long history in the department and is a great honor. The recent winners were:

• MADELINE TRIMBLE, 2018 • BRENT LAO, 2021

• RACHEL BIRKEY, 2019 • RACHEL BIRKEY, 2022.

The Hobart & Marian Gardner Hinderliter Endowed Professorship is awarded to outstanding faculty members in the College of Business, and our department’s faculty have won for the last three years in a row:

• DEN PATTEN, 2019

• JAY RICH, 2020

• VISHAL MIDHA , 2021

The Illinois State University Impact Award is given to those who have made a difference for new freshmen and transfer students. MADELINE TRIMBLE and JAY RICH received this in 2021.

The Katie Insurance Grant is given to faculty members who are conducting insurance-related research, which was received by BRENT LAO, BAHAE SAMHAM and JOMO SANKARA .

Our faculty have these recognitions from the College of Business:

• College of Business Outstanding Service Award for Tenured/Tenure-Track Faculty 2020-2021

BAHAE SAMHAM

• College of Business Non-Tenure Track Faculty Award for Teaching Excellence 2020-2021

CAROLYN BROADBENT

• Manahan Family Award for Teaching Excellence in Business 2020-2021

MADELINE TRIMBLE

• Wilma Jean Alexander Technology Innovation Faculty Award 2020-2021

NIHARIKA DAYYALA

• University Outstanding Teaching Initiative Award and the National Accounting and Financial Women’s Alliance Women Who Count Academic Award in 2020

MADELINE TRIMBLE

DEN PATTEN NAMED DISTINGUISHED PROFESSOR

Dennis Patten, Professor of Accounting, received the designation of Distinguished Professor in 2019. The appointment is the highest academic honor bestowed by Illinois State University to faculty members who have achieved national recognition for scholarly research and demonstrated excellence in teaching or significant contribution to public services.

Patten joined Illinois State University in 1985. He received his undergraduate and master’s degrees from Illinois State in 1978 and 1982, respectively. He earned his doctorate from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1987. Over his 36 years of service at Illinois State, until his recent retirement in 2021, he has received numerous teaching awards at the department, college, and university levels. He was named a Full Professor in 1997 and a University Professor in 2015. He also holds the College of Business’s Hobart and Marian Gardner Hinderliter Endowed Professorship.

Over his tenure at Illinois State, Patten published 70 refereed journal articles, eight of which are in the highest tier of accounting research journals. His research in corporate, social, and environmental disclosure has significantly influenced the practice and research in the sustainability field. Patten has given invited presentations and served as a plenary speaker at conferences around the world. He has served on the editorial board for eight academic journals.

ARCHER DANIELS MIDLAND AWARDS FACULTY FELLOWSHIPS

To meet long-term strategic goals, partnerships with outside organizations and individuals are essential. The Department of Accounting is very appreciative of the financial support that has created the following faculty award.

Jomo Sankara and Madeline Trimble have received the ADM Accounting Scholar Award. This award recognizes faculty members who have demonstrated excellent teaching and research skills. The faculty members receiving this award are committed to developing a closer relationship with ADM. Congratulations Jomo and Maddy!

Faculty and Students Provide Volunteer Income Tax Assistance

The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program is an IRS sponsored program that trains volunteers to provide free tax help for low-to-moderate income families who need assistance preparing their tax returns. It is a great opportunity for students to learn about personal income taxes and become familiar with tax software, often before they take their first tax class. They get practical, hands-on experience, strengthen relationships with faculty, and serve their community.

Sally Fitzgibbons and Liesel Mitchell started working with VITA about 12 years ago. They established a VITA site at Mt. Moriah Christian Church on Washington St. in Bloomington. Each fall they recruited and trained student volunteers and operated the site with ten to twenty student volunteers each tax season. About 7 years ago, Jaime (Black) Peters ’02 joined them as another site coordinator, and they relocated to Western Avenue Community Center (WACC). After Sally retired, Jaime and Liesel continued to operate the WACC site, staffed with student volunteers. In March 2020, they closed the site at WACC due to COVID and did not participate in VITA during the 2021 tax season as Illinois State University was 100% remote that academic year. During their time, their sites processed hundreds of tax returns and helped secure hundreds of thousands of dollars of refunds.

Last year, Liesel Mitchell resumed recruiting and training students. Rather than reopening the WACC site, she and the students volunteered at the Heartland Community College and Bloomington Housing Authority sites during the 2022 tax season. Training has begun this fall with 15 to 20 students involved. During tax season, they will continue to volunteer at the Heartland Community College and Bloomington Housing Authority sites.

To learn more about the VITA program and how to volunteer, use this QR code to go to: https://www.irs.gov/individuals/irs-tax-volunteers.

There are VITA sites nationwide. It is a wonderful opportunity to give back to your community, using your accounting knowledge and skills.

FACULTY MEMBERS’ COMMUNITYvolunINVOLVEMENTteers

• JAY RICH served on the Board of Directors for the Illinois Heart & Lung Foundation until its closure during the pandemic.

• BAHAE SAMHAM has chaired a mini track at the Hawaiian International Conference of System Science (HICSS) since 2017. The track is titled “ICT-enabled self-management of chronic diseases and conditions.”

• MADELINE TRIMBLE and CHRIS TAMM, from the finance department, comprised the Economic Literacy Cohort for Illinois

State University sponsored by the American Association of State Colleges and Universities’ American Democracy Project (AASCU/ ADP) and Up to Us.

They launched Illinois State University’s first Economic Literacy Week in February 2022, where they had a national deliberative dialogue about the debt, a local policy discussion dinner, and a presentation on the Importance of Economic Literacy from Illinois’ Comptroller, Susana Mendoza.

STUDENT AWARDS AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS

The Department of Accounting is proud of the following students who have distinguished themselves academically as well as in campus and community activities.

Accounting and Finance Women’s Alliance at Illinois State University

AFWA-ISU is the largest Accounting and Financial Women’s Alliance (AFWA) student group in the nation and a very active RSO within the College of Business. In terms of community service, AFWA-ISU introduced the Fiscally Fit program with BloomingtonNormal Girl Scout troops. The program uses illustrative examples to stress the importance of savings to a young audience and awards them a badge. The group has also created some very memorable engagement and alumni networking events including the AFWA Know Your Personality workshop hosted at the RSM office in Chicago, IL in September 2019 (organizer: Michaela Spreier) and our first Murder Mystery: I Love You to Death Fundraiser in Spring 2022 (organizer: Jessica Laughlin).

AFWA-ISU has two annual events. Each fall, they host an asynchronous book club that concludes with a luncheon to discuss major themes. The group has read Lean In, Girl Wash Your Face, Why Nice Girls Don’t Get the Corner Office, among others. The second event is the Financial Literacy Series, which is an educational program each semester about different financial topics advertised to the whole student body. Former topics include choosing benefits packages, paying back student debt, and knowing your credit score, which won Illinois State University’s Outstanding Educational Event of the Year in 2018. Together, these programs helped AFWA-ISU win the 2020 COBEC Outstanding Service/Volunteer Organization Award and national-level AFWA Chapter Achievement-Service Award in 2020. Many of our officers have won national undergraduate and graduate scholarships from AFWA including Tyra Sexton, Halle Sheley, and Bridget Donoghue. Currently, Tyra Sexton serves as a National Board Member and Professor Madeline Trimble serves as the National Treasurer of AFWA. Former AFWA-ISU President, Bridget Donoghue, is serving on the AFWA Foundation Board, and another former AFWA-ISU President, Michaela Spreier, is helping to launch a professional AFWA chapter in Chicago.

Professor Madeline Trimble has worked with officers to get university and department funding for their AFWA conferences each year. With this support, Madeline has escorted student officers to AFWA conferences in Orlando, Kansas City, Missouri, New York City, and Chicago. They plan to attend the AFWA Women Who Count conference in Reno in 2023! They have recruited many corporate sponsors including IDEX and John Deere through their efforts.

Students Attend Leadership Conferences

The Accounting and Finance Women’s Alliance (AFWA), Beta Alpha Psi (BAP), BIS Club, NABA, and Student Accounting Society (SAS) leadership teams have attended several conferences this year. In June 2022, Professor Jomo Sankara and members of NABA attended the NABA Annual National Convention & EXPO in Hollywood, Florida. Professor Leisel Mitchell went with three BAP members to Orlando, Florida in July 2022 for the Beta Alpha Psi National Conference. This was the first time the conference was held since COVID. Five members of Student Accounting Society, along with their advisor Professor Rachel Berkey, attended the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA) Student Leadership Conference in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in October 2022. As the advisor for AFWA, Professor Madeline Trimble accompanied student officers to the AFWA Women Who Count Conference in Chicago, Illinois in October 2022.

WELCOME ABOARD! New Accounting Faculty and Staff

BRENT LAO joined the Department of Accounting in Fall of 2018 as an Assistant Professor. He enjoys teaching the Intermediate Accounting (ACC231) and Advanced Financial Accounting (ACC337) courses. His research focuses on financial reporting topics such as earnings management and voluntary disclosures, as well as non-financial disclosures such as corporate sustainability reporting. Prior to joining Illinois State University, Brent worked at Florida International University where he taught business valuation and financial statement analysis courses for international, healthcare, and professional MBA programs. Brent earned his Ph.D. in accounting from the University of Texas at Austin.

DAMIEN CANNAVAN, who started at Illinois State University in 2019, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Accounting. He completed his Ph.D. studies at the University of Queensland in Australia. He has a master’s degree from Duke University and bachelor’s degrees in accounting and finance, and law. He has teaching and research experience from prior positions at universities in both the United States and Australia. Damien also has professional experience in the financial, government and banking sectors. He has consulted to industry for many years and his research has been cited in regulatory and legal settings. His research covers a broad range of areas across accounting, tax, finance and corporate governance. Damien is married with three young children.

SABINE KHALIL joined the Department of Accounting as an Assistant Professor in Business and Information Systems in 2022. She obtained her Ph.D. in Management of Information Systems from Telecom Paristech in Paris, France.

Prior to Illinois State University, Sabine was an Assistant Professor at a Business School in Paris for 4 years. She has a bachelor’s degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering as well as a master’s degree in Engineering Management from the American University of Beirut, Lebanon. Sabine has several publications in Information Systems journals and in conferences such as the Academy of Management, the Information Conference on Information Systems, and the European Conference on Information Systems. Her research interests include technology affordances, organizational agility, and the adoption of new technologies in organizations, such as cloud computing, blockchain, and augmented reality.

KRISTEN BERNAS started at Illinois State University in 2018 as a Housing Representee in the Office of Residential Life. Since then, Kristen has been promoted though different positions at Illinois State and is now an Office Administrator in the Department of Accounting. When she is not working at Illinois State, she is a volunteer Search Angel with DNAngels. Kristen is married with a 17-year-old son named Tyler, and they reside in McLean. She loves camping, hiking, and just about anything outdoors.

PAUL KELSON is a new Instructional Assistant Professor in the Department of Accounting. He spent 36 years in public accounting and two years as a controller of a mid-size construction company. Kelson owned a CPA firm in Fairbury, IL for 28 years before selling the firm in 2016. He received his Master of Accountancy in 2017 from Illinois State University and had been teaching at Heartland Community College. Paul has been married to Sherri for 45 years, and they have four children and nine grandchildren. He enjoys traveling and reading.

We’ll miss you!

Dr. Deborah L. Lindberg retired in December of 2022. She came to Illinois State University in the Fall of August 1997 after finishing her Doctorate in Business Administration from Boston College. During her career at Illinois State, Lindberg progressed to become a full professor in the Department of Accounting. She also spent two years as the Interim Associate Dean of Accreditation and Operations. Before coming to Illinois State, Lindberg, who is a CPA, spent time teaching at Boston University and Florida Atlantic University.

While at Illinois State University, Lindberg served as the advisor to Student Accounting Society for seven years and Beta Alpha Psi for several years. During her time at Illinois State, Lindberg was the recipient of numerous outstanding research, educator and service awards. In 2009, she received the Outstanding Educator Award from the Illinois CPA Society. She also published numerous articles and received many grants, including a grant for $87,490 from the American Accounting Association to study auditor independence issues.

Over the years, she primarily taught Auditing. Lindberg also served as the Lead Faculty for the Becker CPA Review class for many years. She was a faculty mentor for a number of Presidential Scholars Students, many of whom stay in touch.

A university professor has three job responsibilities: teaching classes, conducting research, and participating in service activities. Lindberg’s favorite was teaching. As she is ending this portion of her

career, she would like to thank each and every student that she had the privilege to work with over her 25+ years. Without each of you, her wonderful career at Illinois State would not have been possible. Thank you for your enthusiasm, optimism, and sense of humor. Debbie would also like to thank all of her colleagues in the Department of Accounting and the College of Business for your friendship, support, and guidance over the years.

Some little-known facts about Debbie: Her picture has been in BassMaster magazine for catching a huge, large-mouth bass. She has also served as a dinner etiquette and cocktail etiquette speaker numerous times. She can tell you which fork to use for what and what to do with your napkin when you’re done with the meal.

Her future plans include following the Illinois State University sports teams, visiting grandkids and family, going on fishing trips, visiting the Canadian Maritimes, and serving on the boards of several community organizations. She wishes her former students and colleagues great happiness and success in all you do!

Illinois

State University Earns Endorsement from the Institute of Management Accountants

In 2018, Illinois State University became one of only 107 IMA endorsed schools worldwide.

To be eligible for endorsement, a school must show that each topic included on the CMA exam is covered in one or more courses and provide supporting syllabi, homework, and test examples. Coursework for 75% of the topics on the CMA exam have to require the highest level of Bloom’s taxonomy skills (knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation). The school must also demonstrate it has qualified faculty.

This process was a large undertaking for the accounting and finance departments, and the effort was led by Dr. Jomo Sankara and Dr. Debbie Seifert. The endorsement adds credibility to Illinois State University’s accounting program and provides unique benefits to Illinois State University’s students. The accounting department is proud to have earned this distinction.

Practicing Professionals VISIT CAMPUS

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 year the following firm representatives visited classes, met with student groups, or held seminars:

• Mark Kazzaz ’07, Amazon Web Services: Seattle, Washington

• Bernie Heine ’08, PwC, Chicag

• Eddie Durham ’19, Rivian, Normal

• Steve Harms ’07, PwC, Pittsburgh

• Jim Svab ’92, PwC, Chicago

• Zack Fortsch ’84, RSM-Retired, Chicago

• Kelly Doornbos, Archer Daniels Midland, Decatur

• Kathryn Henkel-Slade ’03, Archer Daniels Midland, Decatur

• Sanjay Canonigo ’17, Archer Daniels Midland, Decatur

• Gabrielle Brix ’19, Archer Daniels Midland, Decatur

• Matt Siburt ’09 (History Education), Archer Daniels Midland, Decatur

• Melissa Moran ’04, ’21, State Farm, Bloomington

• Davey Cox ’21, FORVIS, Decatur

• Alex Schwartz ’18, Ernst & Young, Chicago

• Ryston Watts, ’20, Ernst & Young, Philadelphia, PA

• Rachel Birkey ’02, Illinois State University, Normal

• Allison Leczycki ’20, RSM, Arlington Heights

• Kelly Jansen Tabor ’14, FORVIS, St. Louis, MO

• Michaela Spreier ’20, KPMG, Chicago

• Melina Ressing ’16, AbbVie, Inc., Chicago.

SAVE THE DATE!

The Department of Accounting Annual Golf Outing is coming.

The annual accounting scholarship-fund golf outing will resume in 2023! The outing provides scholarships to outstanding junior accounting majors at the spring Annual Accounting Awards Ceremony. If you cannot get a team from where you work, contact some of your Illinois State University classmates. Scholarship winners will come to meet and greet participants at lunch. We hope to see everyone back on the golf course. We are also looking for some hole sponsorships. E-mail Harlan Fuller, hjfulle@ilstu.edu for more information.

SAVE THE DATE: SEPTEMBER 22, 2023.

The 2022 Alumni Early Career Achievement Awards

The Early Career Achievement Awards (ECAA) are presented to truly outstanding, young alumni who have experienced significant professional success. They are selected from nominations made by faculty, staff, and alumni of the College of Business. The nominations are reviewed by departmental teams. Eighteen alumni were honored on October 24, 2022. The award winners participated in panel discussions with students and faculty and were later recognized at a public reception.

Accounting and Business Information Systems (BIS) ECAA alumni honorees for 2022 were:

JON GOLDSHER

Jon is the Chief Financial Officer and Chief Compliance Officer at Boyne Capital, a Florida-based private equity firm, where he oversees various accounting, financial reporting, investor communication, and compliance activities. Boyne is a SEC-registered investment adviser, with over $400 million of assets under management, focused on acquisitions of lower middle market companies. Prior to joining Boyne, Jon was an Assurance Senior Manager in Ernst & Young’s Chicago office where he led financial statement audits of private equity funds, hedge funds, mutual funds, and investment advisers. He began his career as an auditor at RSM US. Jon is a CPA in the states of Illinois and Florida. Jon currently resides in Miami, FL with his wife Megan (a Registered Nurse and fellow Redbird) and daughter Eliana. They love traveling, soaking up the Florida sunshine, playing pickleball, and competing in just about everything. The couple is expecting a new addition to their family in February.

CHAD HALLORAN

Chad is a Tax Senior Manager at Deloitte, based in St. Louis. Chad has spent his entire professional career working in Deloitte’s state and local tax practice, primarily serving large corporate and passthrough entity clients. During the first four years of his career Chad largely focused on assisting his corporate and passthrough entity clients with state income tax compliance. Since 2016, Chad has been an integral member of Deloitte’s State Strategic Tax Review Team, a national team, where his focus has been on state income tax planning involving state income tax refund reviews and legal entity restructuring services. Chad is a frequent speaker on various corporate state income and franchise tax topics at both internal Deloitte and external tax conferences, including Tax Executives Institute and Council on State Taxation. Outside of work, Chad is involved in various community service organizations, both locally in Saint Louis and volunteering on international service trips.

LUKE PEIFER

Luke Peifer is a Senior Manager in Miller Cooper’s Transaction and Advisory Services group and a member of the firm’s Assurance and Accounting Department. He is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day work on buy-side and sell-side agreed-upon procedure and financial due diligence engagements with clients in a variety of industries. Mr. Peifer has seven years of public accounting experience and has serviced clients in a variety of industries with significant experience performing financial diligence for financial service clients, distribution, manufacturing and construction companies. Outside of public accounting, he has two years of private experience with an insurance broker. Mr. Peifer earned a BS in Finance and Accounting from Illinois State University. He is a member of the Illinois CPA Society as well as the Board of Directors and Treasurer of the Bloomington Normal Baseball Association.

RILEY PHIPPS

Riley has been at iManage for four years now and is currently the Lead Support Engineer on the Cloud Advisory team. This includes leading a team of Support Engineers, managing enterprise customer issues during implementation, making data driven decisions that lead to process changes, and educating the field on the latest best practices. In 2021, she was honored to receive the iManage Employee of the Year award, an award voted on by peers for individuals who embrace learning and change and have a significant impact on our customers. Riley currently lives in Chicago, Illinois and loves it. Over the past few years, she has been an active member of Team Bright Side which is an organization that raises money to help eradicate Pediatric Cancer while training for the Chicago Triathlon. Riley is an assistant softball coach for the 12u Elite Fastpitch softball team based in Chicago. She also appreciates the opportunity to speak to BIS students in Rosie Hauck’s classes from time to time.

KELLY TABOR

Kelly is currently a senior managing consultant in international tax services at FORVIS. FORVIS was recently created through the merger of BKD and DHG. She started her career at BKD in domestic tax in Decatur, Illinois. Kelly always made it known to her superiors that she was interested in international tax, and they did everything to support her in her career. When the opportunity arose, Kelly moved to St. Louis to pursue that dream. She has been able to assist clients with international tax structuring and compliance. While Kelly works with a variety of clients, she enjoys the larger more complex clients that allow the company to analyze and suggest tax strategies for them. The larger clients also allow her to get to know more about the business and invest more in the client, which she values. Personally, Kelly was recently married, and they have three dogs that keep them busy. They enjoy weekends on the lake with their parents and traveling to watch college basketball.

alumNEWS

Alum’s CPA Exam Score Earns Elijah Watt Sells Award

MEGAN HARTLEY M.S. ’21, received an Elijah Watt Sells Award in 2021. To qualify for this award, you need an average CPA score of at least 95.5 and pass all four sections on your first attempt. Out of 72,000 people across the U.S. who took the CPA exam, 57 earned this honor.

Hartley graduated from Texas Christian University in 2018 with a bachelor’s degree in marketing. She came to Illinois State University, and was taking a variety of courses, including Spanish. Hartley caught the attention of Dr. Van Linden in the accounting department, who encouraged her to enter the master’s program.

With the help of six university scholarships, Hartley was able to stop her full-time employment and focus on her schoolwork. The master’s in accounting was completed in 18 months.

Hartley’s success on the CPA exam was bolstered by keeping in contact with other master’s students. Seeing all the work and success they were having kept get her going. She focused on the parts of the exam that most closely related to her coursework at the time.

Hartley used the Becker prep materials to ready herself for the exam. She was able to pay for it through a COB scholarship specifically intended for those materials.

Hartley allowed three months of study for the first test and about eight weeks for each subsequent section. She finished the last part in the spring of 2021. A vacation followed the completion of the fourth part!

Since graduating in May of 2021, Hartley has worked for RMS US LLC, a public accounting, audit, tax, and consulting firm based out of Chicago.

Congratulations to our most recent Elijah Watt Sells recipient Megan Hartley, M.S., ’21.

Bronze Medal Excel Award

In 2020, MICHAELA SPREIER ’20 received the esteemed Excel Award from the Illinois CPA Society. To qualify for the Excel Award, CPA candidates must have an average score of 90 or higher, complete all four sections within two consecutive testing windows, and place in the top 5% of all Uniform CPA Exam test-takers who complete the exam requirements within Illinois’ testing year. Medals are given out for the top three scores in the state, and Michaela Spreier earned the Bronze Medal.

Illinois State University Alum pursuing PhD in Accounting

ELIZABETH DORRIES ’19 began her Illinois State University student career in August 2015. After successfully completing three years of undergraduate work, she was accepted into the BS/MPA program and chosen as a GA for her fourth and final year at Illinois State. Under the guidance of Dr. Johnston, Dr. Lao, and Dr. Young, she found herself enjoying her graduate assistant duties more and more and thought about a future in academia. Elizabeth also wanted to experience working in public accounting and gain additional insight to the accounting field before potentially returning to school.

Elizabeth earned her bachelor’s degree and Master of Professional Accountancy degree from Illinois State in May 2019. After graduation, she joined PricewaterhouseCoopers’ private assurance practice in Louisville, Kentucky where she assisted in non-public audits of various chemical distribution and car manufacturing companies. She earned her CPA License in the state of Illinois in 2021.

She recently began her first semester at Bentley University in Waltham, Massachusetts in a five- year Accounting Ph.D. Program. She intends to perform experimental audit research with a focus on decisional impacts on audit quality and auditor judgments. She also hopes to bring new insights to accounting education research and how different teaching approaches and methods of communications can impact auditor understanding, judgments, quality, and workforce preparation.

“Thank you” to Dr. Birkey, Dr. Johnston, and Dr. Lao for their endless support and encouragement through my application and transition process! “Go Redbirds!”

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. It is interesting to note that less than 10 percent of the University’s operating funds actually come from the State of Illinois as of late. 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 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 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. This year, the Department of Accounting had 238 individual donors and 35 corporate donors totaling $535,019. Many of the recent donations have been to create endowments for scholarships. The department gave over $200,000 this year at the spring scholarship banquet. Thank you to all of you for your support.

Fall Accounting Department

CAREERaccountingFairs

face-to-face virtual

The Department of Accounting held its 8th annual, Face-to-Face AccountingOnly Career Fair on September 9, 2022. The career fair was held exclusively for employers looking to hire accounting students. This event is an easy way to get your firm/company in front of a large number of accounting students. Accounting faculty have recommended this event to accounting students and, in some cases, have even required student attendance. Seventy-seven representatives from 40 firms and 114 enthusiastic accounting students attended the fall 2022 Face-to-Face Department of Accounting career fair.

The 2023 Face-to-Face Department of Accounting Career Fair will be held on September 15, 2023.

• Anders CPAs & Advisors

• Archer Daniels Midland Co.

• Caterpillar Inc.

• CliftonLarsonAllen

• Comptroller of the Currency

• DHJJ CPAs and Business Advisors

• Eck, Schafer & Punke, LLP

• Eder, Casella & Co.

• Enterprise Rent-A-Car

• Fates, Bodily, & Parker PLLC

• FORVIS

• Gorenz and Associates Ltd

• GROWMARK

• Illinois Department of Revenue

• Illinois Office of the Auditor General

• Illinois Soybean Association

• Illinois Tool Works

• Johnson Lambert LLP

• Kemper, Eck and Braeckel LLP

• Kerber, Eck & Braeckel LLP

• Larsson, Woodyard & Henson, LLP

• Legacy Professionals LLP

• Marine Officer Program

• Martin Hood LLC

• Mazars USA

• Miller Cooper & Co., Ltd

• ORBA

• PFK Mueller

• Plante & Moran, PLLC

• Plote Construction Inc.

• RSM

• Selden Fox

• Sikich

• State Farm Insurance

• State of California Tax Board

• Striegel Knobloch & Co

• SVA Certified Public Accountants, S.C.

• Tighe, Kress & Orr

• Wesco International, Inc.

The department also hosted its 2nd and 3rd annual virtual, accounting-only career fairs on September 16, 2022 and September 22, 2023. Representatives from 11 organizations met with students and completed an average of 52 chats and 5 group chats. The following firms participated:

• Andersen

• Caterpillar Inc.

• Citrin Cooperman

• CliftonLarsonAllen

• Enterprise Holdings

• Illinois Department of Children and Family Services

• Lipschultz Levin & Gray, LLC

• Mann Weitz & Associates

• RSM

• Tighe, Kress & Orr

• Ultimus LeverPoint

ACCOUNTING STUDENT INTERNSHIPS

The Department of Accounting has a successful internship program designed to encourage closer ties among employers, students, and faculty.

During the spring, summer, and fall 2022 semesters, the department placed 126 student interns with various organizations. If you are interested in participating in the internship program, please contact our internship coordinator, Dr. Ron Guidry at (309) 438-2968 or at rguidry@illinoisstate.edu

Spring 2022

• Oyinkansola Adelakun, Deloitte & Touche LLP, New York, NY

• Joseph Allen, VAULT Strategies, Bloomington

• Aaron Badiali, Plante Moran, Chicago

• Abdul Jawal Braimah, Deloitte US, New York, NY

• Tyler Broge, GROWMARK, Bloomington

• Mitchell Carr, Martin Hood LLC, Champaign

• Karsyn Cook, May, Cocagne, & King P.C., Bloomington

• Meghan Deenihan, Grant Thornton, Chicago

• Jaynie Dillman, RSM, Peoria

• Kyle Divan, Plante Moran, Chicago

• Mary Farmer, CliftonLarsonAllen, Bloomington

• Michael Fiala, CIT Trucks, Normal

• Scott Finley, KPMG, Chicago

• Carson Forbes, Dunbar, Breitweiser & Company, LLP, Bloomington

• Paul Frizzell, Growmark Inc., Bloomington

• Jonathan Gancarczyk, Miller Cooper & Co. Ltd., Chicago

• Collin Gibbel, RSM US LLP, Peoria

• Maddie Griffith, Insight CPAs & Financial LLC, Bloomington

• Madilyn Gutierrez, CliftonLarsonAllen, Dixon

• Patrick Gyimah-Danso, GROWMARK Inc, Bloomington

• Alyssa Hadding, Miller Cooper & Co., Ltd, Deerfield

• Ulysses Herrera, Striegel Knobloch & Company LLC, Bloomington

• Taylor Hoskins, BKD CPAs & Advisors, Decatur

• Justin Huls, CliftonLarsonAllen, Bloomington

• Victor Kabwaibwai, Pactiv Evergreen, Lakeforest

• Jason Kenny, Miller Cooper, Deerfield

• Grant Knepp, Nussbaum Transportation, Hudson

• Alexander Kolodziej, PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Houston, TX

• Andrew Layden, Dunbar Breitweiser & Co., LLP, Bloomington

• Ross Lochbaum, CliftonLarsonAllen, Bloomington

• Lia Lohnes, Sikich, LLP, Decatur

• Claire Lovell, Miller Cooper & Co. LTD., Chicago

• Angelika Madeja, KPMG LLP, Chicago

• Raju Majumder, Growmark Inc., Bloomington

• Anna Markevych, Johnson Lambert LLP, Park Ridge

• Daniella Martinez, Johnson Lambert, Park Ridge

• Daniel Miller, Sikich LLP, Naperville

• Anthony Miritello, Plante Moran, Chicago

• Gracie OBrien, CliftonLarsonAllen, Bloomington

• Benjamin Polman, Plante Moran, Chicago

• Harrison Porter, BKD, Decatur

• Jude Rayburn, CliftonLarsonAllen, Bloomington

• Matthew Reese, Hjerpe and Tennison, Bloomington

• Allison Riggs, Plante Moran, Chicago

• Jonathon Romain, RSM, Peoria

• Tyrah Sexton, Dunbar, Breitweiser & Company, LLP, Bloomington

• Clare Shamhart, Doehring, Winders & Co. LLP, Effingham

• Michael Sikorski, KPMG, Chicago

• Jack Skaggs, Clifton Larson Allen, Bloomington

• Kaleb Spreitzer, ORBA, Chicago

• Eric Tamakloe, Deloitte, Chicago

• Mary Toyne, Plante Moran, Schaumburg

• Kevin Treacy, Miller Cooper & Co., Ltd., Chicago

• Andy Trower, CliftonLarsonAllen, Bloomington

• Emanuel Vargas, Shepard Schwartz & Harris, Chicago

• Griffin Wagers, FORVIS, Decatur

• Nicole Webber, Miller Cooper, Chicago

• Alexis Wedoff, Metropolitan Capital Bank & Trust, Chicago

• Natalie Wood, Striegel Knobloch & Co LLC, Normal

• Nathaniel Woodward, Ramsay & Associates PC, Peoria

• Michael Zanichelli, KPMG, Chicago

Summer 2022

• Oyinkansola Beatrice Adelakun, Amazon, Seattle, WA

• Jason Amarei, RSM US LLP, Chicago

• Paige Antczak, Motorola Solutions, Chicago

• Joseph Appelhans, KPMG, Chicago

• Angelina Bastone, AMI Group Inc, St. Charles

• Sydney Bauer, Dot Foods, Mt Sterling

• Tyler Broge, Lucas Group CPAs + Advisors, Freeport

• Tyler Bryant, Anders CPAs + Advisors, St. Louis, MO

• Jalen Butler, Springfield Urban League, Springfield

• Michael Campanile, RSM US LLP, Chicago

• Julian Carrillo, Tablecraft Products Company, Inc., Gurnee

• Max Cazzato, Glanbia Performance Nutrition, Downers Grove

• Taylor Costello, Miller Cooper & Co. Ltd, Chicago

• Connor Davis, Lakeshore Beverage, Bloomington

• Diane Diaz, State Farm, Bloomington

• William Doebler, Eder, Casella & Co., Barrington

• Elise Dotterer, Nussbaum Transportation, Hudson

• Jessica Dziadkowiec, Eder Casella and Co, Barrington

• Michael Fiala, Occidental Chemicals, Dallas, TX

• Morgan Gabriel, ADM, Decatur

• Laura Hauer, KEB, Springfield

• Ashley Heagy, FDIC, Princeton

• Ulysses Herrera, Striegel Knobloch & Co, LLC, Bloomington

• Marcus Heywood, Keplr Vision, Bloomington

• Ryan King, Plante Moran, Schaumburg

• Luka Kosic, RSM US LLP, Chicago

• Kyle Krogstad, Eder, Casella & Co., Barrington

• Dylan Lambrecht, Keplr Vision, Bloomington

• Alysia Lash, YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago, Chicago

• Jessica Laughlin, CliftonLarsonAllen, Bloomington

• Sarah Leoni, Champion Logistics Group, North Lake

• Megan Lisowski, Illinois Tool Works, Glenview

• Ross Lochbaum, Sikich LLP, Springfield

• Anna Ludolph, Evergreen FS, Bloomington

• Anna Markevych, Selden Fox, Oakbrook

• Jennifer Matysek, Motorola Solutions, Inc., Chicago

• Austin Mayer, Kerber, Eck & Braeckel LLP, Springfield

• Madison Mennenga, NASA - Goddard Space Center, Greenbelt, MD

• Jaden Murray, Keplr Vision, Bloomington

• Katey Norris, GROWMARK, Bloomington

• Nick O’Donnell, Insight CPAs & Financial, PLLC, Bloomington

• Emme Olson, Clifton Larson Allen, Bloomington

• Honesti O’Neal, Mclean County Government Center, Bloomington

• Caleb Poe, Kerber, Eck & Braeckel LLP, Springfield

• Isaac Robinson, Wipfli LLP, Rockford

• Eli Rudin, Keplr Visison, Bloomington

• Vittorio Sanford, Northern Trust, Chicago

• Alicia Saporito, Shaker Recruitment Marketing, Oak Park

• Paige Sauder, Gorenz and Associates, Ltd., Peoria

• Caden Scott, PKF Mueller, Elgin

• Elvis Selimovic, Enterprise, Lombard

• Amaya Sessom, RLI Insurance Company, Peoria

• Tyler Sharkey, Deloitte, Chicago

• Amar Singh, Plante Moran, Schaumburg

• Jimmy Stephan, Enterprise Holdings, Lombard

• Avery Taylor, Waterfall Resort, Ketchikan, AK

• Isaac Tetteh, Deloitte & Touche LLP, New York, NY

• Joshua Thielen, ADM, Decatur

• Hayden Tjelle, Rodosky Accounting, Dwight

• Mary Toyne, ADM, Decatur

• Andy Trower, State Farm Insurance, Bloomington

• Blake Watt, Taylor Corporation, North Mankato

• Justin Wilde, Eder, Casella & Co., McHenry

• Natalie Wood, RSM, Peoria

Fall 2022

• Anna Ludolph, Evergreen FS, Bloomington

DEPARTMENT OF ACCOUNTING PROFESSIONAL ADVISORY COUNCIL

2022-2023

• Stephanie Petri, CliftonLarsonAllen

• Gregory Donovan, AFNI Inc.

• Doug Ellerman, COUNTRY Financial

• Jason Evans , Sikich

• Nathan Isenberg, Sikich

• Brad Drake, GROWMARK Inc

• Zach Fortsch, RSM

• Robert Glazik, RSM

• Brett Schaefer, RSM

• Kelly Doornbos, ADM

• Bernard Heine, PriceWaterhouseCoopers

• Diana Kunz, KPMG

• Lisa Martin, Midwest Food Bank

• Heather Powell, FORVIS

• Ryan Prevo, Young America Realty

• Dena Rucker, Deere & Co.

• Ryan Young, Caterpillar Inc.

• Joseph Johnston, Illinois State University

• Deborah Seifert, 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

ILLINOIS STATE UNIVERSITY HOSTS AIS CHAPTER LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE

In 2021, Illinois State University hosted the AIS Chapter Leadership Conference. Due to the pandemic, it was held virtually. The conference included workshops and panels with representatives from State Farm, Amazon, Medix, Automation Anywhere, Air Fleet, Oklahoma Gas & Electric, and US Foods as well as student-led workshops on a variety of topics such as web scraping and open-source intelligence.

Illinois State University faculty members Matt Nelson, Bahae Samhan, Debbie Seifert, Vaneetha Crampton, and Traci Carte were instrumental in organizing and hosting this event.

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.

feedbackand We value your input.suggestions

Department of Accounting Newsletter Editors:

• Kristie Young

• Harlan Fuller

• Brent Lao

• Carolyn Broadbent