Mary Im Assistant Professor of Accounting Ph.D., Accounting, University of Georgia M.B.A., Finance, Claremont Graduate University B.S., Accounting, The Ohio State University B.A., English and Korean Literature, Sogang University, South Korea Research Interests: Nonprofit accounting and governance, executive compensation An expert in accounting for nonprofits, Dr. Mary Im joined the University of Alabama at Birmingham s accounting faculty in 2011 and teaches governmental and not-for-profit accounting as well as financial accounting. A certified public accountant, Mary developed an interest in nonprofit accounting while teaching English to children in Tibet after earning her M.B.A. at the Claremont Graduate University. In Tibet, she took note of income disparities and began researching how Tibetan nonprofits were funded. Her research now focuses on the complicated relationship between nonprofit funding and governance and on the consequences of nonprofit debt ratings. Mary began her career at a local accounting firm in California s San Gabriel Valley before heading to the University of Georgia to pursue her Ph.D. She enjoys sharing her passion for nonprofits with students and watching them grasp new concepts for the first time. If she s not in class or in her office, you ll likely spy her in a Southside café, taking in the culinary delights of her newly adopted city with her husband and her 2-year-old daughter, Grace.
James Worrell Assistant Professor of Accounting Ph.D., Management Information Systems, Florida State University M.Acc., Accounting Information Systems, Florida State University B.S., Accounting, Florida State University Research Interests: Information technology governance, IT risk assessment, enterprise systems Dr. James L. Jamey Worrell is an assistant professor of accounting at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where he primarily teaches internal auditing and strategic information technologies. A certified public accountant, Jamey worked extensively in the private sector before pursuing his doctorate in management information systems, serving as the IT internal audit manager for a Fortune 1000 financial-services firm and working as an information security consultant for PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. He obtained his M.Acc. in Accounting Information Systems and Ph.D. in Management Information Systems at Florida State University and holds several professional certifications (C.P.A., C.I.S.A., C.I.A.). His current research interests include ERP postimplementation alignment, information technology governance, and the intersection of auditing and information systems. Jamey has served as a minitrack chair for general accounting systems research at the Americas Conference on Information Systems (2010, 2011, 2012) and as program chair of the American Accounting Association s Strategic and Emerging Technologies midyear meeting (2012). Nicknamed little professor in high school, Jamey always has been able to find unusual methods to explain complex concepts and is passionate about teaching and mentoring students. A barbecue connoisseur and self-professed foodie, he spends his free time collecting 19th-century handguns, for which he casts his own bullets.
DAWN DRNEVICH Assistant Professor of Accounting Ph.D., Accounting, Texas Tech University M.B.A., University of Wisconsin-Whitewater B.S., Accounting, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Research Interests: Accounting standards, tax law changes Dr. Dawn Drnevich is an assistant professor of accounting at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where she primarily teaches intermediate financial accounting courses. Having worked in both public and private accounting as a certified public accountant, Dawn now focuses on preparing and mentoring accounting students for success in the profession and actively researching accounting and tax issues. Her research interests focus on archival and behavioral approaches to the study of accounting and taxation issues, implications resulting from changes in the tax law, and cross-cultural issues related to accounting standards. Prior to earning her Ph.D. in Accounting from Texas Tech University, Dawn worked in public accounting at a large regional accounting firm in Wisconsin, then moved to the private sector as a tax consultant with a top-tier reseller of IBM, Cisco, and Microsoft products and services. When she isn t teaching in class or researching, Dawn maintains an active lifestyle and enjoys spending time with her family which includes her two Havanese dogs, Butters and Benzer and baking healthy desserts.
C. Terry Grant Professor of Accounting Ph.D., Business Administration Accounting, Florida State University M.Acc., University of Texas at Austin B.S., Business Administration Finance, University of Alabama (summa cum laude) Research Interests: Corporate governance, stock options, executive compensation Dr. Terry Grant comes to the University of Alabama at Birmingham from the Mihaylo College of Business and Economics at California State University, Fullerton, where he served as the associate dean for academic programs and faculty development. A certified public accountant, he teaches financial accounting, forensic accounting, and IT auditing. Terry began his academic career as the accounting area coordinator on the faculty of the U.S. Air Force Academy after serving 20 years in the U.S. Air Force. An accomplished researcher, he is the recipient of several best paper awards and received a research grant under the highly competitive KPMG Research Opportunities in Auditing program. Terry has been actively involved in the accounting profession. In 2002, he served as a consultant to the White House Council of Economic Advisors regarding the accounting for stock options. In 2007-2008, he served as the vice president of the American Accounting Association s Western Region. He regularly reviews manuscripts for the Financial Analysts Journal and served on the editorial board of Issues in Accounting Education. In 2009, he co-authored the Graduate Management Admission Council s GMAT Business Ready online accounting course, designed to prepare entering MBA students for rigorous classroom learning. He taught CPA review courses over a 10-year period and designed and taught continuing-education courses for the AICPA and state CPA societies. An avid bicycle rider, he s often seen riding his Trek at Oak Mountain State Park or at charity races.
Jenice Prather- Kinsey Professor of Accounting Chair, Accounting & Finance Department, (Until 5/15/12) Sallie W. Dean Scholar in Accounting (Starting 5/15/12) Ph.D., Business Administration Accounting, University of Alabama M.A.S., Accounting Science, University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana B.S., Business Administration and Education, Lindenwood College Research Interests: International accounting, international financial reporting standards, capital markets Dr. Jenice Prather-Kinsey is a professor of accounting at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where she primarily teaches international accounting. A certified public accountant, Jenice came to the UAB School of Business in 2010 from the University of Missouri, where she taught cost/managerial accounting, international accounting, and Ph.D. seminars in accounting for more than 25 years. She has attended the HERS Summer Institute for Women in Higher Education Administration, the Harvard University Executive Leadership Development Institute, and the University of Missouri President s Academic Leadership Institute. An accomplished researcher, Jenice has published in top accounting journals including Contemporary Accounting Research and Accounting Organizations and Society. She presents her research around the world and serves the profession in numerous capacities, such as serving as president of the American Accounting Association s International Accounting Section. Jenice began her career as a staff accountant at a regional accounting firm in Chattanooga. She also has served as a board member of the Missouri Credit Union and as gaming commissioner for the State of Missouri, which provided numerous realworld ethics cases that she integrated into her classroom teaching. When not teaching or working on her research, Jenice enjoys attending collegiate sporting events and is a UAB football and men s basketball season ticketholder.
Arline Savage Professor of Accounting Beginning Fall 2012 Ph.D., Commerce Accounting, University of Port Elizabeth, South Africa M., Commerce Accounting, University of Port Elizabeth, South Africa B., Commerce Honours, University of Port Elizabeth, South Africa Certificate in Theory of Accountancy, University of Port Elizabeth, South Africa B., Commerce Accounting, University of Port Elizabeth, South Africa Research Interests: Financial reporting, financial analysis and valuation, fraud examination, business process analysis, accounting information systems Dr. Arline Savage, a world-renowned accounting scholar, will join the accounting faculty of the University of Alabama at Birmingham this fall. Arline comes to UAB from the Orfalea College of Business at California Polytechnic University in San Luis Obispo, where she was the Deloitte Faculty Fellow. A chartered accountant, she has worked in industry, in the accounting profession, and as a consultant. As a professor, she has taught a wide variety of courses at universities in South Africa, Canada, and the United States. Arline has received the Fluor Corporation Excellence in Teaching Award and the Ernst & Young Outstanding Educator Award. She is past president of the Accounting Information Systems (AIS) Educator Association, which provides hands-on computer training and mentorship for accounting faculty across the United States, and is founding editor-in-chief of the association s AIS Educator Journal. She also serves on the editorial board of the International Journal of Business Information Systems and the Journal of Accounting Education. She has more than 40 academic and professional publications to her credit, including two Elsevier research monographs and an advanced financial accounting textbook. In the United States, Arline also consults for private equity investors on various accounting and finance projects in the food wholesale, apparel, engineering, and manufacturing industries and has served as financial advisor to the chairman of an audit committee of a public company. She recently served as interim CFO for an engineering company in California during the post-acquisition phase and performs business valuations for acquisition and accounting purposes.
Joshua Racca Assistant Professor of Accounting Ph.D., Accounting, University of North Texas M.B.A., University of North Texas B.S., Computer Engineering, Texas A&M University Research Interests: Taxation, capital markets, corporate disclosures Dr. Joshua Josh Racca is an assistant professor in accounting at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where he primarily teaches cost accounting and income taxation. Prior to earning his Ph.D. in Accounting from the University of North Texas, Josh worked in the banking industry as SAS mainframe programmer and project manager for MBNA and Bank of America in Dallas. He also consulted on tax and finance issues for companies and highnet-worth individuals. Josh s research interests are broad, employing archival and analytical methods to answer questions affecting financial market participants. Current research projects include topics in corporate governance, disclosure, and taxation. Josh excels at explaining intricate topics and enjoys exploring the rationale behind complex tax rules and computations. When he s not in class teaching or researching, Josh spends his time competing in target shooting competitions and scuba diving.
Eddie Nabors Instructor M.Acc., University of West Florida B.S., Accounting, University of Alabama Instructor Eddie Nabors joined the faculty of the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 2011 and primarily teaches financial accounting. Prior to joining the UAB School of Business, Eddie worked extensively in the private sector and brings a wealth of practical experience into his classroom. He started his career as a certified public accountant and auditor in the Birmingham office of Peat, Marwick, Mitchell & Co., now known as KPMG. He left to work with client Kinder-Care Learning Centers, starting as controller and progressing to executive vice president and chief financial officer. Eddie played a key role in helping manage the company s rapid national expansion and supervised a variety of functional areas including internal auditing, legal, IT, risk management, and fleet management, for 12 years. He also served as president of a company that operated 13 child-care centers in the Southeast and owned his own childcare centers in the Birmingham area. He joined UAB s School of Business after a failed attempt at a mellow retirement and now focuses on mentoring accounting students for successful careers and introducing them to accounting professionals in the region. A lover of live music, Eddie is often found at the Oak Mountain Amphitheater, where he and his wife have season tickets.
Jim Bryd and Gerry Grant will also be joining us as accounting faculty this summer/fall. Jim Bryd- Instructor Doctorial Candidate, Health Services Administration, University of Alabama at Birmingham (Degree anticipated 2012) M.Acc., University of Alabama at Birmingham M.B.A., Georgia State University B.S., Accounting, Auburn University CPA Experience includes three years accounting policy, five years accounting practices implementation, three years tax, three years as CFO of BellSouth Products, implementation of business case management in the IT department, and three years Benefits Delivery management. Gerry Grant- Visiting Associate Professor Ph.D., Management Information Systems, University of Mississippi M.Acc., University of Southern Mississippi B.S., University of Southern Mississippi CPA Gerry has taught at California State University, Fullerton for the past eight years. Her teaching and research interest include accounting information systems and financial and managerial accounting. She has published articles in Journal of Information Systems, Financial Analysts Journal, Internal Auditing, Internal Auditor, Managerial Auditing Journal, Journal of Accountancy, The Accoutning Educators' Journal, and Stategic Finance.