Where did you grow up and what was your first sign that you were headed for a life in accounting and computers?

I grew up in Oak Park, IL, just beyond the Chicago city limits. In high school I was into science and had no inclination towards business. I went to college planning to be a marine biologist. My sophomore year I took a course on marine algae and found out that I hated lab work, but I completed my BS in Liberal Arts – Biology while spending a year in a bout of what-do-I-want-to-be-when-I-grow-up angst (i.e. fashionably depressed). I took a course in accounting just to find out what in the world all my business major friends were complaining about and I found I had an aptitude for it. I had a very supportive teacher in that class who helped me get into a double degree program, so I completed a Masters in Accounting with a concentration in IS. My plan then was to work for a biotechnical firm.

What degrees (where from) and professional licenses have you earned? Are their any awards, grants, or programs that you have earned, written or sponsored that you consider particularly special?

BS in Liberal Arts, MAS in Accounting, CPA, CMA

I have gotten 2 grants for developing the AIS area at UIC: A 1997 Venture 2000 Grant and a 2001 CBA Online Grant. This year’s Actg Educator of the Year and the 2002 UIC Teaching Recognition Award mean a lot to me.

What area of accountancy is your specialty and where have you worked prior to or during your teaching career?

Systems is the most interesting area of accounting for me. I worked as an auditor for Laventhol & Horwath for 2 years, which ended up being a great real world education in business systems. After leaving that firm, I started teaching at UIC and working outside in various capacities: as a systems installer, as a CPA review course teacher, and as a corporate trainer leading communications and management programs.

What courses will you be teaching over the summer and/or the coming school year?

I haven’t taught in the summer for a long time. The systems area changes so fast that I need that time to prepare the next year and to do my outside work. Next year I will be teaching Actg 474 and 475 exclusively.

How would you describe your teaching style?

Rigorous, with a smile.

Please name the main skill(s) or concept(s) you hope your students gain from attending your classes.

I hope they learn how accounting information fits together into patterns and what those patterns mean. I hope they learn how technical tools can assist them in being excellent communicators. I also hope they become critical users of technology, understanding its creative applications as well as its potential misuse and negative social impacts.

What personal or academic qualities do you think are most integral to a successful career in the accounting and IDS fields?

You need to be able to speak and think at several different levels. You have to be able to hold your own technically, but also translate technical solutions into layman’s language for clients. Ultimately, most systems issues are people/organizational issues at root, so project and client management requires developed interpersonal skills.

Why did you decide to enter the teaching profession? What do you enjoy most about being a teacher at UIC?

I started teaching just to get through school. I worked as a TA at Urbana in the last year of my graduate studies. My father, who was an excellent teacher for 40 years, had always warned me off: “Teaching is the only profession in which your neither treated nor paid like a professional. Only teach if you really love it.” I found that I did like it a lot. I like to learn and structure learning experiences for others. It’s exciting to be with people whose minds are still open to the world.

Teaching is also an act of faith. I have to take it on faith that I am making a positive difference in students’ lives – I don’t always know. As time goes on more alumni return to let me know that they got something positive from our classes together. That is very rewarding.

Anything else you might want to add...?

Do what your inner voice tells you to do with your life. Period.