Dear Tull friends and family, 

As we wrap up the fall semester, it’s a great time to reflect on what makes the J.M. Tull School of Accounting such a special place. This year has been full of milestones big and small. We’ve welcomed new faculty and students (more than ever before!), celebrated accomplishments across our programs and found new ways to stay connected with our alumni and friends.

One of the most exciting developments was the launch of our fully online Master of Professional Accountancy (MPAcc) program. This new format is expanding access for working professionals who want to deepen their accounting expertise. It’s a big step forward for us and an exciting example of how we continue to evolve to meet the needs of today’s learners.

This fall, we also welcomed several new faculty members to Tull. Each brings fresh perspectives and deep expertise to our classrooms. As always, our faculty continue to impress with meaningful research, award-winning teaching and service that strengthen the school and the profession.

Beyond these accomplishments, what stands out most this semester is the sense of community. Whether it was catching up with alumni at the annual golf tournament, cheering on our students or having lively discussions with our new Young Alumni Board, these moments remind me how strong and supportive our network truly is. Tull has always been about people, and this fall was no exception.

Thank you for your continued support — for engaging with our students, returning to campus, mentoring, hiring and celebrating our successes. I hope you enjoy this fall’s newsletter and feel as proud as we do of everything happening here.

On Friday, Sept. 19, dozens of golfers traded in their spreadsheets for scorecards at the annual Tull Golf Tournament. The tournament provided an opportunity for connection and friendly competition among firm representatives, alumni, students and faculty.

Jason Matthews, a longtime senior lecturer at Tull, was appointed director of the University of Georgia’s Full-Time MBA and Master of Science in Business Analytics programs.

He replaces Santanu Chatterjee, who has served as the program director for the Full-Time MBA and later the MSBA program since 2014, before taking over as the Terry College’s interim dean in July this year.

In July, tax policy expert Erin Towery, the KPMG-Atlanta Partners’ and Employees’ Professor at Tull, completed a one-year post as a Senior Economist with the White House Council of Economic Advisers (CEA). She recently shared insights with a group of colleagues about her time in the nation’s capital and how the experience has shaped her views on research and policymaking.

The first cohort of students enrolled in Terry’s online Master of Professional Accountancy (MPAcc) program began classes this fall. The program is open to professionals with a minimum of two years’ full-time work experience and a bachelor’s degree in a field other than accounting.

The MPAcc comprises 36 credit hours across 12 courses. The program provides a solid foundation in accounting principles while integrating data analytics and hands-on projects simulating the working environment in corporate accounting firms and corporate tax departments.

After graduation, Tull student JT Forsyth will probably don a suit and tie for work each day — the standard accountant’s uniform. But on Saturdays at Sanford Stadium, you’ll find this Dawgs fan dressed very differently. 

For every home game, Forsyth forgoes a shirt entirely for a full coat of red paint from head to waist, reflective aviator sunglasses, a Ronald McDonald-esque red wig and a big black letter on his chest.

2025 marks the first year of the Tull Young Alumni Board. Nominations for the inaugural board came from Tull faculty and members of the Tull Advisory Board. To be eligible, candidates must have two years of post-graduate work experience but no more than 12 years and be under the age of 35.

Tull Advisory Board member Clay Huffman (BBA ’06, MAcc ’07) of Frazier & Deeter chaired the nomination and selection processes with a goal of forming a diverse group of 12 board members representative of the Tull young alumni population, including all areas of emphasis in accounting and a variety of job types and geographic locations. 

The selected board members will serve for two or three years and meet twice each year in the fall and spring in conjunction with Tull Advisory Board meetings. “The Tull Young Alumni Board will give us greater connectivity to recent grads — to help shape programming, student support and alumni engagement,” Huffman says. 

There will be a few targeted initiatives each year, with plans for year one including fundraising, Tull’s 50th birthday celebration and young alumni engagement. 

Huffman says board members will help shape Tull’s future. “Their influence will directly impact engagement, programming and outreach,” he says. Additionally, Huffman notes membership will be an ideal introduction to those considering future board service. “Members will learn how boards operate, contribute to decisions and work with school and industry leaders.”

In May, Tull administrative associate Paula Smith retired after over 30 years with the school. Smith joined Tull in 1995 and soon experienced what she remembers as a “most exciting and memorable event”: the Brooks Hall fire in August of the same year. Rather than take it as a warning sign, Smith says that after just a few months she knew Tull was where she wanted to stay.  

Ted Christensen, who served as Tull’s director from 2015-2023, was completing his PhD at Tull when Smith joined the school. “I was excited upon returning as director to see that Paula was still the ‘face’ of the Tull School!” he says, adding that her positive attitude made her a great person to greet people at the front desk.  

“Paula did so much behind the scenes that faculty and students didn’t know about,” Christensen says. “When she retired, we all noticed the void.”

Tull Director Margaret Christ says, “I’m so grateful that Paula stayed on long enough to help me through my first year as director. She was a tremendous source of knowledge and support, and I relied on her more than she likely knows. I loved my days in the office with her — we shared a lot of laughs — and I miss seeing her every day!”

“I enjoyed my job and was committed to it,” Smith says. “I am very grateful to have met so many during my time at Tull.” 

Since retirement, Smith has kept busy caring for her mother and helping with the family business. “I have been able to squeeze in a few Disney World trips — my favorite vacation spot — as well,” she says.

Tull Director Margaret Christ and EY Faculty Fellow and Professor Tina Carpenter received the 2025 Deloitte Foundation Wildman Medal Award at the American Accounting Association’s summer conference in Chicago on Aug. 4. The award recognized the impact of Christ and Carpenter’s 2021 paper, “The Data Analytics Journey: Interactions Among Auditors, Managers, Regulation, and Technology,” published in Contemporary Accounting Research. 

Assistant Professor Braiden Coleman was selected this spring as a UGA Lilly Teaching Fellow. The two-year honorific program identifies early-career, tenure-track assistant professors showing exceptional promise as teachers. Coleman was one of 10 UGA faculty to receive the fellowship. 

A Terry Teaching Innovation Grant was awarded to lecturer Karen Czarick for the 2025-26 academic year. 

FORVIS Faculty Fellow and Principal Lecturer Jason Matthews was named the new director of Terry’s Full-Time MBA and Master of Science in Business Analytics programs.

Allison Davis joined Tull as a part-time lecturer in fall 2025 and is UGA’s controller, providing leadership and oversight for accounting services. She previously held management positions within the finance division. She previously held a variety of management positions within the Finance Division. Her previous teaching experience includes serving as a part-time lecturer in the Walker College of Business at Piedmont University from 2009-2023. Allison holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting and an MBA with an emphasis in accounting from Brenau University. Outside of work, she enjoys traveling and spending time with family and friends.

Mehmet Kara joined Tull as an assistant professor in summer 2025. Mehmet grew up in San Angelo, Texas, and received an undergraduate degree in economics from the University of Houston, a master’s in economics from Georgia State University and a master’s in accounting from the University of Texas at Dallas. He worked as a tax consultant and corporate tax accountant before completing his PhD in accounting at Texas A&M University. Prior to joining UGA, Mehmet taught taxation at the University of Kansas. When he is not working, Mehmet enjoys spending time with his wife and two daughters, watching the English Premier League (COYG!), college football and playing board games. Mehmet is also (unfortunately) a fan of the Dallas Cowboys.

Blann, Campbell, Shipman and Wiebe. “Evidence on the Decision Usefulness of Fair Values in Business Combinations,” Contemporary Accounting Research.

Campbell, Foerster, Garg and Langer. “The Determinants and Informativeness of ‘Voluntary’ Climate-related Financial Disclosures in Australia,” Abacus.

Campbell, Ham, Lu and Wood. “Expectations Matter: When (Not) to Use Machine Learning Earnings Forecasts,” Management Science.

Campbell,  Zheng and Zhou. “Number of Numbers: Does Quantitative Textual Disclosure Reduce Information Risk?”,  Journal of Corporate Finance.

Heflin, Kim, Moon and Pierce. “Post-Litigation Reporting Conservatism,” Review of Accounting Studies.

Chen, Heflin, Ryu and Wang. “Right on Target: Is Public Disclosure of Non-GAAP Earnings Associated with M&A Efficiency?”, Contemporary Accounting Research.

Call, Kara, Peterson and Weisbrod. “Social Media Discussion of Sell-side Analyst Research: Evidence from Twitter,” Review of Accounting Studies.

Carrasco, Doxey, Houston, Kang and McCallen. “Disentangling Overall Audit Inspection Risk: The Effects of Inspection Focus and Inspection Likelihood,” Accounting Horizons.

Skinner and Valentine. “Green Patenting and Voluntary Innovation Disclosure,” Review of Accounting Studies.

Kim and Valentine. “Earnings Targets, Strategic Patent Sales, and Patent Trolls,” Journal of Accounting & Economics.

Assistant professor Ryan Hess and wife Diana welcomed son Oliver Leo on Aug. 7. 

Lecturer Hannah Hughes Schmeltz and husband Hunter welcomed daughter Sophie Lee on June 7.

Assistant professor Susan Tang and family welcomed baby boy Luca on Sept. 19.

Assistant professor Michael Yip and wife MJ welcomed baby girl Chloe on June 20.

Graduate program administrator Ariel Heintzman and husband Luka welcomed son Henry on Nov. 26. 

Baby girl Regan Lynn was born to PhD student Tanner Symes and wife Kamry on Nov. 16.