New Department Leader

Former graduate adviser John McInnis to take over as chair

Professor of accounting John McInnis, BBA/MPA ’02, has been named the new chair of the Jonathan K. Shulkin Department of Accounting and will take over the post Aug. 16. McInnis returned to the McCombs School of Business in 2008 after earning his Ph.D. from the University of Iowa.

“I’m thrilled to welcome professor John McInnis as our incoming department chair,” Dean Lillian Mills said. “He is the right person for this role, and I can’t wait to see what’s ahead.”

“And to outgoing chair, professor Steven Kachelmeier — thank you. Under your leadership, the department grew in every way that matters: outstanding faculty hires, a transformative naming gift, and a legacy of research and teaching excellence that will endure for years to come,” Mills said.

McInnis is the KPMG Centennial Professor in Accounting, and his research focuses on the effects of accounting in capital markets, fraud/litigation, and standard setting. His work has been published in top scholarly journals including The Accounting Review, the Journal of Accounting and Economics, the Journal of Accounting Research, The Journal of Finance, and Management Science.

He has taught accounting courses at the undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral levels, earning consistently excellent ratings. From 2021 to 2025, he served as the graduate adviser for the Shulkin Department of Accounting, overseeing its doctoral program. Previously, McInnis chaired the McCombs Faculty Research Committee, and he currently serves on the department’s Executive Committee.

Outgoing Chair Steven Kachelmeier, the Thomas O. Hicks Endowed Chair in Business, has led the department since 2022. Under his leadership, the department has navigated economic and regulatory challenges and opportunities in the accounting profession. He played an instrumental role in several new hires and successful promotions, maintaining the department’s preeminent stature in both teaching and research.

Kachelmeier also secured a substantial donation to reinforce the C. Aubrey Smith Center for Auditing Education and Research. Finally, he assisted the Dean’s Office and the McCombs Development team in securing the recent transformative gift that led to the naming of the Jonathan K. Shulkin Department of Accounting.

On a personal level, Kachelmeier continued to teach a research course for professional accounting students during his term as chair, inspiring multiple MPA students to enter doctoral study.