Kachelmeier Named New Chair of Accounting
Long-time faculty member will take the reins of the department that oversees the nation’s No. 1-ranked accounting programs
Steven Kachelmeier has been named chair of The University of Texas at Austin McCombs School of Business Department of Accounting, effective Sept. 1.
Kachelmeier joined the McCombs faculty directly after earning his Ph.D. from the University of Florida in 1988. He holds the Randal B. McDonald Chair in Accounting, to which he was appointed in 2009.
Kachelmeier’s research applies the methods of experimental economics to timely issues in auditing, management accounting, and financial reporting. He has published extensively in top accounting and economics journals, including The Accounting Review, the Journal of Accounting Research, and The American Economic Review. From 2008 to 2011, Kachelmeier served as senior editor of The Accounting Review, and from 2012 to 2015, he served as vice president for research on the board of directors of the American Accounting Association.
In addition to numerous past service assignments for the Department of Accounting and McCombs School of Business, Kachelmeier recently served two terms on The University of Texas at Austin Faculty Council, and he chaired the Faculty Advisory Committee on Budgets.
Kachelmeier teaches auditing at the undergraduate and master’s levels, and he teaches a research elective for students in the school’s Master of Professional Accounting program. He plans to continue teaching the research elective, reflecting his passion for integrating academic research into the curriculum.
As of Aug. 31, Michael Clement will step down as department chair, a role he has held since the 2018–19 academic year. He will continue as a faculty member in the department, where he holds the Clark W. Thompson, Jr. Chair in Accounting.
Under Clement’s oversight, the department successfully navigated the pandemic and an accreditation review, as well as adding experienced faculty members from Stanford University, Columbia University, the University of Notre Dame, and Georgia Tech. The department also initiated projects to significantly increase data analytics in the curriculum.
Clement is a highly regarded academic researcher. In 2021, the American Accounting Association recognized his research with its Distinguished Contributions to Accounting Literature Award. In 2022, McCombs recognized his research with the Research Excellence Award. He currently serves as an editor at Accounting Horizons.
In addition to serving on many university committees, Clement has participated in significant service activities outside the university. He currently serves as a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants’ National Commission on Diversity and Inclusion and as a member of the Center for Audit Quality’s Working Group on CPA Licensure Accessibility and Affordability. He also serves on the board of the PhD Project. In 2022, he was a recipient of the Influential Leader Award from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.
Clement also serves as the university’s faculty athletics representative, where he is responsible for monitoring institutional control and advocating for student-athletes’ well-being.
The McCombs community is grateful for Clement’s dedicated work and the positive impact he has left as department chair to enhance the reputation of the school.
