Keynote speaker Professor Mark C. Dawkins opened the conference with a lecture on enrollment trends in higher education.

THOMASVILLE — The Georgia Association of Accounting Educators (GAAE) recently held its annual conference at SRTC-Thomasville, marking the first time the statewide organization has met in Thomasville.

More than 50 educators attended, representing colleges and universities from across the state. Several of Southern Regional Technical College’s (SRTC) School of Business students were invited to attend as well. In addition to the educators and students, several industry partners sponsored and attended the event, including Becker, McGraw Hill, UWorld Accounting, StudentsExcel, Wiley, Kennesaw State University Coles College of Business, and The Educational Foundation of The Georgia Society of CPAs.

The annual meeting’s location was thanks in large part to SRTC accounting instructor Ann Young, who has served GAAE as president since 2023. Young has been teaching accounting at SRTC-Moultrie since 2015. In addition to her role as an instructor, she is a lead advisor for FBLA-Collegiate, which is the college-level division of Future Business Leaders of America. She holds an Associate of Accounting from the former Valdosta Technical College, a Bachelor of Applied Science, Accounting from DeVry University, and a Master of Science, Accounting from Liberty University. Young is currently researching Educational Leadership as a PhD student in the dissertation publication phase at Liberty University.

“I’m incredibly proud to have served on the GAAE board for the past four years,” said Young. “It’s been an honor to contribute to the advancement of accounting education in Georgia alongside such talented and professional educators. The friendships I’ve built with my fellow board members will be forever cherished. Serving as an officer was simply my way to honor accounting education in Georgia. Helping students discover their potential and see the world through fresh eyes is a privilege we share as educators. It’s incredibly rewarding for all involved. This is why have chosen education as a profession.”

During the annual GAAE conferences, members have the opportunity to learn about and discuss emerging issues and challenges facing the profession and/or the accounting industry. In various informative sessions, participants select from a variety of professional development topics designed to help them strengthen their professional knowledge and teaching skills. Members also attend continuing education credit workshops and engage with others in their profession from all across the state.

This year’s keynote speaker was Mark C. Dawkins, past-president of the American Accounting Association and professor of accounting and former Dean and Distinguished Professor for Excellence in the Coggin College of Business at the University of North Florida. Dawkins’s recent research focuses on declining enrollments in accounting, connecting academic research to business practice, evaluating alternative earnings metrics, and assessing faculty publications. His research interests also include bankruptcy, market effects of information asymmetry, and market reactions to information disclosures.

Georgia Association of Accounting Educators (GAAE) membership is open to professors of Accountancy from universities, state colleges, and technical colleges across Georgia. T

he organization seeks to unite accounting educators at colleges and universities of Georgia, advance the standards of instruction in those institutions, and form relationships with members of the accounting profession. For more information about GAAE, visit https://gaae.org/.