Gary F. Peters, chair of the William Dillard Department of Accounting and holder of
the S. Robson Walton Endowed Professorship of Accounting, was honored with the Joseph
Silvoso Faculty Merit Award by the American Accounting Association last month.
The American Accounting Association, the largest community of accountants in academia, recognized Peters at its Leadership
in Accounting Education conference in Las Vegas on Feb. 10, 2023. The award recognizes
the outstanding contribution by a faculty member in a post-baccalaureate professional
program of a member school.
“I am thrilled to congratulate Gary Peters on being selected as a recipient of the
2022 Joseph Silvoso Award for his incredible leadership in facilitating the merger
of FSA (Federation of Schools of Accountancy) and APLG (Accounting Programs Leadership
Group),” said Matt Waller, dean of the Sam M. Walton College of Business. “This prestigious
award is a testament to Gary's dedication and hard work, and I am truly inspired by
his commitment to excellence. I have no doubt that Gary's contributions will have
a lasting impact.”
Peters, past president of the Federation of Schools of Accountancy (FSA), was recognized for the merger of FSA with the Accounting Programs Leadership
Group (APLG) into a newly formed organization under the American Accounting Association
umbrella. The newly formed sub-section, Leadership in Accounting Education, met in
Las Vegas for its inaugural conference.
“One of my proudest career contributions includes being a part of the launch of the
Leadership Section and unifying the FSA and APLG,” Peters said. “Both organizations
have a long rich history. I am excited to have been a part of their unified future.”
The new Leadership in Accounting Education group is the leading professional organization
for department chairs and program directors within accounting academia. Its mission
is to “promote excellence in accounting education by developing outstanding accounting
education leaders prepared to support high-quality undergraduate and graduate programs,
research, and outreach consistent with a university’s respective missions.”
Peters’ research and teaching focuses on audit risk, accounting disclosure and corporate
governance. His research emphasizes the roles of audit committees, external auditors
and internal auditors. His research has been published in the Journal of Accounting
Research, The Accounting Review, and Contemporary Accounting Research, as well as
cross-discipline studies in journals including MISQ and Journal of Business Ethics.
Peters received a Ph.D. in accounting from the University of Oregon. He joined the
University of Arkansas in 2003 and served as the director of the Master of Accounting
Program from 2006-2016 and as the department chair since 2016.
Since 2013, Lori McLemore has served as the marketing and communications officer for
the Sam M. Walton College of Business. In this role, she writes press releases and
features articles to promote the work of students, faculty and staff. 
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