Contents
Back to the Letter from the Chair
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Message from the Dean
What a strong start to the semester it has been at Farmer! From students connecting with employers at Meet the Firms to faculty sharing their research and exploring technology in the curriculum, there is so much exciting work happening across the Department of Accountancy. Along with some pickleball! We’re especially pleased with the U.S. News…
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Brewed, Built, & Fiscally Sound: The Entrepreneurial Journey of David Lentz ’13
From craft beverages to commercial HVAC services, state legislative advocacy, and self-published business playbooks—David Lentz ‘13 has built a career that combines his accounting skills and a hands-on approach to business. Drawn to math and business while being a “people person”, Lentz chose accounting at Miami, with a focus on auditing, after recruiters described the…
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Rachel Ryan: Keys to Succeeding at Internships and at Life
Key takeaways: Be relentless, attend all kinds of things, and be kind When Rachel started applying to accountancy summer internships in the Fall of 2024, she immediately realized what a challenge it was going to be for a student who has taken a nontraditional path to accountancy. Recruiters told her they were already hiring for…
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Meet This Year’s OSCPA Ambassador – Noah Normington-Slay
Accountancy junior Noah Normington-Slay is this year’s OSCPA Student Ambassador. In this role, Noah focuses on educating his peers about the versatility of an accounting degree and promoting the CPA license. With light support from Hannah Thomas, OSCPA’s manager of student activities, Noah conducts two presentations each month, sharing his interest in accountancy with fellow…
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Meet Our Newest Accountancy Faculty
We’re excited to welcome three new faculty members to the Accountancy Department this semester. Faculty and staff recently gathered to kick off the semester and get to know our newest colleagues. Learn more about Li Yang, Brent Schmidt, and Nathan Jenkins—and what they’re looking forward to as part of the Miami Accountancy community. Assistant Professor…
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Thank you, Dale!
In May, we were sad that we had to say goodbye to Dale Stoel, who embarked on a new adventure—retirement! Dale joined us nearly twenty years ago, bringing an impressive résumé and a background that was equal parts engineer and consultant. A Purdue man with a Buckeye doctorate, he had exactly the right combination of…
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Auditing the Tech Engine: IT Risk Assessment Takes Kirby Copper ’22 Around the Globe
When Kirby Copper (MAcc ’22) graduated from Miami University with a double major in Accounting and Business Analytics, she took a bold leap by moving out west to join EY’s Denver office in technology risk auditing. She had initially set her sights on the traditional accounting milestone—the CPA exam—but after a few setbacks (including missing…
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Andrew Somich ’11: Growing a Business, Supporting His Community
Andrew Somich ‘11 is the CEO of Somich & Associates, an accounting and business advisory firm serving individuals and small, family-owned businesses in Northeast Ohio. For the past three years, the firm has been recognized in the Redhawk50, one of Miami University’s 50 fastest-growing RedHawk-led businesses. Founded in 2018, the firm was built on Somich’s…
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Meet Accounting Advisory Group Member Laura Hay ’88
Laura Hay ‘88 first joined the Accountancy Advisory Group (AAG) in 2019, while serving as executive vice president of The Ohio Society of CPAs (OSCPA), where she is now president and CEO. Founded in 1908, the OSCPA represents 17,000 members and has a 29-member staff headquartered in Columbus. Hay joined the OSCPA soon after graduating…
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EY Teacher- Scholar Update
In 2026, Miami continued its very successful EY Teacher-Scholar mentoring program, in which an undergraduate spends the summer engaged in research with a Miami University faculty member, EY Teaching Scholar and Arthur Andersen Alumni Professor Tim Eaton. With a strong group of applicants and four exceptional finalists, Addison Lemon was selected to be the 2026…
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Beyond the Click: What Website User Metrics Say About Future Revenue
Standard balance sheets show where a business has been, but direct digital traffic signals where its revenue is heading quarters in advance. When e-commerce pioneers like Amazon and eBay emerged in the 1990s, financial markets faced new challenges. Traditional accounting, built for brick-and-mortar factories and physical inventory, struggled to capture the value created by software-driven…
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Congratulations to Our Faculty and Students for Their Accomplishments This Year!
The accountancy faculty and students have published research and were recognized for their outstanding work this year. Read the list below to learn more! Awards & Honors Exceptional Students Grants Keynote Presentations, Media & Other Stories Publications & Press Back to the 2026 Annual Report Contents