Michael Donohoe honored with the Irwin Jecha Distinguished Professor in Accountancy

To acknowledge his leadership and expertise in business taxation and financial reporting, Gies College of Business at the University of Illinois celebrated the investiture of Michael Donohoe as the Irwin Jecha Distinguished Professor in Accountancy on November 8, 2024.

The Irwin Jecha Distinguished Professorship was established in 1989 by the estate of Irwin Jecha, a 1943 Gies Business alumnus with a degree in accounting. The Jecha Professorship was previously held by John C. Fellingham (1991-1993) and Paul J. Beck (1994-2015).

“I’m deeply honored to receive the Irwin Jecha Distinguished Professorship, a role that connects me to a legacy of scholars who have significantly shaped our field,” said Donohoe. “My career has been driven by a commitment not only to advancing research in taxation but also to teaching and mentoring the next generation of leaders in accountancy. As head of the Department of Accountancy, I’m excited to continue fostering a culture of innovation and excellence, inspiring both students and colleagues while pursuing impactful work that will shape the future of our profession.”

Donohoe joined Gies as an assistant professor of accountancy in 2011. He was promoted to associate professor with tenure in 2017, and then in 2021 he was promoted to full professor and named head of the Department of Accountancy. During his 13 years at Gies, Donohoe has exemplified the College’s commitment to excellence in scholarship, authoring 15 peer-reviewed articles in prestigious journals such as the Journal of Accounting Research, the Journal of Accounting and Economics, and the National Tax Journal, the premier research publication for all disciplines working in the tax policy arena.

As Head of the Department of Accountancy since 2021, Donohoe has been instrumental in solidifying the department’s reputation as a global leader in accountancy education and thought. His research and teaching focuses on federal taxation of business entities.

“Michael’s passion and vision for advancing the field of accountancy and the reputation of Gies within it have been invaluable,” said W. Brooke Elliott, the Josef and Margot Lakonishok Professor in Business and Dean of Gies College of Business. “He also has been instrumental in enhancing the department’s curricula to ensure our students are well-prepared to excel on the new CPA exam.”

Under Donohoe’s leadership, the Department has maintained its No. 2 ranking for undergraduate accounting programs and rose to the top of the overall faculty research and productivity rankings.

“The accounting profession is undergoing a tremendous amount of change, and I’m looking forward to continuing to collaborate with our outstanding faculty as we prepare future leaders and the industry they serve,” said Donohoe, who is leading the College’s repositioning of how it promotes careers in accountancy. “Our history of accounting leadership and commitment to innovation means that as the profession evolves through emerging technology, our graduates will be uniquely prepared to use these tools in new and empowering ways.”

Prospective students and faculty are gravitating toward this expanded view of how a degree in accountancy can translate into a broader set of business skills across industries. Despite declining enrollment in accountancy programs nationally, the number of Gies accounting majors has grown 4% compared to pre-pandemic levels during Donohoe’s tenure as department head. Additionally, the department’s faculty has grown 17% to 75 members under his leadership.

Donohoe has earned numerous accolades for his teaching, including being named a Top 50 Undergraduate Business Professor by Poets&Quants, receiving the Outstanding Educator Award from the Illinois CPA Society, and earning the Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Award from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Since 2012, he has consistently appeared on the university's List of Teachers Ranked as Excellent by Their Students, achieving an outstanding rating six times.

In addition to his academic accomplishments, Donohoe holds the Certified Public Accountant and Certified in Financial Forensics credentials. He also spent his early career in taxation in public accounting at PwC and a regional firm in Florida.

Donohoe served as an editor of The Accounting Review from 2020 to 2023. Since 2019, he has been an appointed director and board-designated financial expert for Farm Credit Illinois, a $7 billion agricultural cooperative. Donohoe is also an academic affiliate of Analysis Group, Inc., an international economics consulting firm, where he has provided expert testimony on corporate tax matters.

Donohoe holds a bachelor's degree and PhD in accounting from the University of Florida's Fisher School of Accounting, as well as a master's degree in taxation from the University of North Florida.