News Stories

Greetings from the SCU Accounting Department!

I am pleased to share that the 2024-25 U.S. News Report ranked our accounting program No. 56 out of over 500 accounting programs nationwide. Our enrollment remains strong. During the 2024-25 academic year, about 110 students declared accounting or accounting and information systems (A&IS) as their major. This continued strength is a testament to the collective efforts of our dedicated faculty, staff, board members, and students. 

On May 14, 2025, we celebrated the outstanding achievements of our students at the 25th Annual Accounting Awards Banquet. Morris Su, an accounting major from Irvine, CA, and Fiona Holdaway, an accounting major from Kenmore, WA, both received the prestigious scholarship from the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) Scholars Program. Nicholas Saba, an accounting major from Seattle, WA, won the Jerry Kasner Outstanding Accounting Award from the Silicon Valley Chapter of the California Society of CPAs (CalCPA). In addition, three students received distinguished academic achievement awards (Morris Su for Thomas Maier Memorial Award, Isabella Estrada for the O. Robert Anderson Accounting Award, and Lance Tamagawa for the O. Robert Anderson A&IS Award). We are incredibly proud to witness our students reaching such remarkable milestones!

In AY 2024-25, the department continued the very popular Leadership Series program. This program provides an exciting opportunity for business students to meet executives in the industry who are SCU accounting alumni. Five speakers joined the Series and shared their amazing stories and leadership advice, including Mike Rasic ’88, CFO of DealMaker, Stephanie Shingai ’01, Director of Corporate Reporting at Apple, Juho Parkkinen ’09, CFO of the Burning Man Project, Sandy Mendoza ’02, Director of Controllership at Google’s Devices and Services Product Area, and Steve Almassy ’77, retired partner at EY. 

The Accounting Advisory Board has provided invaluable support to the strategic mission of the department and counseled us on curriculum and other matters that improve the quality and relevance of our program. Over the last year, three members departed or retired from the Board, including Stephen Baroni ‘89, a partner at Frank Rimerman (who joined the Board in 2000), Trevor Gillespie, a partner at Moss Adams (who joined the Board in 2016), and Mike McAndrews ’75, a principal at Abbott, Stringham & Lynch (who joined the Board in 2014). We also welcomed five new members of the Board: Mike Brandstetter ’04, a partner at Connor Group, Mike Haenel ’10, a partner at Frank Rimerman, Ray Nuñez ‘83, co-founder and partner at Finance Search Partners, Daniel Olson ’10, a partner at Moss Adams, and Ben Shappell, a partner at RSM. In recognition of his tireless support and contribution to the accounting program, Kevin Reagan ’83, a member of our Board since 2015 and a retired partner at RSM, was elected the Alumnus of the Year. Congratulations to Kevin!

The recently formed Accounting Alumni Board is comprised of a diverse group of young accounting professionals, and has collaborated closely with the Accounting Association to host social events that foster mentorship and strengthen ties between current students and the professional community. In addition, the Alumni Board has recently established the Accounting Alumni Scholarship to support the accounting students. We are especially proud to recognize Ryan Chew ’15 and Alan Nguyen ’13, two founding members of the Board, who received the inaugural Rising Alumni Impact Award in recognition of their outstanding contributions to the success of the accounting program. Congratulations, Ryan and Alan!

Dr. Suzanne Luttman retired at the end of the school year 2024-25 after her amazing 39 years of service at SCU. Dr. Luttman joined Santa Clara after earning her Ph.D. from the University of Illinois, following a B.A. in Accounting and an MBA in Finance and Investments from Indiana University. Over her distinguished career at SCU, she has taught both financial and tax accounting with exceptional dedication, earning numerous teaching awards that reflect her commitment to pedagogical excellence and her deep care for students. Her research has focused on the equity and policy implications of income redistribution through tax law, as well as the accuracy and underlying drivers of financial analysts’ forecasts, making meaningful contributions to both tax policy and capital markets literature. In addition to her scholarly and teaching accomplishments, Dr. Luttman has provided steadfast service as Chair of the Accounting Department and through participation on numerous departmental and university committees. Her leadership, scholarship, and mentorship have left an indelible mark on our community. We are deeply grateful for all she has contributed.

In September 2025, we welcomed the newest member of our faculty, Dr. Colin Koutney, who joined us from George Mason University. An East Bay native, Dr. Koutney worked in Deloitte's San Francisco tax practice before enrolling in the University of Texas at Austin’s PhD program. Dr. Koutney will teach tax accounting and managerial accounting at SCU.

The accounting faculty continue to demonstrate excellence in scholarly research. Over the past year, their work has been published in prestigious academic journals, addressing a range of impactful topics including media attention and earnings manipulation, the influence of brand capital on investment efficiency, the role of disclosures in facilitating coordinated innovation among supply chain partners, and the real effects of financial statement audits in the non-profit and government sectors. 

As we look ahead to the New Year with optimism, I want to sincerely thank all of you who have generously shared your time and financial support with our program and students. Your commitment and generosity have been vital to our success. We are deeply grateful to our alumni, donors, and supporters. Thank you for making a meaningful difference!