For more than 20 years, Terry College of Business accounting professor Tina Carpenter has reimagined how accounting is taught, blending cutting-edge AI-powered fraud investigation simulations with active learning and real-world experiences to bring the profession to life for students.
This summer, Carpenter’s passion for student inspiration and classroom innovation earned her the country’s highest and most prestigious award in accounting education.
The American Accounting Association recognized Carpenter with the J. Michael and Mary Anne Cook/Deloitte Foundation Prize — the association’s premier education prize — on Aug. 3 at their 2026 convention in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Carpenter, who serves as the Dan Smith Professor of Accounting and a Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professor in the Terry College J.M. Tull School of Accounting, is the first University of Georgia faculty member to win the award.
“Tina is one of those faculty members whose classes our alumni remember fondly long after they graduate,” said Margaret Christ, who served as director of the J.M. Tull School until August 1 and now serves as associate dean for graduate programs and AI initiatives. “She creates classroom experiences that challenge students, engage their curiosity and stay with them throughout their careers.”
Carpenter joined the Terry College in 2004 after graduating with her PhD in accounting from Florida State University. She began her career as an auditor with Arthur Andersen Assurance Services, leaving as a senior auditor in 1999.
In 2024, she earned UGA’s highest teaching honor — the Josiah Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professorship. The year before, she received national recognition for her innovative instruction, winning an EY Academic Resource Center Curriculum Innovation Award.
“I believe the finest educators in the University environment are the ones who provide relevant experiences to connect students to their craft,” said Adam LeBlanc (BBA ’06, MAcc ’07), a CPA and partner at EY in Atlanta. “They inspire students to share these experiences and develop their passion within the field. Dr. Carpenter shines among my former professors in developing these traits and my success at EY is a testament to her dedication in developing these things within me.”
Carpenter is recognized as a global expert and leading researcher in auditing and fraud detection. She has published theory-driven papers on incorporating modern data analytics and emerging technologies into audit practices as well as improving auditors’ ability to detect fraud.
In the classroom, Carpenter transformed the study of accounting into memorable, hands-on learning experiences for her students.
“Not only is Dr. Carpenter an extraordinary teacher when it comes to explaining difficult concepts, sparking interest in the course material, and connecting classroom content to practice, but she also fosters a kind and collaborative learning environment that reflects how much she cares for her students,” said Shannon Chen (BBA ’08, MAcc ’09), a former student now serving as an assistant professor of accountancy at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
In one course, Carpenter engages students through a fraud simulation exercise framed as a whodunit involving a baseball organization. Working in teams, students experience what it’s like to be forensic accountants by using documents, videos and other evidence to uncover the source of fraud.
Carpenter built on the success of this team-based exercise by creating a fraud simulation that combines evidence-based instructional practices with cutting-edge technology, including artificial intelligence. Students navigate the investigation by conducting “live” interviews with avatars, collecting evidence, analyzing data, and building data analytics. Launched in fall 2022, the fraud simulation has been adopted by several other universities.
“She truly loves what she does … I had a lot of great professors in the Master of Accountancy (MAcc) program, but Dr. Carpenter is one of the few whom I felt genuinely cared about me and my success as an individual in her classes,” said Amrita Veliyath Nambiar (BBA ’08, MAcc ’09), a former student now a CPA and partner with Deloitte in Newport Beach, California. “Now a partner at Deloitte, I am honored to continue her human spirit legacy.”