Costello Accounting Department

Accounting alum gives back by shaping workforce-ready graduates

Katelynn C Hipolito — Mon, 15 Jun 2026 14:22:14 +0000

Accounting alum gives back by shaping workforce-ready graduates Katelynn C Hipolito Mon, 06/15/2026 - 10:22

Ever since her undergraduate years at the Costello College of Business at 911��—where she lived on campus for all four years—Ann Butler, BS Accounting ’94, MS Accounting ’23, has felt a strong connection to her alma mater.

Ann Butler, BS Accounting ’94, MS Accounting ’23. Photo by Al Sali of The Headshot Guy.

Throughout an accounting career spanning industries from hospitality to civil engineering, Butler had long been interested in teaching. When the opportunity arose, she chose to give back in the way she knew best: by bringing her professional expertise and experience to the classroom at Costello.

After connecting with Long Chen, accounting area chair at Costello, during her time as a student in the MS in Accounting Program, Butler began serving as a teaching assistant for her in Accounting 611. Previously, she taught courses at a local community college in her hometown of Richmond, Virginia.

She was driven to teach by a growing concern, observed while hiring employees, that students were entering the workforce less prepared than in the past. “I’ve always loved hiring new grads with little to no experience, and one of the things that I’ve noticed is that, over the years, it seems like students are less and less workforce-ready,” she says. “I felt like maybe I could make a difference.”

Additionally, she wanted to increase interest and excitement for an accounting profession facing a nationwide shortage of accountants and CPAs.

“Ann stood out in my [ACCT 611] Advanced Issues in Managerial Accounting class not only for earning the top score, but also for her exceptional enthusiasm, intellectual curiosity, and willingness to help her classmates,” says Chen. “Those qualities are all strong indicators of an excellent instructor. I am delighted that Ann has now joined our accounting adjunct faculty and been teaching multiple courses across the undergraduate and graduate programs.”

“I’ve always loved hiring new grads with little to no experience, and one of the things that I’ve noticed is that, over the years, it seems like students are less and less workforce-ready. I felt like maybe I could make a difference.”

— Ann Butler, BS Accounting ’94, MS Accounting ’23

Having recently graduated from the MS in Accounting Program herself, Butler brought a clear perspective on the student experience. “I was hoping that if I could bring passion to the classroom and make accounting fun, maybe we could get more people to major in it,” she says. She wants her students to understand that accounting offers a wide range of career paths, and that success depends just as much—if not more—on strong interpersonal and leadership skills than technical expertise.

Since 2024, Butler has been teaching three online accounting courses at the Costello College of Business—Accounting 695 Graduate Accounting Internship; Accounting 311 Cost Accounting for Undergraduates; and Accounting 611 Managerial Accounting for Graduates—while continuing her professional career in Richmond.

Now serving as controller for Virginia’s largest hotel company, Butler brings her current role and past experiences with her to the virtual classroom. She appreciates the breadth of expertise among her Costello accounting colleagues, many of whom remain active in fascinating careers outside the classroom. She also values Dean Ajay Vinzé’s strong emphasis on career readiness and now sees that as a real difference-maker at Costello. “I think that is really going to set our program apart because that is what employers are looking for,” she says.

Butler’s education at Costello—both undergraduate and graduate—had a profound impact on her life, bringing her full circle as an educator helping to shape the next generation of Patriot accountants. Students in her classes can move forward with confidence, knowing they are developing the skills needed to succeed in today’s workforce.

In This Story

Long Chen

Ajay Vinzé, PhD

Topics

Costello College of Business Alumni

Costello Adjunct Faculty

Costello Accounting Department

Accounting Adjunct Faculty

Costello College of Business News

Alumni

Barbara Su

Katelynn C Hipolito — Thu, 21 Aug 2025 17:14:21 +0000

Barbara Su Katelynn C Hipolito Thu, 08/21/2025 - 13:14

Assistant Professor, Accounting

Contact Information

(She/Her/Hers) 
Email: msu7@gmu.edu 

Personal Websites

Barbara Su's CV

Biography

Barbara Su is joining the Costello College of Business as an assistant professor of accounting. Her research focuses on financial institutions and debt markets, and her work has been published in leading accounting journals, including the Journal of Accounting and Economics, Review of Accounting Studies, and Contemporary Accounting Research. She earned her PhD in accounting from the University of Toronto in 2017. Prior to joining 911��, she taught a wide range of accounting courses at Temple University, including Accounting Analytics Senior Seminar, Introduction to Financial Accounting, Managerial Accounting, Intermediate Accounting II, and Co-operative Experience in Accounting. 

Min Shen

Katelynn C Hipolito — Thu, 21 Aug 2025 17:03:25 +0000

Min Shen Katelynn C Hipolito Thu, 08/21/2025 - 13:03

Associate Professor, Accounting
Additional Roles: Philip G. Buchanan Fellow

Contact Information

(She/Her/Hers) 
Email: mshen3@gmu.edu 

Biography

Min Shen is an associate professor of accounting and a Philip G. Buchanan Fellow at the Costello College of Business. She holds a PhD and MS in accounting from Michigan State University and a BA in international finance from Shanghai University of Finance and Economics. Her research examines corporate disclosures, capital markets, and information dissemination, with publications in leading journals such as The Accounting Review, Journal of Accounting Research, Review of Accounting Studies, Contemporary Accounting Research, and Management Science. Her work has been cited in SEC regulatory rulings and has shaped conversations around the role of accounting in capital markets. Her recent research focuses on artificial intelligence and accounting. She teaches financial accounting at both undergraduate and MBA levels and has served in multiple leadership roles, including curriculum development and PhD advising. In addition, she serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Accounting, Auditing, and Finance. 

Joseph (Han) Stice

Marianne Klinker — Wed, 23 Aug 2023 14:21:09 +0000

Joseph (Han) Stice Marianne Klinker Wed, 08/23/2023 - 10:21

Associate Professor, Accounting

Contact Information

Email: jstice@gmu.edu

Biography

Han Stice joins 911�� after spending seven years at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in accounting from Brigham Young University, and his PhD in accounting from the University of Florida. His research is primarily in accounting and focuses on information use and transfer by and among market participants. In addition to his research in accounting, he is also interested in both finance and behavioral economics. He has published in a wide array of journals including the Journal of Accounting Research, Contemporary Accounting Research, Review of Accounting Studies, Journal of Corporate Finance, and Journal of Media Economics. He has experience teaching financial and managerial accounting, as well as auditing and financial statement analysis. Han comes from a family of accountants and has collaborated with various members of his family on a wide array of accounting projects. In his free time, he enjoys playing games and traveling with his wife Amber, and their four children.

Education

PhD - University of Florida
BSA and MSA - Brigham Young University

Media Clippings

November 12, 2025 - The Horizons Tracker
Why Losing Local Newspapers Costs More Than We Think
October 20, 2025 - Business Insider
After the H-1B visa fee hike, global teams are looking like the future of work
December 10, 2024 - HR Dive
Deloitte employees with H-1B visas were paid 10% less than US workers, report finds

June Woo Park

Marianne Klinker — Wed, 23 Aug 2023 14:17:27 +0000

June Woo Park Marianne Klinker Wed, 08/23/2023 - 10:17

Instructional Assistant Professor, Accounting

Contact Information

Email: jpark274@gmu.edu
Office Location: Enterprise Hall, 239

Biography

June Woo Park joins the Costello College of Business from Saint Mary’s College of California. He has a PhD in accounting with a minor in finance from the Schulich School of Business, York University, Toronto, Canada. His teaching interests include data analytics, auditing with data analytics, accounting information systems, financial accounting, financial statement analysis, and managerial accounting. His research interests include CEO personal traits, disclosure, analyst/management forecasts, behavioral finance, international capital markets, earnings management, corporate social responsibility, and textual analysis. June recently published a paper in The British Accounting Review and has several working papers.

Education

PhD - Accounting, Schulich School of Business, York University, Toronto, Canada

Media Clippings

June 13, 2025 - Tredencias
We were led to believe that being left-handed was the secret to the success of Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, and Mark Zuckerberg. The reality is a little more complicated.
May 2, 2025 - Daily Mail
Scientists reveal the surprising secret to Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, and Mark Zuckerberg's success
April 27, 2025 - Psychology Today
Do Left-Handed Leaders Fuel Innovation in Business?

Yi Cao

Marianne Klinker — Wed, 23 Aug 2023 14:12:07 +0000

Yi Cao Marianne Klinker Wed, 08/23/2023 - 10:12

Assistant Professor, Accounting

Contact Information

Email: ycao25@gmu.edu
Office Location: Enterprise Hall, 224

Biography

Before joining Mason, Yi Cao worked at the School of Management and Economics of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen as an assistant professor of accounting. He obtained his PhD in accounting from the University of Maryland, R.H. Smith School of Business. Prior to entering the PhD program, he worked at Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and other financial institutions in the United States. He has a broad range of research interests that relate to corporate voluntary disclosure channels, the interaction of labor economics and financial reporting quality, and capital market study using novel tools such as LLM and other machine learning and textual analysis techniques. Yi’s research interests include corporate voluntary disclosure, product market competition, financial disclosure quality, and textual analysis, and has been published in Contemporary Accounting Research.

Research Interests

Corporate voluntary disclosure
Product market competition
Financial disclosure quality
Textual analysis

Education

PhD - University of Maryland, R.H. Smith School of Business

Media Clippings

December 21, 2023 - AAC&U.org Academic Minute Podcast
Yi Cao, 911�� – A.I. and Earnings Calls
September 13, 2023 - Financial Times
ChatGPT should do your earnings calls
September 7, 2023 - Bloomberg
Don’t Let a Robot Do the Earnings Call

Ethan Kinory

Marianne Klinker — Wed, 24 Aug 2022 16:40:19 +0000

Ethan Kinory Marianne Klinker Wed, 08/24/2022 - 12:40

Instructional Assistant Professor, Accounting
Additional Roles: Beta Alpha Psi Faculty Advisor

Contact Information

Email: ekinory@gmu.edu
Office Location: Enterprise Hall, 231
Office Hours: By appointment

Biography

Ethan Kinory is an instructional assistant professor within the Accounting Area in the Costello College of Business at 911��.

Steven Maex

Marianne Klinker — Tue, 26 Jul 2022 14:53:32 +0000

Steven Maex Marianne Klinker Tue, 07/26/2022 - 10:53

Assistant Professor, Accounting

Contact Information

Email: smaex@gmu.edu
Office Location: Enterprise Hall, 222
Office Hours: By appointment

Personal Websites

StevenMaex.com

Biography

Steve Maex (PhD, CPA, CISA, CITP) is an Assistant Professor of Accounting at the Costello College of Business at 911��. He obtained his PhD from Temple University’s Fox School of Business, and prior to that, he spent seven years as an IT Auditor and Data Analytics Specialist at KPMG LLP. He is a Certified Public Accountant and a Certified Information Systems Auditor and strives to bring his experience as a practitioner to both his teaching and research. As a teacher, he coordinates 911��’s Graduate Certificate in Accounting Analytics and has been recognized as Teacher of the Year in the Master of Science in Accounting program for each of the past three years. His research focuses on auditing, assurance, and financial reporting quality, with particular interest in the effects of emerging trends in information management (e.g., cloud services, privacy regulation) on firms and their auditors, audit firm quality control systems, as well as assurance in the cryptocurrency marketplace. His work has been published in the Review of Accounting Studies, Journal of Accounting and Public Policy, and Accounting Horizons and is forthcoming in Management Science. Additionally, his dissertation on the implications of modern privacy regulation for firm information quality won the 2023 American Accounting Association’s International Accounting Section Dissertation Award. In his free time, Steve enjoys golfing and spending time with his wife and two sons.

Research Interests

Auditing
Accounting Information Systems
Emerging Technologies
Cryptocurrency
Information Governance and Management

Education

PhD - Accounting, Temple University
BBA - Accounting and Information Systems, Loyola University Maryland

Research and Awards

Khavis, Josh A., Jagan Krishnan, Steven A. Maex, and Colin Tipton. 2025. Remote Work and Auditors’ Work-Life Balance: Disproportionate Impacts on Engagement Leaders. Accounting Horizons. Forthcoming.
Knechel, W. Robert, Steven A. Maex, and Hyun Jong Park. 2025. The Role of Auditor Reputation in an Emerging Audit Marketplace: Evidence from Decentralized Finance (DeFi). Management Science. Forthcoming.
Maex, Steven A., and Stefan Slavov. 2025. Initial Evidence on the Content and Market Implications of Stablecoin Reserve Reporting. Journal of Accounting and Public Policy 51: 107309.
Krishnan, Jagan, Jayanthi Krishnan, and Steven A. Maex. 2024. Does Audit Firm Hiring of Former PCAOB Personnel Improve Audit Quality? Review of Accounting Studies 29: 3130–3175.
Banker, Rajiv D., Xiaorong Li, Steven A. Maex, and Wenyun Shi. 2020. The Audit Implications of Cloud Computing. Accounting Horizons 34 (4): 1–31.
AIS/SET Conference Best Research Paper Award, American Accounting Association, 2024
Outstanding International Accounting Dissertation, American Accounting Association, 2023

Eun Hye (Grace) Jo

Marianne Klinker — Thu, 24 Feb 2022 17:42:45 +0000

Eun Hye (Grace) Jo Marianne Klinker Thu, 02/24/2022 - 12:42

Adjunct Faculty, Accounting, Mason Korea

Contact Information

Email: ejo3@gmu.edu

Biography

Eun Hye (Grace) Jo is an adjunct faculty member within the Accounting Area at the School of Business, 911�� Korea Campus.

Jenny Jung-Wha Lee

Marianne Klinker — Mon, 21 Feb 2022 16:39:43 +0000

Jenny Jung-Wha Lee Marianne Klinker Mon, 02/21/2022 - 11:39

Associate Professor, Accounting, Mason Korea

Contact Information

Email: jlee183@gmu.edu
Phone: (032) 626-5112
Office Location: Korean Campus G626
Office Hours: Tuesdays from 2-4 p.m. and by appointment

Biography

Professor Jenny Lee is a member of the Mason Korea business faculty. She teaches a range of courses, including financial accounting, management accounting, and auditing at both undergraduate and graduate levels. Prior to joining us, she was a tenured faculty member at the Australian National University (ANU) and the postgraduate coordinator for the Research School of Accounting at ANU. She was also an assistant professor in Hanyang University’s College of Economics and Business Administration. Additionally, she worked as a research fellow at University of Sydney’s School of Business. Her primary research interests include corporate governance, financial reporting, auditing, and IFRS. She published numerous articles in a range of professional journals and received several teaching awards. She held, and continues to hold, NAATI professional interpreter accreditation for over 20 years.