Doug Prawitt Named School of Accountancy's New Director

PROVO, Utah – Jun 27, 2019 – BYU Marriott School of Business dean Brigitte C. Madrian appointed Doug Prawitt as the new director of BYU Marriott’s School of Accountancy. Prawitt began his tenure as director on 15 June 2019.

“I am confident that Doug will build on the legacy of dedicated leadership at the School of Accountancy,” Madrian says. “I believe his guidance will continue to enhance the accounting program’s excellence."

Prawitt, who joined BYU Marriott in 1993, has had his research published in top professional and academic accounting journals. He founded the School of Accountancy’s PhD prep track and has served on several different professional boards, including the AICPA’s Auditing Standards Board and the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations (COSO). Prawitt, the LeRay McAllister/Deloitte Foundation Distinguished Professor of Accountancy, is the recipient of numerous awards, most recently BYU Marriott’s Outstanding Faculty Award and the American Accounting Association’s Outstanding Accounting Educator award, both in 2016.

Prawitt succeeds Jeff Wilks, who served as SOA director from July 2013 to June 2019. Wilks, EY Professor of Accountancy, joined BYU Marriott in 2000 and has been consistently recognized for his achievements in researching and teaching, including BYU Marriott’s Outstanding Teaching Award in 2011. Along with his classroom and research responsibilities, Wilks has served on numerous accounting boards, namely the FASB’s Financial Accounting Standards Advisory Council and the AICPA’s Revenue Recognition Task Force.

“Jeff’s leadership has had a marked impact on the program,” Madrian says. “We are grateful to have him continue building the reputation of the school through his exemplary research, service to the academy, and student-centered teaching.”

Prawitt is honored by the opportunity to lead the SOA moving forward. “I’m convinced we have the best combination of student body, staff, and faculty of any accounting program in the world, bar none,” he says. “With a team like that, there’s just no reason we can’t continue to accomplish great things together.”

The BYU Marriott School of Business prepares men and women of faith, character, and professional ability for positions of leadership throughout the world. Named for benefactors J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott, the school is located at Brigham Young University, the largest privately owned, church-sponsored university in the United States. BYU Marriott has four graduate and ten undergraduate programs with an enrollment of approximately 3,300 students.