Doyle Zane Williams

Doyle Zane Williams was a dean emeritus of the University of Arkansas, where he was dean of the Walton College of Business for twelve years. He served as an initial agent of change in data development related to educational research. His work is documented in the AICPA Education Statistical studies that he developed and were published covering the years 1967-1993.

He was a past president of the AAA (1984-1985) and past chair of the Board of Directors of the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) from 2004-2005. His role as chair of the AACSB Board gave him the opportunity to strengthen, expand and advise institutions as to the elements of accounting accreditation activities. He served as Director of Education of the AAA, president of the Administrators of Accounting Programs, and president of the Federation of Schools of Accountancy.

He also served as chair of the Accounting Education Change Commission (AECC) from 1989-1993. The AECC’s statement on the “Objectives of Education for Accountants” was widely quoted and its work served as the basis for many curriculum advances. Working with the Atlanta office of KPMG, he established the Financial Reporting Roundtable involving the 20 largest companies headquartered in Georgia.

Williams was the founding dean of the School of Accounting at the University of Southern California, served as Accounting Area Coordinator at Texas Tech University, and was a senior scholar at Kennesaw State University. He also served as Executive Director of the Accounting Doctoral Scholars Program, administered by the AICPA, from 2008-2012.

He received the FSA/Joseph A. Silvoso Faculty Merit Award for distinguished contributions to the Federation, to the profession of accounting, and to accounting education in 1993 and again in 2011. He received the AAA’s Outstanding Accounting Educator Award in 1996. He was the fifth educator to receive the AICPA's Gold Medal for Distinguished Service in 2002.

Upon his retirement from the University of Arkansas, the university established the endowed Doyle Z. and Maynette D. Williams Chair in Professional Accounting.

Doyle Zane Williams is the One Hundred and Sixth member of The Accounting Hall of Fame. He passed away on September 29, 2021 at the age of 81.