I enthusiastically invite you to attend the 109th Annual Meeting of the American Accounting Association in August 2025 at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Chicago—a prime, walkable location near many of the city’s top attractions.

This year’s theme, “Boldly Building Our Future,” is a call to action for all of us in the accounting profession and academy. I first spoke on this topic at the 2024 Annual Meeting in Washington, DC, and shared more in the Fall 2024 edition of Accounting Education News about how we, as a community, are shaping the future of accounting education and the profession.

There are so many ways for each of us to contribute—whether by inspiring our students, amplifying the exciting opportunities in accounting, or collaborating with peers to drive meaningful change. The 2025 Annual Meeting will offer countless opportunities to engage, learn, and take part in building a bolder and brighter future for our profession.

This year’s meeting features an opening plenary session on Monday focused on the 100th anniversary of The Accounting Review.  Join Michelle Hanlon (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), Eva Labro (The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill), Mark W. Nelson (Cornell University), and Richard Sloan (University of Southern California) as they share insights from 100 years of the premier accounting journal. You won’t want to miss the history and stories they have to share! We’ll continue to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of The Accounting Review throughout the meeting, including at the Monday Welcome Reception – you won’t want to miss it!

Tuesday will feature our two Presidential Scholars, Dana R. Hermanson (Kennesaw State University) and Kathryn Kadous (Emory University) who both offer extensive experience with backgrounds as educators, researchers, and journal editors. Our Tuesday luncheon speaker will be Barry C. Melancon, a transformative leader in the accounting profession having served most recently as President and CEO of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and CEO of the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants. He is also one of the 2025 inductees to The Accounting Hall of Fame, which will be celebrating its 75th anniversary. Wednesday’s plenary features 2025-2026 AAA President Mark S. Beasley (North Carolina State University) who will share his vision for the AAA’s direction as the board president.

As in previous meetings, the 2025 Annual Meeting will include a wide array of At-Large Sessions and Concurrent Sessions focusing on research, teaching, current issues facing the profession including such things as generative AI, data analytics and technology, and sessions devoted to revolutionizing accounting education to address the accounting pipeline to reverse declining accounting enrollment trends. Be sure to also attend our special Senior Scholar Seminars featuring insights from pre-eminent accounting scholars.  Watch for more details on these sessions as the weeks progress. The Service Project this year will benefit Operation Backpack hosted by Volunteers of America (VOA) Illinois. Operation Backpack is an annual drive to collect backpacks and school supplies for youth in need, including children experiencing homelessness, children of the Veterans served by VOA Illinois, and children in all VOA Illinois youth programs. Please consider donating to this worthy cause.

The 2025 Annual Meeting has something for everyone, including family and friends who attend with you. Chicago has so much to offer visitors.  Our hotel is a short distance from Millennium Park where you can visit the famous Bean Sculpture. Make sure you spend some time on the Navy Pier or enjoy a stroll on the Chicago Riverwalk.  Don’t forget about savoring the local bites such as the famous Chicago Hot Dogs, Deep Dish Pizza, and Italian Beef sandwiches. The AAA Annual Meeting website highlights numerous family-friendly experiences and activities in the Windy City and surrounding areas.

I can’t wait to see YOU in Chicago in August 2025 for an inspiring, insightful, and fun AAA Annual Meeting!