ATA Teaching and Curriculum Conference
Call for Proposals
The 12th annual ATA Teaching and Curriculum Conference will be held on February 19, 2026 prior to the ATA Midyear Meeting in Nashville, TN. The planning committee is soliciting proposals for sessions where faculty can “pitch” tax teaching tips and techniques. This session will feature a number of teaching ideas that can each be shared, including related materials, illustrations, instructions, etc., in a relatively short – 3 – 4 minute - presentation. Presenters will participate in round table discussions or “Ed Talks” about their proposal. If you have developed a unique exercise, case, active learning exercise, online tool, or other pedagogical innovation you’d like to share, this session is for you!
Preliminary Program
| 8:15 am | Welcome |
| 8:30 am - 9:30 am | Firm/Industry Panel on Hiring Outlook Moderator: Ann Davis, Tennessee Tech University Panelists: Leigh Anne Henry, Director-Tax Compliance, HCA Walker W. Fain, Tax Partner, EY Ben Stanga, Tax Partner, PwC |
| 9:35 am - 10:35 am | Preparing Tax Students for Professional Success: Bridging Academic Rigor and Practice Readiness Moderators: Ellen Best, University of North Georgia Jennifer Schafer, Kennesaw State University Panelists: Paige Hill, Tax Senior Manager, Carr, Riggs & Ingram Leah Bowker, Tax Associate, Carr, Riggs & Ingram |
| 10:40 am - 10:50 am |
Break |
| 11:00 am - 12:00 pm | Early Career Roundtables Moderator: Luke Richardson, University of South Florida Hudson Miller, Tax Senior, EY Ashtynne Smith, Tax Senior, EY Kelly Heitzman, Senior Tax Associate, PwC Will Martin, Senior Tax Associate, PwC Jack Houston, Senior Tax Associate, KPMG Will Litzinger, Senior Tax Associate, KPMG Sydney Kist, Tax Senior, Deloitte Mitch Maxim, Tax Consultant II, Deloitte |
| 12:00 pm - 12:45 pm | Lunch |
| 1:00 pm - 1:45 pm | Teaching Projects An Assignment to Help Incorporate Tax Policy into Your Class Luke Richardson, University of South Florida Turning AI into a Learning Partner: Teaching Students to Prompt, Critique, and Improve Tax Memos R. Roy Martin, College of Charleston |
| 1:45 pm - 2:45 pm | Federal Tax Update Moderator: Sandra Callaghan, Texas Christian University Panelists: Vinit Rai, Tax Senior Manager, EY Alex Brousseau, Senior Manager-Tax Policy, Deloitte Rachel Oakley, Director, PwC Matthew Appelman, Senior Manager, KPMG |
| 2:45 pm - 3:00 pm | Break |
| 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm | Panel: Response to the changing licensing requirements. How are programs responding to the new alternative pathways? Moderator: Alan Stancill, Mississippi State University Panelists: Kirsten Cook, Texas Tech University Michele Meckfessel, University of Missouri-St. Louis Troy Lewis, Brigham Young University |
| 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm | Round Table Presentations Teaching Tips Tips for Teaching Tax Research to Both Novice and Experienced Students Gregory Carnes, University of North Alabama Suzanne Youngberg, Northern Illinois University Developing Graduate Student Interest in Tax Through Co-Authored Professional Articles Dr. James Hamill, Texas A&M University Where Should Mom and Dad Retire? A Tax Planning Case Study for U.S. Retirees Abroad Jack Badger, Middle Tennessee State University From Prompting to Process: Teaching Tax Footnote Analysis with Agentic AI Workflows Tony L. J. Lin, Rowan University |
YOUR PROPOSAL DOES NOT NEED TO BE A FULL PAPER OR CASE STUDY to participate in the conference. However, full papers and case studies are welcome. More concise submissions containing teaching ideas and strategies are also welcome! Proposals related to all substantive and pedagogical issues are welcome.
Ideas related to the following would be particularly interesting.
- Tips and strategies for using AI in the classroom
- Cases or problems incorporating AI into tax courses of various levels.
- Cases or problems incorporating data analytics into tax courses of various levels
- Tips for teaching tax in an on-line format
- Tips for incorporating practice into your class
- Tips for teaching tax research in both research and non-research focused courses
- Cases or problems for incorporating data analytics into tax courses of various levels
- Tips for enhancing student interest in taxation
- Tips for incorporating tax policy into your class
Proposals should include a brief (1-2 page) description of the idea.
Policy Note: The AAA does not consider it appropriate for presenters to explicity market (through submissions, displays, or distribution of promotional materials, etc.) commercial products in which they have financial interest.
Submissions must be completed by October 21, 2025
CLICK HERE to access the submission system using your AAA member ID and password. If you have forgotten your AAA member ID/password, click here to retrieve them.
If you do not have a member ID/password, click here to obtain AAA login credentials. Then, use your AAA login credentials to create a new account in the submission system.
Authors of accepted submissions will be expected to attend the Conference and fulfill their responsibilities for the session for which their submission is accepted.
For further information, contact Alan Stancill astancill@business.msstate.edu