Elizabeth Oliver Receives Lifetime Service Award Oliver was presented with the American Accounting Association’s Jim Benjamin Lifetime Service Award at the organization’s Leadership in Accounting Education Section Seminar on Feb. 14.

By Brian Laubscher
February 19, 2025

Elizabeth Oliver, associate dean of the Williams School and Lewis Whitaker Adams Professor of Accounting at Washington and Lee University, became the third person to be awarded the Jim Benjamin Lifetime Service Award at the American Accounting Association’s (AAA) Leadership in Accounting Education Section Seminar in San Antonio on Friday, Feb. 14.

The award recognizes outstanding lifetime contributions to accounting education and is presented to an individual who has demonstrated outstanding service to their institution, the AAA organization, the AAA’s Leadership in Accounting Education Section and the accounting profession. Oliver will receive a $5,000 award; part of the prize is courtesy of PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC).

“I am honored to receive this award from an organization that values the impact we can have on our students,” said Oliver. “I also appreciate the generosity of PwC in honoring Jim Benjamin’s legacy of supporting accounting education.”

As accounting education was changing in the wake of new requirements in the profession, Oliver worked with members of the large accounting firms to ensure Washington and Lee accounting students had and retained opportunities to interview with their firms. In addition, she developed articulation agreements with both the University of Virginia’s McIntire School and Wake Forest University’s School of Business that allow W&L students alternatives as they consider moving toward licensure in the accounting profession.

Within the AAA, Oliver has served as chair of the Membership Committee, as well as a member of other committees, and secretary/treasurer of the Financial Accounting and Reporting section. From 2003 to 2020, she was active in the Accounting Program Leadership Group (APLG), serving in various positions before becoming president in 2018. She served on three key committees, co-chairing one with Craig White from the University of New Mexico that led to and facilitated the merger of the APLG with the Federation of Schools of Accountancy and formed the new Leadership in Accounting Education Section of the AAA. She currently serves as historian for the Leadership Section.

Oliver holds a Bachelor of Arts from Mary Baldwin College, a Master of Arts in English from the University of Kansas, a Master of Science in accounting from the University of Virginia and a Ph.D. from Texas A&M University. She has been a member of the W&L faculty since 1991, serving as associate dean of the Williams School since 2018 – a role she also held from 1998-2003. From 2003 to 2018, she led the Accounting Department, teaching courses in financial accounting, accounting research and corporate social responsibility, while also launching and coordinating the W&L London Internship Program. Additionally, Oliver served as interim provost during the 2020–2021 academic year.

Beyond her administrative roles, Oliver has contributed significantly to university governance. She has chaired the Benefits Committee, the President’s Committee on Women at Washington and Lee and the University Study of Incremental Salary Differences. She has also served as interim chair of the Faculty Executive Committee and has been a member and chair of the President’s Advisory Committee. She also contributed to the Faculty Administrators Evaluation Committee, the Student Affairs Committee and various search committees and strategic planning groups.

In addition to Oliver receiving her prestigious award, the Leadership Section Seminar featured a significant W&L presence, including former president Ken Ruscio and Afshad Irani, professor of accounting and head of the Accounting and Finance Department. As vice president of program and organizational value, Irani welcomed guests to the seminar, while Ruscio served as the event’s keynote speaker.

Founded in 1916, the American Accounting Association (AAA) is the world’s largest academic accounting organization. Headquartered in Lakewood Ranch, Florida, the AAA serves more than 7,000 members by supporting research, providing continuing education and advocating for accounting education. The association publishes several leading research journals, including The Accounting Review, and hosts regional and national conferences that bring together accounting educators, researchers and practitioners.

If you know a W&L faculty member who has done great, accolade-worthy things, tell us about them! Nominate them for an accolade.