Elizabeth Oliver to Receive Award from the American Accounting Association The associate dean of the Williams School will receive the 2025 Accounting Historian’s Journal Award at the organization’s annual meeting in August.

By Lily Caldwell
May 21, 2026

Elizabeth Oliver, associate dean of the Williams School of Commerce, Economics and Politics and Lewis Whitaker Adams Professor in Commerce at Washington and Lee University, has been selected as a recipient of the 2025 Accounting Historians Journal Award of Excellence.

Oliver will receive the award, formerly known as the Best Paper Award, alongside co-authors Gary Peters from the University of Arkansas, Sandra Richtermeyer from Rutgers University, Ann Watkins from Texas State University and Craig White from the University of New Mexico, for their article, “The Federation of Schools of Accountancy: Its Brief History, Its Lasting Influence,” which appeared in the December 2025 issue of the Accounting Historians Journal.

The award is presented by the Academy of Accounting Historians section of the American Accounting Association (AAA). Oliver and her co-authors will be recognized for the award at the 2026 AAA annual meeting held Aug. 2 in Las Vegas.

“Receiving the 2025 Accounting Historians Journal Award of Excellence is a true honor,” said Oliver. “This work was very much a collaborative effort. I was privileged to work alongside members of two accounting organizations that merged, gathering and analyzing original source materials as we worked to preserve a record of the organization’s history and achievements. I am excited to be able to attend the meeting in August along with my co-authors to receive this award.”

Oliver 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. She 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.

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