About the Author

Brian Spilker

Brian Spilker teaches taxation at Brigham Young University where he received both B.S. and M.A.cc degrees. After work experience at a major tax firm, he earned his Ph.D. at the University of Texas at Austin. He has won numerous professional awards, including awards for innovative teaching and use of technology in the classroom. His research on tax information search and professional judgment have appeared in key scholarly journals of accountancy.

Benjamin Ayers

Ben Ayers, dean of the Terry College of Business at the University of Georgia, received an M.T.A. and B.S. from the University of Alabama. and a Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin. A tax manager and a contract manager before he earned his doctorate, he is the recipient of 11 teaching awards at the school, college, and university levels, including the Richard B. Russell Undergraduate Teaching Award and Ray M. Sommerfeld Outstanding Tax Educator Award. His research interests include the effects of taxation on firm structure, mergers and acquisitions, and capital markets, and he has published articles in major journals of accounting, law, and economics.

John Barrick

John Barrick, an associate professor in the Marriott School at Brigham Young University, served as an accountant at the United States Congress Joint Committee on Taxation during the 110th and 111th Congresses. He received both B.S. and M.A.cc degrees from Brigham Young University, and, after his professional work experience, earned his Ph.D. at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln. He teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in taxation, and his scholarly research and publications explore issues relating to tax corporate political activity.

Edmund Outslay

Ed Outslay, a professor of accounting in the Department of Accounting and Information Systems at Michigan State University, received a B.A. from Furman University and an M.B.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Michigan. He teaches graduate classes in corporate taxation, multiunit enterprises, accounting for income taxes, and international taxation. His many awards for teaching and service include ATA/Deloitte Teaching Innovations Award, the Ray M. Sommerfeld Outstanding Tax Educator Award and the Lifetime Service Award from the American Taxation Association. He has also received several awards for his baseball coaching.

John Robinson

John Robinson earned a J.D. from and Ph.D. in accounting from the University of Michigan and holds a chair in the business department at Texas A&M University, where he teaches courses on individual and corporate taxation and advanced accounting. He has taught at the University of Kansas and the University of Texas at Austin, and he has served as an academic fellow on the Securities and Exchange Commission. A former president of American Taxation Association, his numerous awards include the Henry A. Bubb Award for outstanding teaching and the Outstanding Service Award from the ATA. His research and scholarly publishing involve a broad variety of topics involving financial accounting, mergers and acquisitions, and the influence of taxes on financial structures and performance.

Connie Weaver

Connie Weaver is a professor of accounting at Texas A&M University, where she teaches taxation in the accounting and the executive M.B.A. program. She received a B.S. in chemical engineering from the University of Texas at Austin, an M.P.A. from the University of Texas at Arlington, and a Ph.D. from Arizona State University. A tax manager who became a licensed C.P.A. before entering the Ph.D. program, she is the recipient of several teaching awards, including the 2006 American Taxation Association/Deloitte Teaching Innovations award. The senior editor of The Journal of the American Taxation Association, her publishing and research interests include the effects of tax and financial incentives on corporate decisions and reporting.

Ronald Worsham

Ron Worsham teaches taxation in the graduate, undergraduate, M.B.A., and Executive M.B.A. programs at Brigham Young University, where he is an associate professor in the School of Accountancy. Before earning his Ph.D. at the University of Florida, he received both B.S. and M.A.cc (tax emphasis) degrees from Brigham Young University and worked as a tax consultant, earning his C.P.A. license. He has been honored for outstanding innovation in the classroom at Brigham Young University, and has published academic research in the areas of taxpayer compliance and professional tax judgment, as well as legal research in a variety of areas.