Graduate Accounting Faculty Members of the Year 2023
Each year, two outstanding graduate accounting instructors are recognized for epitomizing the highest levels of excellence in the pursuit of the School of Business Administration mission and goals. Selected by the graduating students, this honor is bestowed on a faculty who distinguish themselves in the instruction and engagement with the students.
This year colleagues and students have selected Cathy DeHart, CPA, and Casey McNellis, Ph.D., CPA, as Graduate Accounting Faculty of the Year, and Kevin Sell, CPA, as Graduate Adjunct Accounting Faculty of the Year.
She has developed and taught two sustainability accounting courses at Gonzaga and integrated ESG concepts into her 200-level accounting courses. Before joining Gonzaga's faculty she was a Staff Accountant for Deloitte Haskins & Sells. One of Cathy's students commented, "She is very nice and kind. I like the way she talk and listens to students' opinions. She looks excited and interested. She respects others' ideas. Especially as an international student, sometimes it can be scary and hard to talk with a professor. But she is patient and tries to listen and understand what I want to say. I received a graded paper with many useful pieces of advice from her. Not only that, but she also explained respectively during office hours. She didn't consider my mistakes as just a mistake and told me what can I do next time. There was a sentence that didn't make sense in my paper, however, she wanted to know what I intended. I appreciate her attitude and kindness."
It should be no surprise that this Sunriver, Oregon native loves the outdoors, spending time kayaking, stand-up paddleboarding, biking and "rucking" (hiking with a weighted backpack) and attending live music concerts (particularly 80s tribute bands). Fun fact! She has competed in several lip sync competitions - and placed in three!
Dr. McNellis joined the School of Business Administration faculty at Gonzaga University in August 2017. With thirteen years of higher education experience prior to arriving at Gonzaga, he has taught a wide variety of Accounting courses. He currently teaches financial reporting topics at the principles, intermediate, and graduate levels. Casey has received teaching awards at multiple universities and his research has appeared in both practitioner and academic publications. He currently enjoys developing and publishing instructional case studies for use at both the undergraduate and graduate levels of the Accounting curriculum.
Kevin Sell, CPA.
One of Kevin's students nominated him "for always having a positive attitude and good energy in class. And for the exposure to real-world software." Kevin is delighted to have former students tell him that they actually used his materials in their real-world jobs. In his free time, Kevin enjoys running, mountain biking, and craft cocktails. This Cheney, Washington native and his son are also attempting to visit all 30 of the Major League Baseball stadium - an adventure that has taken them through all parts of the country with great memories and stories. Just seven more to go!