Strategies for Success in the College Classroom
PhD Project Testimonials
Learning and Development Strategies for Success
Kerri-Ann Sanderson, Phd, CPA is an associate professor in the Department of Accounting at Bentley University. She is a former Big4 auditor and is a certified public accountant (CPA) with over 10 years of experience in public accounting, internal auditing and corporate budgeting with Fortune 500 companies. Her research focus is in experimental-behavioral auditing topics specifically in the areas of auditor judgment and decision making, and audit analytics. Kerri-Ann's research is published in leading journals such as Contemporary Accounting Research, Auditing: A Journal of Practice and Theory, Behavioral Research in Accounting, and Journal of Information Systems. She serves on the editorial boards of Auditing: A Journal of Practice and Theory, Accounting Horizons, Current Issues in Auditing, and Journal of Information Systems. Her teaching interest is in accounting information systems. She is an AICPA Doctoral Fellow and a KPMG Foundation PhD Project Doctoral Fellow.
Marcus M. Stewart is Professor and Chair of the Management Department (2023-2026) at Bentley University with 24 years as a faculty member teaching undergraduate and graduate courses on leadership, workplace diversity, organizational change, human resource management, and organizational behavior. Dr. Stewart is a member of the editorial board of the Academy of Management Learning and Education and his current research focuses on leadership, teams, cross-cultural skill development, diversity and social justice. His research has been published in Human Resource Management, the Journal of Management, Personnel Psychology and the Journal of Applied Psychology, among other journals. Dr. Stewart earned his doctoral degree in Business Administration from the Kenan-Flagler Business School, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and he is a double Falcon, having earned an M.B.A. and B.S. at Bentley.
Professor Stewart teaches courses on leadership, workplace diversity, organizational change, human resource management, and organizational behavior at Bentley University in Waltham, Massachusetts. His research focuses on diversity, leadership, teams, and cross-cultural skill development, areas in which he also partners with and supports a variety of organizations.
Dr. Thibodeau is a former auditor and a CPA. He received his BS degree from the University of Connecticut in 1987 and his Ph.D. from the University of Connecticut in 1996. Dr. Thibodeau has conducted executive education programs for numerous leading firms including Fidelity Investments, KPMG, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Stryker, and Bluecoat Technologies.
He is a coauthor of two books, Auditing and Assurance Services (in its 9th edition) and Auditing and Accounting Cases: Investigating Issues of Fraud and Professional Ethics (in its 4th edition). In addition, he has written over 70 articles and book chapters for academics and practitioners and has published in journals such as Auditing: A Journal of Practice & Theory, Journal of Information Systems, Accounting Horizons, and Issues in Accounting Education.
Dr. Thibodeau served as the president of the Auditing Section of the American Accounting Association for the 2014/2015 academic year. He has also received national recognition for his work ten times. First, for his thesis, winning the 1996 Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation Award presented by the ABO section of the AAA. Five other times, for curriculum innovation, winning the 2001 Joint AICPA/AAA Collaboration Award, the 2003 Innovation in Assurance Education Award, the 2016 Forensic Accounting Teaching Innovation Award, the 2019 Innovation in Assurance Education Award and the 2023 Innovation in Assurance Education Award. Once, for outstanding service, receiving a Special Service Award from the Auditing Section for his work in helping to create the Center for Audit Quality’s Access to Auditors program. And finally, three other times for research excellence, winning the 2020 Glen McLaughlin Prize for Research in Accounting and Ethics given by the University of Oklahoma, 2023 Best Paper Award for Auditing: A Journal of Practice & Theory and the 2024 Best Paper Award for the Journal of Information Systems.
Karen K. Osterheld is the Senior Director of the Center for Advancing Accounting Education at the American Accounting Association (AAA). In this role, she is responsible for the identification, development and dissemination of best practices and innovations in accounting education across the academy. Prior to joining the AAA, Karen was a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Accountancy at Bentley University and was a full-time member of the faculty for 31 years. Karen was responsible for the academic internship program for undergraduate and graduate students in the department.
In 2003, Karen received the Joseph M. Cronin Award for Excellence in Academic Advising at Bentley. In 2008, she was nominated Faculty Member of the Year by the student body. She has also won two Bentley University Innovation in Teaching Awards and the Bentley University Service-Learning Award. Karen earned her B.S. Degree in Mathematics from the State University of New York at Albany and her M.B.A. Degree from the University of Wisconsin. She is a Certified Public Accountant in the state of Massachusetts.
Merle Bazile (pronouns: she/her/hers/herself/Ms.) joined Bentley University in 2014 as the Sr. Program Assistant. Her duties focus on organizing and supporting the many programs and events of the Office of Diversity & Inclusion. Prior to Bentley, Merle was Staff Assistant in the Office of the Dean at the Harvard Business School. She provided support to the Dean, managing complex scheduling, and assisting with special projects including Commencement, Alumni Weekend, and Board of Directors meetings. She left the Dean's Office to work in the Intellectual Property Department as a Permissions Coordinator at Harvard Business School Publishing (HBSP). Merle worked closely with HBSP product groups, including the Harvard Business Review to determine and maintain permission policies and rights availability. Before coming to Bentley, Merle was Executive Assistant to the Principal at the Angier Elementary School in Waban, Newton Massachusetts. Merle holds a Bachelor of Science in Sociology from Fitchburg State University and has completed one-year of graduate-level work toward a Master’s Degree in Social Work at Virginia Commonwealth University.
Katie Penn Lampley, Ph.D. (pronouns: she/her/hers/herself/Dr.) has been a long-time member of the Bentley community where she has developed diversity-related learning opportunities across the university. A member of the Class of 1996, Katie has held numerous staff roles on campus including Assistant Provost of Diversity and Inclusion, Executive Director of Diversity and Inclusion and Associate Director of Admissions. As the leader of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, Katie has provided vision, leadership and coordination for strategic institutional planning to ensure inclusive environments and equitable outcomes for all faculty, staff and students at Bentley. Her work has promoted an inclusive work and learning environment by supporting student- and employee-led initiatives, resource development and advocacy for affinity groups. Katie holds a Ph.D. in Leadership and Change program at Antioch University and holds an MBA with a concentration in Marketing from the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill and a B.S. in Economics and Finance from Bentley.
Teaching Resources/Links
Workshop materials
BLTC webpage
ATC webpage
Learning Design webpage
Bentley Teaching Innovation Award Winners
Office of Diversity and Inclusion (ODI)
Contact us
The PhD Project contact
Myrna Varner, myrnavarner@kpmg.com
at Bentley University
Kerri-Ann Sanderson, ksanderson@bentley.edu
Marcus Stewart, mstewart@bentley.edu
Jay Thibodeau, jthibodeau@bentley.edu
at the American Accounting Association
Karen Osterheld, karen.osterheld@aaahq.org