Mary E. Barth

Professor Emerita, Accounting
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Mary E. Barth

The Joan E. Horngren Professor of Accounting, Emerita

Academic Area:

Research Statement

Professor Mary Barth’s research focuses on financial accounting and reporting issues, particularly topics of interest to accounting standard setters. Such topics include using fair values in financial reporting, stock-based compensation, recognition versus disclosure, asset securitizations, asset revaluations, the information roles of accruals and cash flows, the relation between financial statement quality and cost of capital, and issues related to global financial reporting and convergence.

Bio

Mary E. Barth is the Joan E. Horngren Professor of Accounting, Emerita at Stanford Graduate School of Business (GSB). Prior to joining the faculty at Stanford in 1995, she was an associate professor at Harvard Business School and an audit partner at Arthur Andersen Co. Professor Barth’s research is published in a variety of journals and has won several awards.

Professor Barth was senior editor of The Accounting Review and previously served as an editor. She has been the accounting department editor of Management Science and co-editor of the Journal of Financial Reporting and served on the editorial boards of several other academic journals. She served as a senior associate dean for Academic Affairs at GSB from 2002 until 2009.

Professor Barth is vice chair of the Trustees of the Financial Accounting Foundation, which oversees the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) and the Governmental Accounting Standards Board. She was a member of the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) from its inception in 2001 until 2009 and served as the academic advisor to the IASB from 2009 until 2011. Prior to joining the IASB, Professor Barth’s accounting standard setting activities included serving as a member of the Accounting Standards Executive Committee of the American Institute of CPAs and the Financial Accounting Standards Advisory Council of the FASB.

Professor Barth was president of the AAA and has served as its vice president and as chair of several AAA committees. She also has served as vice president of the International Association for Accounting Education and Research. She is an Honorary Professorial Fellow at the University of Melbourne, Australia, and an Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Cambridge, UK. She was an Extraordinary Professor at the University of Pretoria, South Africa. She served on the External Audit Committee of the International Monetary Fund, including as its chair.

Academic Degrees

  • DSc(HC), Tilburg University, 2022
  • DCom(HC), University of Pretoria, 2019
  • DSc(HC), London Business School, 2015
  • DSc(HC), Lancaster University, 2008
  • PhD, Stanford University, 1989
  • MBA, Boston University, 1975
  • AB, Cornell University, 1973

Academic Appointments

  • At Stanford since 1995
  • Associate Professor, Harvard Business School, 1989-95

Professional Experience

  • Audit Partner, Arthur Andersen & Co., 1974-85
  • CPA, 1976

Awards and Honors

  • Joan E. Horngren Professor of Accounting, Emerita, 2019–present
  • Notable Contributions to Accounting Literature Award, American Accounting Association/American Institute of CPAs, 2020
  • Female Career Award, HEC Lausanne (UNIL), 2019
  • Lifetime Service Award, AAA, 2019
  • Joan E. Horngren Professor of Accounting, 2006–2019
  • The Accounting Hall of Fame member, American Accounting Association, 2018
  • R. Michael and Mary Shanahan Faculty Fellow for 2017–18
  • Outstanding Accounting Educator Award, American Accounting Association, 2017
  • Lifetime Achievement Award, AAA Financial Accounting and Reporting Section, 2017
  • MSx Teaching Excellence Award, GSB, 2017
  • Deloitte Wildman Medal Award, AAA, 2016
  • BP Faculty Fellow in Global Management, 2014–15
  • Best Paper Award, AAA Financial Accounting and Reporting Section, 2014
  • Robert J. Davis Award, Stanford GSB, 2013
  • Notable Contributions to Accounting Literature Award, American Accounting Association/American Institute of CPAs, 2012
  • Deloitte Wildman Medal Award, AAA, 2009
  • Outstanding International Accounting Educator Award, American Accounting Association - International Accounting Section, 2008
  • PhD Faculty Distinguished Service Award, Stanford GSB, 2006
  • Best Paper Award, AAA Financial Accounting and Reporting Section, 2000
  • Deloitte Wildman Medal Award, AAA, 1996
  • MBA Distinguished Teaching Award, Stanford GSB, 1996
  • Outstanding Educator Award, Massachusetts Society of CPAs, 1994
  • Competitive Manuscript Award, American Accounting Association, 1993
  • Best Paper Award, AAA Financial Accounting and Reporting Section, 1996

Publications

Journal Articles

Book Chapters

Working Papers

Service to the Profession

  • President, American Accounting Association, 2013-present
  • Accounting Department Editor, Management Science, 2009-present
  • Member, International Accounting Standards Board, 2001-2009
  • Vice President, International Association for Accounting Education and Research, 2009-2011

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