Bill Kinney

Bill Kinney has made major contributions to auditing and accounting practices over the course of his 50-year academic career. Born in Okmulgee in 1942 as the great-great grandson of Cyrus Harris, first governor of the Chickasaw Nation, Professor Kinney enjoyed a childhood steeped in his Chickasaw heritage.

Kinney attended Oklahoma State University for his bachelor's and master's degrees; he went on to pursue a doctorate at Michigan State University, earning his Ph.D. in 1968. He taught at the University of Iowa and the University of Michigan before accepting a position in 1988 at the University of Texas at Austin, where he still resides as professor emeritus at the McCombs School of Business. He was brought on as the Charles & Elizabeth Prothro Regents Chair in Business.

Dr. Kinney is the author or co-author of nine books and over 100 scholarly articles, and he served on the editorial board of the Journal of Accounting Research for 25 years. His 28-year editorial stint with The Accounting Review concluded with his serving as managing editor from 1986 to 1989. He was also appointed Director of Research for the American Accounting Association and an Academic Fellow for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. A leader in defining auditing standards, he served on multiple national and international standards boards and councils.

The research conducted by Dr. Kinney is considered to have greatly influenced the policy of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The American Accounting Association has given him an Outstanding Accounting Educator Award and three AAA/Deloitte Wildman medals recognizing contributions to practice. The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants gave him its award for Distinguished Achievement in Accounting Education, and he was inducted into the Accounting Hall of Fame in 2014.

Kinney lives with his wife of 58 years, Carolyn, in Austin, Texas. He has three children and six grandchildren.