One of only 115, female African-American Accounting business school professors in the U.S. promoted to Full Professor

Montvale, NJ- The PhD Project, an award-winning program to create a more diverse corporate America, announces that Project participant, Dr. Kathryn Epps, Associate Dean and Director of the School of Accountancy, was promoted to Full Professor of Accounting at Kennesaw State University. Dr. Epps received her Ph.D. from Georgia State University and is currently serving as the Vice-Chair of the Accounting Accreditation Committee of AACSB-International and Secretary/Treasurer of the American Accounting Association’s Accounting Program Leadership Group (AAA/APLG).

Dr. Epps is one of only 115, female African-American Accounting business school professors in the U.S., most of whom have become professors since The PhD Project was created in 1994. The Project’s vision is to diversify corporate America by increasing the number of minority business professors (African-American, Hispanic-American and Native American), who attract more minority students to study business in college.

“Dr. Epps has succeeded in the very difficult endeavor of being promoted to Full Professor,” said Bernard J. Milano, President of The PhD Project and president of the KPMG Foundation, founder and lead funder of the program. “She has demonstrated dedication, hard work and intelligence in joining the rapidly growing ranks of minorities choosing to influence the next generation of business leaders as college professors. The PhD Project takes great pride in her achievement, and looks forward to following her success throughout her career.” Her work has been published in leading journals including Auditing: A Journal of Practice and Theory, Research in Accounting Regulation, and The CPA Journal .

The PhD Project, a 501(c) (3) organization that the KPMG Foundation founded in 1994, recruits minority professionals from business into doctoral programs in all business disciplines. Since its inception, The PhD Project has been responsible for the increase in the number of minority business professors from 294 to 1,299. Further, 309 minorities are currently enrolled in doctoral programs, and will take a place at the front of the classroom over the next few years. The Project attacks the root cause of minority under-representation in corporate jobs: historically, very few minority college students study business as an entrée to a corporate career. Diversifying the faculty attracts more minorities to study business and better prepares all students to function in a diverse workforce.

Each year, highly qualified professionals who are considering leaving their careers to enter doctoral programs in business are invited to The PhD Project Conference where they hear from deans, professors and current minority doctoral students about the benefits of pursuing a business Ph.D. Conference participants are provided with the tools and resources they need for the application/admission process to doctoral programs. Once they enter a program, every minority business doctoral student in an AACSB accredited U.S. business school becomes a member of one of The Project’s five (accounting, finance, information systems, marketing and management) Doctoral Student Associations (DSAs). Each year, The Project holds a Conference for each of the five DSAs where the doctoral students come together forming a strong support network while receiving important tools to help them navigate their doctoral programs. Dr. Epps was also a recipient of The KPMG Minority Scholarship and is a member of The PhD Project Accounting Doctoral Students Association, first as a student and currently as faculty.

The PhD Project has received ongoing support from its sponsoring companies, participating universities and organizations, and supply alliance members. Its founding organizations in addition to the KPMG Foundation, are the Graduate Management Admission Council, Citi Foundation, AACSB International. The leading corporations, foundations and associations funding it include: 300+ Participating Universities, AICPA Foundation, DiversityInc, Dixon Hughes Goodman LLP, Rockwell Collins, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., American Marketing Association, John Deere Foundation, CIGNA, ADP, Edison International (on behalf of the California State University System), Lincoln Financial Group, Aerotek/ TEKsystems (operating companies of Allegis Group), American Accounting Association, The Hershey Company, Academy of Management, NASBA and OCWEN.

For more information on The PhD Project, visit: http://www.phdproject.org or contact Lisa King at 646-234-5080 or lisak@mediaimpact.biz. Connect with our members at www.MyPhDNetwork.org; Visit us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/thephdproject; Follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/ThePhDProject.