Professor to be honored at CFO of the Year Awards
UNC Charlotte Accounting Professor L. Howard Godfrey is being honored by the Charlotte business community for his academic leadership and legacy.
Godfrey is receiving the first Academic Leadership Award presented at the Charlotte Business Journal CFO of the Year Awards on July 22.
Godfrey joined the Belk College of Business at UNC Charlotte in 1975. He was the first business faculty member to hold a Ph.D. in accounting, which he received from the University of Alabama, and the first CPA in Charlotte with a doctoral degree. Teaching primarily in the area of federal taxation, Godfrey is a Certified Public Accountant in North Carolina and a member of the American Accounting Association, the American Taxation Association, and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). He is past president of the Charlotte Chapter of Financial Executives International. He is author of Handbook on Tax-Exempt Organizations and has served as an expert witness in a number of legal cases involving accounting and financial matters. He is also a coauthor, with Kenneth W. Godfrey, of Navigating the Complex World of Life Insurance. He and his colleagues lobbied to add a Beta Alpha Psi chapter, coached tax teams that were ranked among the top in the nation and developed a strong industry outreach program that continues to this day.
Godfrey has received multiple awards over the years. In 1994, he received the Accounting Educator Award from the N.C. Association of CPAs. In 2011, he received the Bank of America Award for Teaching Excellence, and in 2012 he received the University of North Carolina Board of Governors Award for Teaching Excellence. This spring, Godfrey received the Distinguished Faculty Award from the UNC Charlotte Alumni Association.
The Charlotte Business Journal recognizes outstanding Chief Financial Officers at the annual CFO of the Year Awards Luncheon. Awards are presented to finance professionals in the Charlotte area who exemplify excellence as corporate financial stewards.
This year’s awards will have another UNC Charlotte connection. Sealed Air’s Senior Vice President & CFO, Carol Lowe, who received her bachelor’s degree in accounting from UNC Charlotte, will deliver the keynote address about the ever-changing role of the CFO and Corporate Responsibility.
Hughlene Burton, chair of the Department of Accounting, said that Godfrey and Lowe are well deserving of the honors. “UNC Charlotte accounting alumni have been recognized during the CFO of the Year awards virtually every year, and Godfrey has been a pivotal figure in many of the nominations. We are especially proud of his honor and the impact of the accounting program in the Charlotte business community and beyond. We are equally proud of the accomplishments of our alumni,” she said.
About the Department of Accounting
The Department of Accounting in the Belk College of Business at UNC Charlotte offers academic programs for students at various stages of their professional accounting careers – from an undergraduate degree in accounting to the master of accountancy degree. Programs provide conceptual and technical knowledge in the accounting and business areas, serving as a foundation for accounting career development. The Belk College’s undergraduate accounting program and master of accountancy program are accredited by AACSB International, which is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and by the Council on Post-Secondary Accreditation as the sole accrediting agency for baccalaureate degree programs in accounting. Graduates are employed in a wide range of professional careers in public practice, industry, financial institutions, government and non-profit organizations.
About the Belk College of Business
The Belk College of Business at UNC Charlotte is North Carolina’s urban research business school. Accredited by AACSB International, the Belk College of Business offers outstanding business education at the undergraduate, master’s and doctoral levels, along with executive education. With more than 3,100 undergraduate students, 700 graduate students, 87 faculty members and more than 26,000 alumni, the Belk College of Business is Charlotte’s leader in business education, research, employable talent and professional development.
About UNC Charlotte
UNC Charlotte is North Carolina’s urban research university. With fall 2014 enrollment of 27,300 students, the University leverages its location in the state’s largest city to offer internationally competitive programs of research and creative activity, exemplary undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs, and a focused set of community engagement initiatives.