Accounting Educators Conference

Senior Director of American Accounting Association

Markus Ahrens, PhD, CPA, CGMA, FMAA is the Senior Director of the Global Center for Advancing Accounting Education at the American Accounting Association (AAA). Prior to this role, he was a Professor of Accounting and Finance and served as District Department Chair for the Accounting, Business & Economics Department at St. Louis Community College. He also brings professional experience from the accounting and finance industries. Markus is a licensed Certified Public Accountant, Chartered Global Management Accountant, and a Financial and Managerial Accounting Associate.

Markus has received numerous national and state awards for his teaching and innovation, including the 2025 Faculty Lecture Award at St. Louis Community College. He was honored with the 2019 Innovation in Accounting Education Award from the AAA and EY, and the prestigious 2016 AAA/J. Michael and Mary Anne Cook/Deloitte Foundation Prize, which is the foremost recognition of an individual who consistently demonstrates the attributes of a superior teacher in the discipline of accounting. Markus has also received the AICPA Bea Sanders Innovation Award (2018, 2013) for teaching introductory accounting courses, the 2018 Missouri Society of CPAs Outstanding Educator of the Year Award, and the 2017 Educator of the Year Award from the AAA’s TYC Section.

Stephanie F. Watson, Ph.D., CPA, has been on the faculty of the University of Central Arkansas Accounting Department since 2003. She currently serves as the department's chairperson. Stephanie has taught Accounting Information Systems, Cost Accounting, Principles of Accounting, and Accounting Case Studies. Stephanie is also involved in Curriculum and Assessment, has co-authored a textbook, and has been published in the Journal of Accounting Education, The CPA Journal, and Oil, Gas, and Energy Quarterly, among others. Stephanie has been honored with the ASCPA Distinguished Achievement in Accounting Education, Outstanding Beta Alpha Psi Advisor, and service and teaching awards from UCA's College of Business. She received a B.S., M.S., and Ph.D., all in accounting from Louisiana State University. Prior to graduate school, Stephanie worked in corporate accounting for seven years.

Dr. Louisa Moseley holds a B.S. in Political Science from the University of Central Arkansas, an M.B.A. in Healthcare Administration from Harding University, and a Ph.D. in Business Administration with a concentration in Organizational Leadership from Northcentral University. She also earned an Accounting Technical Certificate in 2023, further strengthening her expertise in business and accounting education. Since joining UCA in 2012, Louisa has served in a variety of roles, including adjunct instructor in Accounting, academic advisor, and transfer coordinator. She currently serves as the Director of Student Experience for the College of Business and as the Academic Coordinator for BUILD@Carmichael, the College of Business freshman Living Learning Community. In these roles, she is deeply committed to enhancing student engagement, fostering professional development, and creating meaningful experiential learning opportunities. Louisa has led multiple student focus groups in collaboration with the Arkansas Center for Research in Economics and is passionate about helping students become connected, confident, and career ready. Her dedication to student success and community engagement has earned her recognition as Woman of the Year by Conway Business and Professional Women in 2018 and Faculty Associate of the Year in May 2025.