Degrees

PhD, Deakin University (Australia)
M.B.A., Minnesota State University, Mankato
B.S., Minnesota State University, Mankato; Postgraduate Diploma, Nanyang Technological University (Singapore); BMed, Xiamen University (China)

Short Bio

Dr Lee J. Yao is currently full Professor and Chair of Accounting, Economics, Finance and Decision Sciences. He holds the Rev J.A. Butt Distinguished Professorship in Accounting, and the prestigious Marquette Faculty Fellowship at Loyola University New Orleans, USA. He serves on the University Senate, the Facilities Planning Group and many other committees both at the College and University levels. He finished his undergraduate and graduate education from Minnesota State University, USA in early 80s and obtained his PhD from Deakin University in Australia in the early 90s, followed by postdoctoral study at the UCLA, USA. He obtained his Chinese medicine/acupuncture credentials from Xiamen University in China and his higher education teaching credential from Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. He is a CPA, an Australian and English Chartered Accountant, a Chartered and Certified Management Accountant, a Certified Fraud Examiner and a Chartered IT Professional. He is a Major of the Civil Air Patrol, United State Air Force Auxiliary, and serves on its many fundraising activities. He holds a private pilot license and a private investigator license. He holds professional interpreting credentials and holds professional coaching credentials in scuba diving and soccer.

Dr Yao has extensive senior management experience with multinational organizations, including Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Commonwealth Bank of Australia and Arthur Andersen & Co. in accounting and information systems in Australia, USA, UK, and Singapore for more than twenty years before joining the academia. He was trained in computerized information systems, business services, compliance, international financial management, operations strategies and accounting. His business professional work experience spanned the domains of consultancy, accounting, taxation, auditing, information systems consultancy, litigation/forensic accounting and business services to multinational and SME clients. His specialties skills include, with particular strengths on, international and cross-borders business, listing preparation, change management, program management, organizational development, data strategy/integration, value analysis/methodology, cost management, business improvement modeling, business process design/reengineering, operations improvement, benchmarking, performance metrics, litigation, investigation and forensic accounting. He was the youngest Partner (by age) at Arthur Andersen & Co in its litigation/forensic area in the 90s. For the last eight years since he joined the academe, he first worked as Associate Professor of Accounting at the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. Then he was Associate Dean (Research) for the School of Business and Technology at La Trobe University in Australia. Before joining Loyola University New Orleans, he was Associate Professor of Accounting at Monash University. Monash University is the largest university in Australia, and is among the top 100 best universities in the world based on the U.S. News and World Report 2008 study.

He has published widely on issues in accounting and information systems that resulted in three books in Accounting and Information Systems, more than 20 articles in international referred journals, more than 50 papers presented at major referred international conferences and more than 100 other non-refereed publications. His published articles appear in the Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, International Review of Economics and Finance, Advances in Behavioral Accounting Research, Journal of Contemporary Accounting and Economics, Journal of Computer Information Systems, Review of Business Information Systems, Journal of Systems Management, Journal of Forensic Accounting, International Journal of Accounting and Information Management, Journal of Applied Management Accounting Research and Information Systems Control Journal, among others, and he regularly presented papers in the most respectable major conferences including AAA Annual Meetings, AAA ABO conferences, AAA-IS mid-year conferences, DSI Annual Conferences and AFAANZ conferences etc., among others. He was the recipient of an Innovative Teaching (Teaching Excellence) Award from La Trobe University in 2004. Dr Yao is Honorary Professor of the Business School at King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals in Saudi Arabia, one of the most prestigious universities in the Middle East. He is the recipient of the 2008 Best Reviewer Award from the Emerald Literati Network, UK. He has been appointed the editor-in-chief of the very prestigious International Journal of Accounting and Information Management published by Emerald Publishing Group since 2007. He has successfully obtained national and institutional competitive research grants for more than half a million US dollars.
 

Courses Taught

• Accounting Information Systems
• Strategic Cost Management
• Managerial Accounting Information for Decision Making
• Management Control and Decision Making
• International Accounting