Women’s History Month is coming to a close, but the accolades keep rolling in for Maryland accounting and finance leaders.

The latest honoree is Dr. Jan Williams. An associate professor of accounting at the University of Baltimore’s Merrick School of Business, Dr. Williams is one of 17 University System of Maryland faculty members to be named winners of the 2022 USM Regents’ Faculty Awards.

“I have always viewed public service as an honor, privilege, and duty,” Dr. Williams said. “As a child, my parents instilled in me the importance of volunteering and giving back to the community. So, it was an honor to have been nominated and to have received this system-wide award.”

The awards are the highest honor presented by the Board of Regents to exemplary faculty members. They honor excellence in teaching; mentoring; public service; research, scholarship, or creative activity; and innovation.

USM Chancellor Jay Perman and Board of Regents Chair Linda Gooden will recognize the winners on April 29 at Towson University.

“The bedrock of the University System’s quality, its prominence, its power to transform lives and change the world is, quite simply, our faculty,” said Perman. “It’s a privilege to be able to honor them and celebrate what they make possible every day — possible for each individual student and for the body of scholarship that advances our progress and deepens our humanity.”

One of four recipients of the Maryland Association of CPAs’ 2015 Women To Watch Awards, Dr. Williams was recognized by the Board of Regents with these words:

• Dr. Williams works on multiple levels to promote excellence in accounting education, improve standards and policies, and diversify the profession. At the national level, from 2017-18 she served as president of the Mid-Atlantic region of the American Accounting Association. On the national level, she is serving as incoming chair of the Academic Executive Committee of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. In Maryland, she served on Governor Hogan’s Maryland Board of Public Accountancy and was a founding member of the Maryland Association of CPA’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Task Force. At UBalt, Dr. Williams directs the Accounting Honors program, serves as faculty advisor to the Beta Alpha Psi Honor Society, and established a chapter of the National Association of Black Accountants. Given that only 2% of U.S.-based certified accounting professional are Black, her advocacy, commitment, and leadership are critical.

“Serving in leadership positions and on committees with organizations, such as the Maryland Board of Public Accountancy, the American Institute of CPAs, the American Accounting Association, and the MACPA, have provided me the opportunity to contribute to the profession and society,” Dr. Williams said. “Even more so, it has been a privilege to do so while working with exceptional educators and professionals.”

Her work has focused not only on the future of the profession, but on a passion for public service — and for instilling that passion in her students’ work as well.

“Accounting is the best profession,” Dr. Williams said. “Of course, as a CPA, I may be somewhat bias. However, every business needs accounting professionals. While I am passionate about preparing University of Baltimore students for their careers, I also enjoy speaking to high school students and making them aware of our dynamic profession.

“Public service is vital to society, so I always look for opportunities to include my service in classroom discussions,” she added. “After the award was announced, it was especially exciting to receive congratulatory emails and LinkedIn comments from current and former students. Perhaps, my greatest service to the public is striving to instill a life of public service in my students. I hope this award further reflects the duty we all have to try to make the world a better place.”

Each award carries a $2,000 prize provided by the institutions and the University System of Maryland Foundation.