Fisher's Department of Accounting and Management Information Systems (AMIS) has a strong history of preparing PhD students for careers in academia. With its collaborative environment led by dedicated faculty members who are productive researchers, the program prepares today's talented PhD students — students such as Hailey Ballew — to be tomorrow’s thought leaders.

Ballew, a third-year PhD student at Fisher, was recently named a recipient of a prestigious Doctoral Fellowship in Accounting by the Deloitte Foundation. The award is given to students who plan to pursue careers in academia following graduation. The $25,000 fellowship will allow Ballew to maintain her focus on her research during a critical phase of her PhD studies.

“Hailey’s selection as a 2017 Deloitte Foundation Doctoral Fellow speaks to her hard work as a student and her great potential as a future accounting faculty member,” said Brian Mittendorf, chair of Fisher’s Department of Accounting and MIS program. “The extremely selective nature of the fellowship not only highlights Hailey’s impressive character but also points to the rigorous and holistic PhD education offered at Fisher.”

Each year, the fellowship is awarded to a select group of PhD students from more than 100 PhD-granting institutions across the U.S., with just 10 students nationwide named Deloitte Foundation Fellows in 2017.

Ballew, who holds the CPA designation, previously worked at Ernst & Young LLP as an auditor. She also has private accounting experience working as a financial reporting and tax manager at Lockton Companies. Ballew said she’s honored to have received the award and to be included among the group of current and past recipients.

"As a PhD student, there is a lot of uncertainty and constructive criticism, and it was great to receive this positive reinforcement, particularly from members of the accounting profession," Ballew said. "When I was told that I was selected because the Deloitte Foundation Board was impressed with my progress, it was additional affirmation that I might be on the right track."

A native of Springfield, Missouri, Ballew joins other recent Fisher honorees Allison Nicoletti (2014), Bret Adam Johnson (2013) and Michael Iselin (2012) in receiving the Deloitte Fellowship in recent years.

"With her focus on auditing issues, Hailey’s research is extremely relevant for today’s firms," said Darren Roulstone, PhD program director at Fisher. "Additionally, Hailey is very mature and has a background in public accounting, and she brings that high level of focus to her work here at Fisher. She's also very hard working and is a leader among her peers."

Ballew, whose research focuses on the financial services industry with an emphasis on banking and broker-dealer firms, said it's important for her academic research to be grounded in issues that are important to practitioners.

“Upon receiving the award, I was contacted by several Deloitte partners in the area offering to meet with me any time to provide institutional support and guidance in my research," Ballew said. "The potential to gain additional contacts within the accounting profession — within Deloitte in particular — will be a valuable supplement to my research."