Mary Léa McAnally

Biography

Mary Lea McAnally is a Professor of Accounting at Mays Business School Texas A&M University. She served as Director of Innovation and Strategic Planning from 2015 till 2017. Before that (from 2011 till 2015) she served as Associate Dean for Graduate Programs. Dr. McAnally earned her Ph.D. from Stanford University and B. Comm. from the University of Alberta. She worked as a Chartered Accountant (in Canada) and is a Certified Internal Auditor. Prior to arriving at Texas A&M in 2002, Professor McAnally held positions at University of Texas at Austin, Canadian National Railways, and Dunwoody and Company.

Her research interests include accounting and disclosure in regulated environments, executive compensation, and accounting for risk. She has published articles in the leading academic journals including Journal of Accounting and Economics, Journal of Accounting Research, The Accounting Review, Review of Accounting Studies and Contemporary Accounting Research. Professor McAnally received a Mays Business School Research Achievement Award in 2005.

At Texas A&M, Professor McAnally teaches financial reporting in Mays Full-time, Professional, and Executive MBA programs and in the MS Business program. Through the Center for Executive Development, she works with corporate clients across the U.S. She has taught at the Indian School of Business in Hyderabad and Mohali since 2010. She has received numerous faculty-determined and student-initiated teaching awards. Professor McAnally co-authors three textbooks that are widely used in MBA and executive programs in the U.S., Canada, Europe, and Asia.

Professor McAnally is a Certified Appreciative Inquiry Facilitator who implements the S.O.A.R. framework to assist academic units craft strategic plans and implement organizational change. She currently serves as the Faculty Development Fellow at A&M’s Office of the Dean of Faculties where she hosts professional development seminars in “Best Practices For Strategic Planning in Academic Departments.”