Spring 2008 issue of Terry Magazine - (Page 31)

on CNBC and other business shows as their expert in accounting and auditing.” Peter Shedd appreciates the fact that whenever Beresford is called upon to give his expert opinion to media, he stresses his connection to the Terry College of Business: “It’s almost like he says, ‘Okay, New York Times reporter, I’ll talk to you. Okay, Wall Street Journal reporter, I’ll talk to you. But make sure you get this right — it’s Denny Beresford, Terry College of Business, University of Georgia.’ We gain a tremendous amount from his association with us.” Tull School Director Ben Ayers marvels at Beresford’s ability to manage it all at such a high level. “To be involved with all he’s been involved with, whether it is teaching classes here, or the Atlanta CFO Roundtable, the Directors’ College, or his work with boards of directors — he’s in town, out of town, traveling non-stop, speaking engagements, interviews with the press — Denny has the energy equivalent of multiple people,” says Ayers. “He does a ton of stuff. Anything related to his responsibilities on campus, he gets it done and it’s outstanding on any task that he’s involved in. And the same person who has been chairman of the FASB, a partner with Ernst & Young, on boards of directors, serving on the SEC task force on improvements to financial reporting . . . that same person writes our accounting school newsletter.” Ayers drums his fingers on his desk, laughs, and shakes his head in disbelief. “If I could clone him, I would.” A final tribute comes from Al Hazard, who sees Beresford as the ultimate role model for the next generation of accountants. Terry College of (Top row, from left) Beresford, at right in each of the first two photos, was a rising star in Ernst & Young’s Los Angeles office when he was named chief technical partner for the firm’s national office in Cleveland — where he and wife Marian raised their children, Beth and Craig, and also became life-long fans of golden retrievers. As his children grew, so did Beresford’s prominence in the accounting profession. (Bottom row, from left) That’s Beresford in front of Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium, where he spoke at the annual conference of the Institute of Management Accountants. Beresford accepted the 1986 Beta Alpha Psi Accountant of The Year Award from Doug Ivester (BBA ’69) of Coca-Cola. Beresford posed with former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan during a 2007 Deloitte & Touche audit committee conference where they were both guest speakers. Greenspan was one of many notable decision makers with whom Beresford associated during his two terms as chair of FASB. Never one to blow his own horn, Beresford’s family was sometimes the last to hear of his accomplishments. His daughter wasn’t aware of his 2006 appointment to the board of Fannie Mae until she read the Christmas letter that Marian wrote to family and friends. “I meet a lot of professors, and if my kids ever wanted to go into accounting I would certainly be pushing them Terry’s way,” says Hazard. “Not only because of the credentials Denny has, but also because of his approach — and because he is a good human being. “The school is very fortunate to have him in the role that he’s in. The problem is that the kids coming out of high school who want to go into the accounting profession don’t have a clue. They just don’t understand that resource that you have there. They just see some nice, gray-haired man who could be their grandfather. They don’t understand the significance of Denny. They may never understand it until years later when they’re out of school. What would happen if you had Bono or Paul McCartney as director of your music department? That’s what you’ve got in Denny Beresford.” ■ Spring 2008 • 31 BuSineSS

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Terry School of Business - Spring 2008

Terry School of Business - Spring 2008 Contents Quick Bites Research & Innovation Gatherings Best CEO in America An Unlikely Rock Star Fire & Flavor Beyond the Bench Terry Memo Economic Scorekeeper Class Notes

Terry School of Business - Spring 2008

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