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Kate Lancaster

Kate Lancaster

Accounting Associate Professor

E-mail: klancast@calpoly.edu
Phone: (805) 756-2922
Fax: (805) 756-1473
Website: http://www.calpoly.edu/~klancast/

Office: 03-321

Education and Personal Certification

  • Ph D, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas
  • MS, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado
  • BS, Fort Lewis College, Durango, Colorado
  • Colorado Certified Public Accountant, since 1992

Additional College/University Experience

  • Bainbridge Graduate Institute (Washington)
  • Texas A&M University (Texas)
  • Blinn Community College (Texas)
  • Colorado State University (Colorado)
  • Fort Lewis College (Colorado)

Work Experience

  • Accountant/Controller for several small businesses, Durango, Colorado
  • Purgatory/Durango Ski Resort, Durango, Colorado – accounting, software development, retail/rental shop manager, ski instructor

Current Research Interests

  • Sustainable Business Practices
  • Management Change - Leading a sustainable organization
  • Accounting – decision making and reporting on triple bottom line performance
  • Systems Thinking

Selected Publications

  • Accounting for the Business of Sustainability (vol. 2 of 10). Encyclopedia of Sustainability with Cerf, D. and A. Savage (2009)
  • Using a Movie to Study the COSO Internal Control Framework: An Instructional Case. Journal of Information Systems, American Accounting Association, 65, 63-76 with A. Savage and C. Strand-Norman (2008)
  • Child Care Considerations at the Skinny Raven Casino. Olympia, Washington: The Enduring Legacies Native Cases Project, Evergreen College with D. Gawlick, C.P.M., and member of the Faculty Academy, Bainbridge Graduate Institute, WA and L. Lovett, Sustainability Supervisor, City of Corvallis, OR (2007)
  • Think before for a better after.  Association of College Unions International, The Bulletin, 4th ed., vol. 71, pp. pp. 14-18 with Cal Poly students B. Disken and K. Mullen (2003)
  • Creating effective teams in a classroom environment. Journal of Business and Behavioral Sciences, 10(2), pp 46-54 with C. Crother (2003)
  • Making Better Use of Information: Aiming Towards 'True North'. International Journal of Management and Decision Making, 4(4), pp. 367-381 with W. Bellows, Rocketdyne, (2003)
  • An Evaluation of the Usefulness of Web-based Financial and Environmental Performance Information Provided by Oil and Gas Companies. Oil, Gas, and Energy Quarterly, 50(3), pp. 591-606 with J. Carr (2002)
  • Evidence on the Effectiveness of Using Tax Credits to Promote Energy Conservation. Oil, Gas, and Energy Quarterly, 50(2), 339-367 with J. Robinson and M. Kinney (2001)
  • Process Mapping and Scripting in the AIS Curriculum. Accounting Educator's Journal, 10(3), pp. 263-278 with R. Jones (2001)
  • Using the Team Learning Model in a Managerial Accounting Class: An Experiment in Cooperative Learning. Issues in Accounting Education, 16(4), pp. 550-567 with C. Strand (2001)
  • Stewardship. San Luis Obispo, CA: Cal Poly Land: A Field Guide edited by Steven Marx (2002)

Courses Taught

  • Financial and Managerial Accounting (masters- and undergraduate-level)
  • Advanced Managerial Accounting
  • Sustainable Business Practices
  • Appropriate Technology
  • Global Environment
  • Spreadsheet Modeling and Decision Analysis

Many of the above courses have been team taught

Sustainability and Student Projects

  • Senior Project:  Keeping Live Oak Music Festival Green
  • Senior Project: Felicity Farms, a sustainable gardening after-school children’s program
  • Senior Project: 2005 Earth Day Festival
  • Senior Project:  Campus Recycling Campaign
  • Senior Project:  Balanced Scorecard for the College of Business
  • Course Projects:  Nearly 15 team projects have contributed to incorporating sustainability into educational experiences and greening businesses

Selected Speaking Events

All were customized to the particular audience.

  • Keynote speaker for the National Society of Collegiate Scholars Induction Ceremony
  • 1 hour introductory module on the business case for Sustainability in various classes.
  • Focus the Nation, 2008 and 2009
  • Sustainability, The Business Case, Career Opportunities and Personal Change, presented to the BUS 100 students.
  • Sustainable Business presentations made to Honors 100, Honors 200 students, and students in the Fremont Dorm.
  • Panel discussant with Darrell Brown (Portland State University) and Jane Cote (University Washington) on ways to include sustainability in MBA accounting courses
  • Cal Society, CPAs Student Night

Selected Continuing Education Courses

  • Personal Learning Skills – 2 ½ day workshop, 2008
  • Ultimate Facilitation Skills – 2 day workshop, 2009
  • Transition Town – 2 day workshop, 2009
  • Natural Step – ½ day, 2007
  • Permaculture ½ day workshop 2008
  • Numerous sessions at AAA meetings

Service

 

University

  • Academic Senate Sustainability Committee (Chair)
  • WASC Reaccreditation, Our Polytechnic Identity
  • CAFES Center for Sustainability Faculty/Staff Steering Committee
  • Co-planner for Sustainability by Design Charrette.  80 people attended the day-long event.
  • Steering Committee for Economic and Social Track and co-planner for the student convergence for the UC/CSU/CCC Conference “Putting Sustainability to Work”
  • Resource Use Committee

College

  • Ethics Task Force (Chair)
  • Graduate Programs Committee
  • College Sexual Harassment Advisor
  • Team OCOB (Chair)
  • Accounting Curriculum Committee
  • College Advisor for Environmental Studies Minor

Student:

  • Faculty Advisor for Net Impact, one of 20 undergraduate programs in the Country
  • Faculty Advisor for SIFE (Students in Free Enterprise)
  • Cal Poly Accounting Club (2000-2004)
  • Steering Committee Member for Focus the Nation

Community

  • Puppy Raiser for Guide Dogs of America (4 of my puppies are working dogs)
  • Co-leader for a day-long session on sustainability for Leadership SLO (2008 and 2009)
  • Committee member for San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce Sustainability and Resource Committee (2007 to present)
  • Board Member, American Accounting Association Western Region (4 years)
  • Board Member SLO Toastmasters (4 years)
  • Audit Committee Member Monterey Institute of Technology and Education (2 years)
  • Treasurer for DeMeritt for Council and Mayor Campaigns

Honors

  • Nominated for Agents of Change Faculty Award, Empower Poly Coalition
  • Nominated for Living Learning Program Faculty of the Year Award, Cal Poly University Housing
  • Emeritus Faculty Award, Cal Poly
  • CFA Distinguished Educator Award
  • Outstanding Teaching Award, Ernst & Young, LLP
  • KPMG Faculty Attendance Program
  • Boeing Welliver Fellow; Doctoral Consortium Fellow
  • Western Region American Accounting Association, Best Doctoral Student Paper