Kim Westermann

I received my undergraduate degree from Cal Poly, SLO in 2000 with a major in accounting and minor in speech communication. I was an auditor for EY in San Jose from 2000-2002. A mid-20s crisis prompted a move to New York City in 2002 where I worked for PwC as both an auditor and instructional faculty. During my audit tenure, I worked on a variety of technology and entertainment clients including AMD, the U.S. Tennis Association, and Major League Baseball.

In 2006 I was part of the inaugural cohort of Bentley University’s Ph.D. program. After completing my comprehensive exams, I spent 6 months in Sydney Australia as a visiting scholar at UNSW, before returning to my dissertation in 2009. After 5 years in my doctoral program, I accepted my first position as an assistant professor of Accounting at Florida International University in Miami. I met Matt, my (now) husband, in 2013 and we returned to my alma mater in California in 2015 to be closer to family. 

Matt is a professor of Economics and studies International Trade. We have an 11-year old daughter named Emma who loves rock climbing and slime. Completing the family is our sweet labradoodle, Brownie. For the academic year 2022-23, we took a glorious one-year sabbatical to Boulder, Colorado. In addition to working on my research and meeting the Colorado academic network, I joined a women’s ski program, danced salsa, read with a monthly book club, and became an intermediate Spanish speaker.

In my free time, I enjoy learning Spanish, dancing salsa, reading, and listening to a wide variety of podcasts.

Education

• Ph.D. Accountancy, Bentley University, 2011
• B.S. Accountancy, Cal Poly State University, 2000