Christopher B. Paisley

Christopher B. Paisley serves as Dean's Executive Professor of Accounting at Santa Clara University's Leavey School of Business, a position held since January 2001 following his retirement as Senior Vice President and CFO of 3Com Corporation. His academic role bridges extensive industry experience with accounting education at one of America's leading business schools.

His educational background includes:

• Master of Business Administration from University of California, Los Angeles
• Bachelor of Economics from University of California, Santa Barbara

Professor Paisley's expertise centers on practical applications of accounting principles within corporate governance frameworks. His research interests focus on financial oversight mechanisms, board committee dynamics, and the intersection of accounting practices with strategic decision-making in technology-driven industries. This perspective is shaped by decades of executive experience scaling organizations from startup to Fortune 500 status.

His professional influence extends through significant board leadership:

• Current Directorships: Ambarella (Audit Chair, Nominating/Governance), Equinix (Lead Independent Director, Audit Chair, Finance/Governance/Real Estate), Fastly (Audit Chair, Nominating/Governance)
• Past Directorships: 3Par, Applied Digital Access, Aspect Telecommunications, Bridge Bank, Brocade, Control 4, Electronics for Imaging, Fitbit, Legato Systems, Persistence Software, Riverstone Networks, Silicon Image (Chairman), Volterra (Chairman), WJ Communications, YuMe

Professor Paisley's career demonstrates a continuous thread from operational finance leadership to academic instruction, with current governance roles reflecting his specialized expertise in audit committee leadership and financial oversight systems. His teaching emphasizes real-world applications of accounting principles through the lens of corporate board experience.