Sarah E. Stein

Sarah E. Stein is an Associate Professor and Deloitte Foundation Faculty Fellow in the Department of Accounting and Information Systems at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech). She serves as Director of the Ph.D. Program within the Pamplin College of Business. Her academic journey includes a Ph.D. from the University of Missouri, a B.S. and M.S. in Accounting from Truman State University, and CPA licensure in Colorado. Prior to academia, she worked as an audit manager at Deloitte in Denver.

• Education: Ph.D., University of Missouri; B.S. and M.S., Truman State University; CPA (Colorado)
• Roles: Deloitte Foundation Faculty Fellow, Director of Ph.D. Program

Dr. Stein’s research focuses on auditor expertise, corporate governance, auditing networks, and financial reporting challenges. Her work has been published in top journals like The Accounting Review and Auditing: A Journal of Practice & Theory. She received the 2019 Best Paper Award in Issues in Accounting Education and the 2020 Innovation in Auditing Education Award for her data visualization audit case. Her recent articles (2023–2025) highlight themes such as audit committee responsibilities, CFO-audit partner dynamics, and small accounting firm strategies.

Her teaching includes graduate auditing courses and PhD seminars. Research trends in her articles emphasize audit quality, governance evaluation, and emerging technologies in auditing. She actively contributes to professional standards through commentaries on PCAOB releases.

• Awards: 2019 Best Paper Award, 2020 Innovation Award, Deloitte Doctoral Fellowship

Dr. Stein advises the Ph.D. program and collaborates with industry on audit innovation. Her lab focuses on auditing education and case development, reflecting her commitment to bridging academic research and practical application.