Greenwell Named to Oklahoma Accounting Hall of Fame

November 6, 2020

David Greenwell, Bill and Twylah Horne Professor of Accounting and assistant professor of accounting, was inducted into the Oklahoma Accounting Hall of Fame during the 2020 annual members meeting Sept. 22. Greenwell joined the faculty of the Paul Dickinson College of Business at OBU earlier this year.

Induction into the Oklahoma Accounting Hall of Fame is the highest honor awarded within the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) profession in the state. The state of Oklahoma has issued over 20,000 licenses to CPAs and only 62 inductions into the hall of fame.

Having known and admired many of the previous inductees, Greenwell was surprised and humbled to be selected for such a prestigious award.

In his acceptance speech, Greenwell said, “The selection to the Oklahoma Accounting Hall of Fame is truly a great honor and I am humbled to even be considered.  I have been greatly blessed with my wife, our children and with what I believe is one of the finest careers that anyone could have. That is, being a CPA.”

Greenwell has thoroughly enjoyed his time teaching at OBU. His favorite part of his work is sharing his faith and experiences from the business community with students. By sharing his experience gained from the working world, he provides students with insight and guidance as to what they may expect after graduation.

Greenwell is impressed with his accounting students. When advising about the working world, he emphasizes the excellent qualifications of OBU graduates due to the university’s emphasis on ethics and critical thinking in their curriculum.

“The best advice that I can provide to new graduates,” he said, “is to be true to your faith and trust that God’s providence will put you in the right position to have a successful career.”

Dr. David Houghton, dean of the Dickinson College of Business, is proud of Greenwell’s great achievement.

“For many years, for programs of our size, OBU students have been first in Oklahoma for first-time pass rates on the CPA exam,” he said. “Their success is a direct result of our excellent faculty. Professor Greenwell’s addition to our team this year is making us even stronger.”

Greenwell joined the faculty of the Paul Dickinson College of Business at OBU in summer 2020, as an assistant professor of accounting. Prior to joining OBU, he was a partner with RSM US, LLP, the fifth largest CPA firm nationally and internationally. Greenwell has provided insightful tax and consulting services to clients from a wide range of industries including energy, technology, manufacturing and real estate for more than 40 years. In addition to his tax and consulting experience, he was the financial investigation and disputes leader for RSM in Oklahoma. For more than 20 years, he led forensic investigations and provided expert testimony in numerous federal and state district courts, as well as representation before the Internal Revenue Service Appeals Division.

Greenwell is the former chairman and current board member of the Oklahoma Accountancy Board and has served on several professional committees with the OSCPA and AICPA. He is a former expert resource person for the White Conference on Small Business and served as an instructor for RSM's internal professional training and external events such as the Tax Executive Institute.

Since 2011, he has served on the city council of Oklahoma City, representing Ward 5. He is also a member of the board of directors of the Alliance for Economic Development of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma City Redevelopment Authority, Good Shepherd Ministries and the Oklahoma City Museum of Art.

Greenwell is the 1992 OSCPA Public Service Award winner, a 2011 Distinguished CPA Award winner and a South Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce Citizen of the Year award winner. Additionally, he is an inductee in the Oklahoma City Community College Hall of Fame and Capitol Hill High School’s Hall of Fame.

The OSCPA is the only statewide professional organization for Oklahoma CPAs. Formed in 1918 with a charter membership of 31, they unite over 6,000 CPAs in public practice, private industry, government and education.