CPA shares experiences with students at Ketner School of Business

Jeff McGowanjeff mcgowan

Trine University - Ketner School of Business
B.S.B.A., M.B.A. - University of Notre Dame 
260-665-4176  |  email

Prior to joining Trine University in 2016, I practiced as a Tax CPA in the public accounting arena for over 30 years.  During that time span, I held positions at three levels of public accounting firms: Big 4 - Ernst & Young (Chicago), Regional - Crowe Horvath (South Bend), and finally at a large local firm, Kruggel Lawton CPAs (South Bend), where I served as a Tax Partner for over 17 years until my retirement in June 2016.

I made the leap into full-time academia in a quest to mix my “real-world” public accounting experience into the classroom environment. I desire to show business students how being a tax/accounting professional can lead to a challenging, innovative and rewarding career.

I teach Accounting and Tax classes, including advanced Tax Classes in Trine's M.B.A. program.  I have also developed a class in which students prepare tax returns for low-income clients at an IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) site.

I am married to my high school sweetheart, Jan, and we have three grown children: Paul, Kate and Jeff. Outside interests include reading and visiting American History sites, including many visits to the Lewis & Clark trail and several Civil War battlefields, and long vacation car travels (primarily out West and Canada). Born and raised in a northern Chicago suburb, I remain an avid Chicago Bears and Chicago Cubs fan. My wife and I reside in Angola, Indiana.