A Brief Biography of James F. Gaertner

James F. Gaertner

A native Texan, Gaertner began his career on the audit staff of KPMG Peat Marwick in Houston, and then served as controller for the Tex Tan Welhausen Division of the Tandy Corporation, from 1968 to 1973. He has been on the board of directors of Tandy Brands Accessories , Inc. since 1990, and in 1997 was elected chairman of the board.

He earned his doctorate at Texas A&M University in 1977 and taught there from September 1973 to August 1976. He also completed the Harvard University Management Development Program in 1989.

His teaching fields have included managerial accounting, financial accounting, international accounting and budgeting, with specialized areas including business ethics and corporate governance.

Throughout his career he has found his Tandy Corporation involvement and his duties as a university professor and administrator to be mutually beneficial. In November, 1999, Forbes magazine listed Tandy Brands as one of the 200 best small companies in the United States.

After earning his doctorate, Gaertner spent seven years as an assistant and associate professor at the University of Notre Dame, including a year as director of the Notre Dame London MBA program.

He returned to Texas to become professor and director of the Division of Accounting and Information Systems at the University of Texas at San Antonio. He served as dean of the UTSA College of Business beginning in 1987, and as interim provost and vice president for academic affairs in 1992.

His publications include more than 35 articles, books, book reviews and refereed presentations. He has given more than 100 lectures in the United States, England, China, Canada and Mexico and presented executive education courses on various topics including Use of Financial Data in Decision Making, Zero-Based Budgeting, and CPA Review.

He has also been active in community and professional service, including serving as chairman of the board of Business Careers High School in San Antonio for two terms, on the executive committee of the board of directors of Junior Achievement of South Texas for three terms, and as a Junior Achievement fifth grade classroom volunteer for five years.

He served as president of the Southwestern Business Deans Association in 1994-'95, was editor of The Academy of Accounting Historians monograph series from 1981-'86, was a witness before the United States Senate Judiciary Committee hearings on copyright legislation in 1984, and was a Coopers & Lybrand Research Fellow at the University of Notre Dame in 1978-'79.

Gaertner's wife, Nancy, an award-winning elementary school teacher, is also a Sam Houston State University alum. They have a son who is a medical doctor in Hawaii, a daughter who is a dental technician and a daughter attending the University of Texas at San Antonio.

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SHSU Media Contact:Frank Krystyniak
August 27, 2001
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