Alesha Graves, D.B.A.

Dean, Dayton School of Business
Associate Professor of Accounting

Department: Accounting & Finance

Office: Shaw Collaborative Learning Center 147

Biographical Information

Alesha is the Dean of the Dayton School of Business. Prior to coming to Asbury University, she taught accounting courses at the University of Cincinnati Blue Ash College and at Mount St. Joseph University (Cincinnati). Before teaching, she held various professional positions in public accounting, working for the firms Crowe Horwath, Dean Dorton, and Barr Anderson Roberts, specializing in the tax-exempt/nonprofit and construction contracting industries and working with closely held businesses. Alesha also worked as a financial controller for a large church in Lexington.

Alesha lives in Lexington with her husband Kevin, daughter Kelly, and their dog Scout. In her free time, she enjoys reading, watching good movies, and learning how to cook what she calls “happy belly food.”

Education

Doctor of Business Administration, concentration in Accounting; George Fox University (Newberg, OR)
- Dissertation: “Predicting the Financial Vulnerability of U.S. Public Charities: A Test of the Tuckman-Chang Model”
Master of Science in Accounting; University of Connecticut
- Recipient of MSA Scholarship
Bachelor of Science; Georgetown College (Georgetown, KY)
- Major: Accounting Minor: Religion
Certified Public Accountant, Kentucky

Academic Appointments

Asbury University
- Dean of the Dayton School of Business, July 2022-Present
- Associate Professor of Accounting, July 2022-Present
- Interim Associate Dean of the Dayton School of Business, November 2021-June 2022
- Assistant Professor Accounting, July 2016-June 2022
- Adjunct Instructor, August 2013-May 2016
University of Cincinnati Blue Ash College
- Assistant Professor of Accounting, August 2015-June 2016
Mount St. Joseph University
- Visiting Instructor, August 2014-May 2015

Awards

Bea Sanders/AICPA 2020 Teaching Innovation Award

Presentations

“The Cookie Company Project”
- Conference on Teaching and Learning in Accounting. Virtual, 2021.
“Using a Modified Version of the Monopoly(R) Board Game in an Introductory Financial Accounting Course”
- Conference on Teaching and Learning in Accounting and the American Accounting Association Annual Meeting, August 2016

Professional Affiliations

American Institute of Certified Public Accountants
Christian Business Faculty Association
American Accounting Association
Kentucky Society of Certified Public Accountants, past member

Professional Experience

Barr Anderson Roberts, PSC, Lexington, KY (since merged with Dean Dorton, PLLC)
- Tax Preparer and Accountant, January 2013-May 2014
Lexington City Church (formerly Quest Community Church), Lexington, KY
- Controller, December 2008-June 2012
Graves & Associates, PLLC, Lexington, KY
- Owner and Founder, November 2005-May 2009
Dean Dorton, PLLC, Lexington, KY
- Supervisor, Assurance Services Group, June 2003-October 2005
Crowe Horwath, LLP, Lexington, KY
- Senior Staff, Commercial Services Group, September 1999-April 2003