A noted expert on financial accounting and reporting, Thomas Linsmeier served for ten years as a member of the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB), which is responsible for establishing U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP). As a member of the FASB, Professor Linsmeier voted on many accounting standards updates, including the new standards on revenue recognition, leases, and the measurement of credit losses (referred to as CECL).
Professor Linsmeier previously held roles as chair of the Financial Accounting Standards Committee and as academic fellow and special consultant to the Office of the Chief Accountant at the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). He has served as an expert in matters involving segment reporting and the consolidation of Variable Interest Entities (VIE). Professor Linsmeier has also testified about derivatives, risk management, and other financial accounting matters at Congressional hearings.
Professor Linsmeier is a prominent scholar in the areas of accounting for financial instruments, derivatives, and risk management. His research has explored the usefulness to investors of fair value and market risk management disclosures. Professor Linsmeier’s articles have been published in leading journals, including The Accounting Review, the Journal of Accounting Research, and Management Science.
An award-winning educator, Professor Linsmeier previously chaired the Department of Accounting and Information Systems at Michigan State University. He has held professorial appointments at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the University of Iowa.
Professor Linsmeier is also a former president of the Financial Accounting and Reporting section of the American Accounting Association (AAA). The AAA has honored him with its Outstanding Accounting Educator Award.