Getting to Know GASB Senior Research Manager Tammy Waymire

Tammy Waymire joined the #GASB as Senior Research Manager earlier this year. Recently, she sat down with the #FAF Editorial Team to talk about her background, her new role, some of the key areas she’ll be focusing on, and what she likes to do when she’s not researching governmental accounting.

FAF: You’re recognized for your teaching and research in the governmental and nonprofit accounting areas – will you tell us a little bit about your background?

TW: I entered the accounting profession as an auditor of governmental and nonprofit entities, and later worked in state government as a Medicaid fraud auditor/expert witness and then a public utility rate analyst. I had always wanted to be a teacher, and I answered that call in 2005 when I entered the PhD program at the University of Arkansas (go Hogs!). I served on the faculty at Northern Illinois University (NIU) from 2008 to 2017 (go Huskies!), and then served on the faculty at Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) from 2017 to 2023 (go Blue Raiders!).

FAF: What did that work focus on?

TW: Almost the entirety of my work as a faculty member at both institutions was concentrated on topics in the governmental and nonprofit (GNP) areas. I researched GNP accounting and auditing topics and very much enjoyed sharing my passion for GNP accounting with students, some of whom have chosen governmental accounting careers themselves. I also enjoyed interacting with standard setters, including a four-year term on the FASB’s Not-for-Profit Advisory Committee (NAC), and engaging with the profession, having collaborated with staff at the State of Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), and other professional organizations.

FAF: What attracted you to joining the GASB staff?

TW: At the time I embarked on an academic career, I never envisioned having an opportunity like this one. I thought I’d always be a professor, and for a long time in that role, my interest in standard setting was mostly reactive, i.e., I studied standards after they were issued to inform my teaching and research. However, my experiences on the NAC and engaging with the GASB through service with the GNP Section of the American Accounting Association led me to shift my focus to the process for setting standards, how a topic made it onto the technical agenda and how the topic was deliberated. As a result, this opportunity was very appealing to me. Ultimately, the greatest draw was the opportunity to work on a team of highly capable individuals, all with a public service mindset, doing the important work of setting financial reporting standards for state and local governments. I am having the best time exploring intellectually stimulating questions with my colleagues at the GASB, FASB, and FAF, and I am also enjoying engaging with our stakeholder groups, including academics and professional organizations.

FAF: What does your role entail?

TW: In this role, I lead the research efforts for the GASB, and that includes designing and helping execute research that we conduct internally to inform our standard-setting efforts. Equally important, my role involves engaging with the academic community to encourage and facilitate work they do that helps us in setting financial reporting standards.

FAF: Will you talk about a couple of the key areas you are focused on?

TW: One key area I am focused on is our post-implementation review (PIR). Currently, we have five PIR projects to examine whether standards we have issued related to pensions, other postemployment benefits (OPEBs), leases, fiduciary activities, and fair value met their objectives in a cost-effective manner. In addition to these PIR projects and supporting research for our other technical agenda items, I am participating in our electronic financial reporting (EFR) monitoring efforts which have increased following the passage of the Financial Data Transparency Act (FDTA) in 2022. As part of these efforts, I am leading a research effort to better understand the degree to which state and local governments and other entities for which GASB standards are applicable (e.g., colleges and universities) are required or elect to follow GAAP.

FAF: Are there opportunities for the GASB to leverage technology to help evolve the way it conducts research?

TW: Just as preparers of state and local government financial reports are navigating technological improvements to help them in their mission, we too are evaluating the technologies available to allow us to better conduct research. We use a wide range of methodologies in supporting our standard setting efforts, including hand-collected archival data, surveys, roundtables, and other qualitative approaches. We are working to improve the collection, storage, and retrieval of the data from all these methods in order to facilitate more effective and efficient research.

FAF: What do you like to do when you’re not moving governmental research forward?

TW: My husband, Dennis, and I like to travel and visit friends and family in different parts of the country including northern Illinois where our oldest son, Samuel, lives. We just recently moved with our younger two sons, David and Jonathan, to Connecticut from Tennessee, and we are all enjoying this opportunity to explore this part of the country and hope to attend some Broadway shows and concerts. I am an avid reader of both fiction and nonfiction, having recently read a lot of historical fiction, and I enjoy walking and biking.

For more information on the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB), visit www.gasb.org

New Podcast Series

GASB is launching a new podcast series in July 2023 that focuses on key issues in governmental accounting and financial reporting.

The first episode will feature a Q&A with GASB Chair Joel Black on the Financial Data Transparency Act.

Be sure to follow #GASB on LinkedIn for updates on how to subscribe and tune in to Bridging the GAAP.