Michael Kraten

- Director of Accounting Program Initiatives

Michael Kraten

Bio

I am the Director of Accounting Program Initiatives at the University of Houston, where I design and teach Sustainability / ESG content. In this role, I also design and support programs that address the "pipeline" challenge of attracting students to the Accounting profession. I began my career in the assurance and consulting practices of Deloitte. After serving as a Consulting Partner at BDO, then the sixth largest global accounting firm, I co-founded a series of boutique management consulting practices. I maintain functional specialties in valuation, enterprise risk management, business modeling, decision analysis, forensic analysis, educational gaming, and strategic planning.

Areas of Expertise

  • I began my career in the assurance and consulting practices of Deloitte.
  • After serving as a Consulting Partner at BDO, then the sixth largest global accounting firm, I co-founded a series of boutique management consulting practices.
  • I maintain functional specialties in valuation, enterprise risk management, business modeling, decision analysis, forensic analysis, educational gaming, and strategic planning.

Publications

  • I authored or co-authored more than thirty peer reviewed articles in the Journal of Banking and Finance, the International Journal of Accounting, Research in Accounting Regulation, the CPA Journal, the Journal of Financial Planning, Accounting and the Public Interest, and elsewhere.
  • I authored more than five hundred blog posts and numerous book chapters, newsletters, and podcasts for Wiley, Routledge, Henry Stewart, Kaplan, and other publishers.
  • I also authored a book on Business Planning and Entrepreneurship for Business Expert Press.
  • From 2014 to 2023, the Social Science Research Network (SSRN) ranked me in the All-Time Top 10% of global researchers.
  • My top-ranked article, entitled "Libor Manipulation," was published several months before the global banking scandal exploded in the public business press.

Academic Associations & Editorial Boards

I serve on the Board of Directors of TXCPA Houston, the Leadership Council of the TXCPA, the Editorial Advisory Board of the CPA Journal, and the Advisory Board of the Center for Professional Accounting Practices at Fordham University.

Activities & Interests

My innovative approach to ESG / Sustainability, as codified in my award-winning business case and educational game "Save The Blue Frog," involves the integration of strategic, operating, and financial practices while balancing economic outcomes with social and environmental considerations. I continue to develop customized versions of "Save The Blue Frog," including a Texan version called "Save The Bats."

Contact Info

Phone:
Please use email address 
Email:
mkraten@bauer.uh.edu
Room:
Melcher Hall, Central Campus
Website:
Visit Web Site

Courses

  • I am currently designing and teaching the accounting program's graduate Sustainability / ESG accounting course.
  • I previously served as Professor of Accounting at Houston Baptist University, where I designed and taught courses in entrepreneurship, ESG accounting, and other advanced accounting topics.
  • I also served as Chair of Accounting, Economics, and Finance programs there.
  • Earlier in my career, I taught at Providence College, Sacred Heart University, Suffolk University, and the Universities of Connecticut and Massachusetts in the U.S. and at Maastricht University in the Netherlands.
  • I have also presented my work at Dartmouth College, Harvard Law School, Johns Hopkins University, Yale University, and other institutions.

Education

I earned a PhD in Behavioral Accounting from the University of Connecticut and a MPPM in Public and Private Management from Yale University. I also earned a BBA in Public Accounting from Baruch College, CUNY. I am licensed as a Certified Public Accountant.