Story - Kevin Lee
From balance sheets to C-Suites
A Quinlan professor brings every facet of business and years of industry experience into his accounting courses.
“I don’t teach accounting,” says Kevin Lee. “I teach business.”
Lee, senior lecturer of accounting and business law at Loyola University Chicago’s Quinlan School of Business, has a résumé packed with experience working with leading businesses. As vice president of business alliances for Footprint Solutions, where he has worked for more than 20 years, Lee has partnered with some of the nation’s biggest companies—among them Walmart, Procter & Gamble, and Mars—to improve their merchandising, logistics, and operations.
As a teacher, Lee brings his expertise and seasoned eye to the classroom to help students understand not just spreadsheets, but the stories behind the numbers and how they connect to the broader business.
“I teach some students’ first MBA class, so it’s an on-ramp experience. I’m demonstrating concepts and introducing the language of business, but we’re also looking at the bigger picture through accounting, driving down into balance sheets to see, for instance, where the risks are.” Kevin Lee, Senior Lecturer of Accounting and Business Law
Framing the right questions
Lee’s wide-angle approach to accounting is intended to go beyond the numbers and help students understand the mechanisms behind financial reporting that give a fuller view of a business’s operations.
“The students dig into publicly traded companies by doing financial statement analysis, ratio analysis, and comparative analyses,” Lee asks. “They ask, ‘What’s the value of their accounts receivable, and the customers behind them?’ I'm trying to make sure that students see these numbers less as empirical truths and more as opportunities to ask questions.”
One place to ask questions is data centers. How, asks Lee, does a company quantify risks if data centers, which are the backbone of AI, are integral to operations?
“It’s emerging, and one of those things you need to dig deeper into,” he says. “You don’t have to be an AI expert—that’s why we have people around us to help—but you do have to know how to frame the question.”
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As a seasoned business executive, Lee brings examples from his professional experience into the classroom on a regular basis.
“When I'm asked a question, I’m able to offer more than a theoretical answer,” he says. One example is helping accounting students understand how they can develop future business.
“I was talking to a client who said they wanted to depreciate a particular item over three years,” says Lee. “That’s more attractive for earnings, but it also tells me there’s a good chance of another project in three years, and we want to think long-term about how to make ourselves indispensable, so we get that next call. That’s an accounting conversation that’s leading to business.”
Lee also leans into his experience working with professionals in supply chain management, store operations, finance, and marketing. This integration enriches his accounting courses and makes them more valuable to students.
"If you are in the Quinlan graduate program, the expectation is you’re moving toward senior management," he says.
“You have to have an understanding of how all the pieces come together to be ready to lead an organization in the future, and that’s what teaching in this program is about.” Kevin Lee, Senior Lecturer of Accounting and Business Law
Inspiring the future of business
Students say that the insights they gain in Lee’s class are eye-opening and directly applicable to the work they do as executives.
“Professor Lee empowered me to be curious about what we’re looking at when examining financial statements,” says Bridget Carney (MBA ’22), who is now director of corporate partnerships at Feeding America, a nonprofit organization based in Chicago that combats food insecurity.
Loyola's MBA program prepares students to be data- and insights-driven business leaders, supported by a strong set of values and ethical thinking.
“His class zoomed out on why we have these financial statements and how they can both show and hide business realities. I work with big corporations, and thanks to Professor Lee’s engaging class, I now have greater insight into what to ask to understand a company’s financial health.” Bridget Carney (MBA ’22), Director of Corporate Partnerships, Feeding America
In turn, Lee compliments his students
“These students bring a ton of knowledge and enthusiasm and an excitement to learn into the classroom,” he says. “These folks are making a big commitment to themselves, a financial commitment, a commitment to their families, and a commitment to improve the world. And I'm inspired by them.”