Thomas King

Tom King spent 30 years at Progressive Insurance, working in various line management, accounting and financial roles. He was general manager of the business unit that sold the first-ever car insurance policy purchased by a motorist over the Internet and head of investor relations when Progressive became the first company in the world to disclose financial statements on a monthly basis. Before joining Progressive, he worked on the audit staff of Arthur Andersen & Co. in New York.

King’s research focuses on disclosure policy and earnings guidance. Specifically, he studies what happens when corporate executives provide financial forecasts to investors. He is also interested in how accounting systems reduce uncertainty for various stakeholders. He is author of the books More Than a Numbers Game: A Brief History of Accounting and The Numerate Leader: How to Pull Game-Changing Insights from Statistical Data.

Married with three grown children, King lives in Chagrin Falls, Ohio. He enjoys crime novels, art history, and the Cleveland Metroparks. He graduated with honors from Harvard College and Harvard Business School and was the recipient of Weatherhead’s Scholar Practitioner Award within his Doctor of Management cohort. He holds CPA and CMA certifications. Accounting education, he believes, should rest on a liberal arts foundation.

Education

• Doctor of Management Case Western Reserve University 2016
• Master of Business Administration Harvard Business School 1987
• Master of Accountancy New York University 1983
• AB Harvard College 1982

Courses Taught

• Accounting for Business Executives
• Financial and Managerial Accountancy
• Accounting for Managers
• Applied Management Accounting
• Corporate Governance and Contemporary Accounting Policy
• Technology Lab for Management Accounting

Research Information

• Earnings guidance
• Reporting frequency
• Effects of earnings volatility on accounting analyses
• Corporate governance
• Use of non-GAAP performance measures.

External Appointments

• American Accounting Association. 2014 - Present
• Financial Executives International. 2002 - Present
• Institute of Management Accountants. 1982 - Present