A $1.5 million gift from New York-based IPA 100 firm KPMG (FY25 net revenue of $15.9 billion) will support William & Mary’s Estes Center for Excellence in Accounting and its work preparing future accounting professionals.
The commitment will partially support the center’s associate director position, currently held by Rebecca Reimers, as the center builds programming connecting accounting students with faculty, alumni and professionals.
KPMG has supported William & Mary’s accounting program for decades, including through a previously established KPMG professorship. KPMG partners and William & Mary alumni Doug Williams and Tim Floyd said the new commitment is intended in part to help prepare students for a profession being reshaped by technology and artificial intelligence.
Floyd said technical knowledge remains important, but skills including communication, collaboration, relationship-building and the effective use of technology will increasingly matter as the work accountants perform changes.
The center currently oversees 24 student assistants and has launched peer and professional mentorship programs, a student newsletter and other efforts designed to connect students with accounting career opportunities.
The partnership also comes as the profession continues working to attract more students into accounting. William & Mary said the center is introducing students to career paths spanning public accounting, consulting, corporate leadership, entrepreneurship, technology, finance and government.
