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Kenneth Klassen

School of Accounting and Finance Fellowship Honourees


Kenneth J. Klassen, PhD, FCA


A native of Kitchener, Ken graduated from the University of Waterloo’s School of Accountancy in 1989 with an Honours Bachelor of Arts (Chartered Accountancy Studies). In 1989, he earned his Master of Accountancy in the taxation concentration. Throughout his six work terms and after graduation, Ken worked for KPMG in London, Ontario. In October of 1989, he married a fellow UW Accounting graduate, and in June of 1990, he and his wife moved to Palo Alto, California, where he entered a PhD program at Stanford University.

 

While at Stanford, Ken received the ICAO Doctoral Fellowship, along with various other scholarships. He graduated from Stanford with a Master of Science (Statistics) in 1993, and a PhD in 1995. After graduation, he returned to the University of Waterloo as an Assistant Professor in July, 1994. He was promoted to Associate Professor in 1999, and honoured with the Deloitte Professor in Taxation position beginning in 2001. Ken was elected a Fellow of the ICAO in 2003.

In 2006, Ken moved to join the J.M. Tull School of Accounting at the University of Georgia. In 2008, Ken returned to the University of Waterloo as a professor and Robert Harding Research Leadership Fellow. Ken spends his professional life divided among contributing to the tax research community in North America, and instructing tax courses.

 

Outside of work, Ken loves to spend time with his wife and two children. He also volunteers at his church in various roles. His current hobby is renovation. In 2003, he purchased a run-down cottage, which he and his friends enjoyed fixing up.

 

2008 Fellow: Phi Nyguen