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Pamela Trafford

Senior Lecturer II

Accounting
Prof. Trafford is a CPA with nearly four decades of combined academic and professional experience in financial reporting, managerial accounting and taxation. She teaches a wide range of courses to und

Prof. Trafford is a CPA with nearly four decades of combined academic and professional experience in financial reporting, managerial accounting and taxation. She teaches a wide range of courses to undergraduate, MBA, and MSA students across multiple delivery formats. Prof. Trafford has received numerous accolades for her contributions to teaching and accounting education, including  recognition as an Isenberg College Outstanding Teacher, Isenberg Teaching Fellow, UMass Innovation Fellow, and more. Her current scholarly interests focus on effective teaching and learning strategies and the integration of new educational technologies. including recent work piloting innovative learning platforms. Professor Trafford is active in the Massachusetts Society of CPAs and other professional organizations. She serves as an advisor to honors students and student professional organizations, including the Alliance for Women in Accounting.

Education

MBA, University of Montana, 1982
BA, Anthropology, 1977

Professional Experience

Certified Public Accountant, 1982-Present
Tax Senior Manager, KPMG, 1988-1992
Staff through Manager in Tax, KPMG, 1982-1991

Academic Appointments

Senior Lecturer II, University of Massachusetts, 9/2010-Present
Senior Lecturer, University of Massachusetts, 9/2007-8/2010
Lecturer, University of Massachusetts, 7/1997-8/2007

Recent Honors / Awards

Video Design Institute Fellow, 2026
Isenberg Teaching with Digital Technology Award, 2021-2022
Isenberg Dean's Panel Participant: Inspiring Innovation in Teaching and Learning, 2021
Isenberg Teaching Fellow, 2020-2021
Lybrand Silver Medal (From Institute of Management Accountants), 2020
Nominated for University Distinguished Teaching Award, 2018-2019
University Innovation Fellow (Inaugural Group), 2016
Student-centered Learning and Teaching Fellowship, 2015-2016
Nominated for University Distinguished Teaching Award, 2015-2016
College Outstanding Teacher Award, 2014-2015
UMass Open Education Initiative Grant Awardee, 2011

Research Interests

Financial Accounting and Reporting
Online and Hybrid Learning Design
Effective Teaching and Assessment Strategies
Educational Technology and Learning Management Systems
Curriculum Development in Accounting

Teaching Interests

Masters
  • Foundations of Financial Accounting (MBA)
  • Financial and Managerial Accounting (MBA)
  • Financial Accounting and Reporting (MSA)
Undergraduate
  • Intermediate Financial Accounting I and II
  • Advanced Financial Accounting

Selected Publications

“Let me explain: Supplement quantitative performance measures with narrative reporting,” authored with Jeremy Bentley, Conner Blake, and Margaret Shackell-Dowell. March 2020, Strategic Finance.