Faculty Listing

Dr. Carol Vance received her Bachelor of Science degree in accounting and her Master's of Accountancy from the University of South Florida.  She received her Juris Doctor at Stetson University College of Law with an emphasis in taxation and business law where she graduated fourth in her class. She is licensed to practice both law and accounting in the states of Florida and California.

Carol began her professional accounting career with Coopers & Lybrand. She founded her own tax law and accounting firm that serves the legal and tax needs of closely held businesses and their owners with a focus on high net worth entrepreneurs from cradle to grave. Carol has developed on-line business law and tax courses at the graduate and undergraduate level for the University of South Florida and teaches tax and business law courses including BUL 3320, 5332, Tax 5015 and Tax 4001.  She has been teaching in the School of Accountancy since 1983 and was awarded the Most Outstanding Instructor in Spring 2010 at the USF Tampa campus.

Carol holds memberships in the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Florida Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the California Society of Certified Public Accountants, the American Bar Association, the California Bar Association and the Florida Bar Association. She is also a Certified Seniors Adviser and a Florida Certified Family Law Mediator and volunteers with the Elder Justice Center at the Administrative Offices of the Hillsborough County Probate Court.

She is an avid reader, international traveler, dabbles with gourmet cooking and enjoys fine wine. She has scuba dove most of the great dive spots in the world and skies Utah and Colorado in the winter and surfs and boogie boards Southern California waves in the summer.

Focus

Quality teaching with an emphasis on ethics and integrating the accounting, tax and law education to ensure that students can successfully complete their professional requirements and pursue a lucrative career while maintaining their personal integrity.

Research Areas

Regulatory compliance placed on the CPA’s tax practice, ethics in the accounting profession, quality education and consumer advocacy. Carol Vance has co-authored two recent articles with School of Accountancy faculty including one with Professor Gary Laursen in Florida CPA Today (2010), “Circular 230 and Internal Revenue Code § 6694–The U.S. Treasury v. Congress: Conflicts and Inconsistencies” and one with Professor Emeritus Bill Stephens appearing in the November 2010 issue of The CPA Journal, “The New Generation of Accounting Majors: Observations from the Ivory Tower.” The January 2012 issue of this journal featured the “Embracing Ethics and Morality” article Carol co-authored with Professor Stephens and Professor Pettegrew. March 2012, Ludwig Von Mises Institute published “The Seven Rules of Bureaucracy” co authored with Professor Pettegrew. January 2013 “Embracing Technology”, co-authored with Professors Lively, Carlson and Dr Mastacchio. January/February 2013 “A Taxonomy of Entity Structures” and “LLC’s are Alive and Well in Florida”, CPA Today, Carol A. Vance & Gary Laursen . Pettegrew, L. and Vance, C. (2013). “The High Cost of Free.” Mises Daily, June 5, 2013 and Pettegrew, L. and Vance, C. (2013). “Don’t Fall for Free.” Mises Daily, July 5, 2013