Photo of Vernon, Mary

Mary Vernon, Phd

Assistant Professor

Department of Accounting

Contact

Building & Room:

UH 2321

Address:

601 S. Morgan St., Chicago, IL 60607

CV Link:

Mary Vernon, Phd

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About

Mary Vernon joined the department as an assistant professor in the fall of 2023. Mary earned her Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2021. Her research interests include corporate tax avoidance, multi-jurisdictional taxation, and accounting for income tax. She earned both a BS and a MS. degree in accounting from Northern Illinois University. Prior to joining academia, Mary worked in wealth management and in public accounting focusing in tax. She also continues to hold a CPA license in the state of Illinois.

Selected Publications

  • “Tax Havens and Reputational Costs” with Adrienne DePaul and Frank Murphy. 2025. Journal of Accounting and Economics 79 (2-3).
  • “The Effect of U.S. Country-by-Country Reporting on U.S. Multinationals’ Tax-Motivated Income Shifting and Real Activities.” with Michelle Nessa, Anh Persson, Jane Song, and Erin Towery. 2025. Journal of Accounting Research 63 (2): 951-988.
  • “The Effect of U.S. Tax Reform on the Taxation of U.S. Firms’ Domestic and Foreign Earnings” with Scott Dyreng, Fabio Gaertner, and Jeffrey Hoopes. 2023. Contemporary Accounting Research 40 (3): 1881-1908.
  • “Internal Information Quality and State Tax Planning” with Stacie Laplante and Dan Lynch. 2021. Contemporary Accounting Research 38 (4): 2589-2621.
  • “The Effect of the Tax Cuts & Jobs Act of 2017 on Defined Benefit Pension Contributions” with Fabio Gaertner and Dan Lynch. 2020. Contemporary Accounting Research 37 (4): 1990-2019.

Notable Honors

2024, Inclusive Education Scholars Certificate, University of Illinois - Chicago

2024, Excellence Awards Reviewer, Univesity of Illinois at - Chicago

Education

PhD in Accounting- University of Wisconsin-Mad
MS Accounting- Northern Illinois University
BS in Accounting: Northern Illinois University
CPA

Selected Presentations

  • University of Wisconsin Alumni Conference, invited presenter – August 2025
  • AAA Annual Meeting – Discussant for “Does CbCR Make Multinational Firms Smarter?” August 2025
  • ATA Midyear Meeting – Discussant for “Offshore Data Leaks and Reputation Repair” February 2025
  • University of Oregon, invited workshop – “The Rich Get Richer: An Examination of Tax Haven Concentration and the New ‘Top 7’” - November 2024
  • Tuck Spring Accounting Workshop - Dartmouth College, invited workshop - “Accounting for Tax Uncertainty Over Time” May 2024
  • ATA Midyear Meeting – Discussant for “Communicating Human Capital Information Through Employee-Related Tax Incentive Disclosures” February 20

Research Currently in Progress

  • “The Rich Get Richer: An Examination of Tax Haven Concentration and the New ‘Top 7’” with Frank Murphy. 2nd Round at The Accounting Review.
  • “Accounting for Uncertain Tax Benefits” with Mary Cowx.
  • “Tax Avoidance Post-TCJA” with Braydon Bulloch and Fabio Gaertner.