Research Interests: Financial and managerial accounting; federal taxation

Now You Know:
Turner's husband Jim is a fellow Georgia Tech accounting professor; her son was a transfer student to Tech; and her daughter is a current Tech undergraduate in International Affairs.

The list of Deborah Turner's recognitions more resembles a biographical novel than the average resumé. With so many local, state, and national accolades, she might seem slightly intimidating to those outside her circle, but any predisposed anxiety disappears the second she forbids you to call her anything more formal than Debby.

"My favorite part about teaching at Georgia Tech is the opportunity to get to know and advise so many students," she says. "There is an opportunity here to teach a lot of different things to a lot of different people."

Turner is a relatable teacher who has won the hearts and minds of students and fellow faculty alike for more than twenty-two years. She was voted the College of Management's Undergraduate Professor of the Year several times, received the Class of 1940 W. Roane Beard Outstanding Teacher Award, and received the Georgia Society of CPA's 2007 Accounting Educator of the Year award.

She can offer helpful advice to transfer students not only as a professor and former administrator, but as a mother whose son transferred from Georgia Southern University to Tech a few years ago. A strong Georgia Tech legacy extends throughout the entire Turner household as all four members either work or attend class at the Institute.

"I think transfer students are surprised by the number of opportunities on campus," she says. "My son transferred here because he wanted a place where everyone in the world knows [his] school's name."

"Georgia Tech offers a great opportunity to get a prestigious degree, but students need to work hard, buckle down, and get into a routine to be successful."