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60 BizEd MAY | JUNE 2015 As AACSB International's next CEO, Thomas Robinson plans to integrate his experience in practice and academia to lead the association through its next phase of growth. AS AN UNDERGRADUATE MAJORING in economics at the Universi- ty of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Thomas Robinson wasn't sure whether he wanted to pursue an MBA or a master's degree in accounting after graduation. In the end, the master's in accounting won out. "I ultimately decided that I really wanted to practice public accounting," says Robinson, who went on to earn master's and doctorate degrees from Case Western Reserve University's Weatherhead School of Management in Cleveland, Ohio. But during ten years working as a professional accoun- tant and financial planner, Robinson found that he also had a passion for teaching. "I'd work in public accounting by day and then teach classes at night," says Robinson, who first taught workshops on starting small businesses for the Small Business Administration and then classes for The Ohio State University in Columbus. "I enjoyed bringing the practical world to the stu- dents. When I got my doctorate, I continued to teach, research, and consult in ways that were oriented toward practice." Robinson went on to become an accounting professor at the University of Miami in Florida for 14 years. READY TO LEAD BY TRICIA BISOUX PHOTOGRAPH BY ADAM EWING