Of the 25 largest accounting firms in metropolitan Baltimore, nearly half are led by alumni from the University of Baltimore—with the largest concentration bearing UB graduate degrees. University of Baltimore alumni are serving in top leadership positions at nine of these 25 firms; all but one of them earned a graduate degree from UB's Merrick School of Business or the School of Law.

UB's dominance in this category—as compiled in the Baltimore Business Journal's annual Book of Lists—has been steady going back at least 15 years. Consistently, UB has been a top producer of alumni leaders in accounting, with one or more of its graduates in the position of managing partner or its equivalent. In 2013, the University had its highest number of alumni represented so far, with 13 in the survey of the top 25 largest area firms. Year over year, UB's alumni numbers far surpass the representation of accounting graduates from other area institutions.

The 2016 Book of Lists was published last December.

"We have such a long history of success in producing accounting leaders that by now it's not a phenomenon—it's more like business as usual," said Merrick School of Business Dean Murray Dalziel. "Tracking the records, year over year, shows that while accounting firms may or may not grow in terms of business and influence, what remains true is that our graduates are running, and will continue to run, the majority of these highly successful, highly impactful companies. That's what we're most proud of: UB's long record of sending off our accounting graduates into a competitive market, knowing that a significant number of them will one day serve as CEO. It's a bedrock claim for us."

The leaders and their firms' respective ranking in the 2016 Book of Lists are:

• Jeffrey N. Berman, M.S. '96, CPA, CFP, PFS, managing partner and shareholder, KBST&M, P.A. (#23)
• Patrick Byer, M.B.A, '94, managing principal - Maryland Region, CliftonLarsonAllen LLP (#4)
• Arthur E. Flach, M.S. '83, CPA, managing partner, Grant Thornton, LLP, (retired) (#18); currently an executive in residence in the Merrick School of Business.
• Andy Garrett, J.D., '88, managing partner, Weil, Akman, Baylin & Coleman (#13)
• Simpson H. Gardyn, M.S. '80, CPA, CVA, managing officer, Gorfine, Schiller & Gardyn, P.A. (#10)
• David A. Goldner, M.S. '83, CPA, CFP, CVA, managing partner, Gross, Mendelsohn & Associates (#11)
• Jeffrey Jacobson, J.D., '91, former principal, Mister, Burton, Palmisano & French (#22); now director of tax at Weyrich, Cronin & Sorra
• Howard J. Rosen, B.S. '71, president, RS&F Chartered (#16)
• Frank Savarese, B.S. '79, M.S. '86, CPA, CFP, managing partner, Weyrich, Cronin & Sorra Chartered (#20)

In its undergraduate accounting specialization, UB offers expertise for careers in public accounting, banking, financial analysis, credit management, government, nonprofits, and more. On the graduate degree side, the M.S. in Accounting and Business Advisory Services is a specialized program built for both current accounting professionals and career-changers.