Jim Harris

Beta Alpha Psi Honors Jim Harris

Beta Alpha Psi, the honorary accounting society at The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, recently named Jim Harris the Accountant of the Year at their awards banquet.

Harris, AVP of Internal Audit at UnumProvident Corporation, holds the professional designations of certified public accountant and certified internal auditor.

"The UTC College of Business Administration produces the single largest source of employees for our department here in Chattanooga," Harris said.

Beta Alpha Psi recognized Harris, an East Tennessee native of Morristown, for his contributions to the accounting profession and his service to the Chattanooga community. He has been an active member of the Chattanooga Area Chapter of the Institute of Internal Auditors, and he has served as its president.

After earning his B.S. in Accounting from Carson-Newman College, Harris has done graduate work at UTC, and his wife, Barbara, is an alumna. He also serves as a member of the UTC Advisory Board for the Department of Accounting and Finance.

"It has been my privilege to serve on the Advisory Board for the Department of Accounting over the last year. I see it as the Board’s role to support the University’s efforts to improve the level of the accounting and business curriculum and this includes providing suggestions and evaluating results. It is also our responsibility to influence our companies to seek qualified UTC graduates for our job openings and to help these graduates be successful," Harris said.

Harris is also a member of the Board of Directors for the Interfaith Hospitality Network (IHN), an organization that works through a coalition of area churches to assist homeless families in securing housing and jobs so they can become productive members of the community. He is also the chairman of the finance committee for White Oak United Methodist Church