Ricky Johnston

Rick has been a professional accountant for over 30 years. He started his career with Ernst & Young, in their assurance practice, after graduating from the University of Toronto with a Bachelor of Commerce degree. Primary responsibilities included planning and managing audits of large public, private and not-for-profit organizations. He also was involved in fraud investigations and litigation support engagements. Thereafter he went on to be the Vice President and Controller of LPL Financial, which is now the fifth largest broker-dealer in the United States. Rick then earned an MBA from Western University and a PhD from the University of Pennsylvania. He spent 16 years in academia, publishing multiple research papers in top journals and winning teaching awards. His research expertise is empirical capital markets, his teaching expertise is financial accounting and financial statement analysis and valuation. Rick recently moved to Texas to be close to family. He has been involved in consulting with business start-ups, academic and not-for-profit entities. Rick's dog, Chewbacca, acts more Stormtrooper than Wookie!