• Financial Statement Auditing and Attestation
• Family Owned Business
• CPA Firm Management

Chris is a CPA with the heart of a teacher. He earned his bachelor of business administration in accounting from Grand Valley State University, and his master of business administration from Michigan State University. Chris has taught a variety of undergraduate and graduate accounting courses at GVSU since 2005. He received the Outstanding Accounting Professor award from GVSUs Beta Alpha Psi chapter for both the 2013-2014 and 2015-2016 academic years, and was nominated for the GVSU Alumni Associations Outstanding Educator Award in both 2017 and 2018.

A frequent speaker, Chris has taught numerous continuing education courses for several state CPA societies. He frequently conducts interviews with media outlets on a variety of financial, tax, and accounting topics. Chris is an instrument-rated commercial pilot who enjoys traveling in his airplane as well as running, bicycling, camping, and spending time with his wife, Sarah, their daughter, Brooke and their son, Blake.

• MBA, Michigan State University. (2002).
• BBA, Grand Valley State University. (1999).

• Financial Accounting
• Managerial Accounting
• Auditing
• Accounting for Managers
• Accounting for Executives

• Harper, C. (2019). Leaping from the Office to Academia. Strategic Finance.
• Harper, C., Dunn, C. (2018). Building Better Accounting Curricula. Strategic Finance.
• Harper, C., Sullivan, T. (2014). Year-end Tax Planning with a Crystal Ball. Grand Rapids Business Journal.

Memberships, Licenses, and Certifications:

• Member, American Institute of Certified Public Accountants
• Member, Michigan Association of Certified Public Accountants
• Member, Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association
• Certified Public Accountant, Michigan (2001 - present)
• Commercial Airplane Pilot License (2004 - present)

Service:

• Wings of Mercy, board member and volunteer pilot (2013 - present)
• Regularly-scheduled financial expert on WZZM-TV (120 television appearances since 2011)
• Frequent guest interviewee on WOOD-AM/FM (2016 - present)
• Frequent instructor of continuing education courses for CPAs (2009 - present)
• GVSU University Writing Skills Committee, member (2017 - present)
• GVSU Introductory Accounting Task Force, member (2018 - present)
• GVSU Classroom Observation Task Force, member (2018 - present)
• GVSU Freshman Orientation and First-year Advising, advisor (2017 - present)
• GVSU School of Accounting Data Analytics Committee, member (2017 - 2018)
• GVSU Beta Alpha Psi, student organization advisor (2015 - 2018)
• MICPA Accounting & Auditing Symposium Task Force, vice-chair (2015 - 2019)
• GVSU Sigma Phi Epsilon, student organization advisor (2015 - 2017)
• GVSU Community College Engagement Task Force, member (2017 - 2018)
• GVSU Inclusive Excellence Teaching Institute, member (2018)
• GVSU Commencement Platform Marshal (April 2017 and April 2018)
• GVSU School of Accounting AACSB Assurance-of-learning Task Force, member (2017 - 2018)
• GVSU Economics Faculty Search Committee, member (2018)