Jennifer Thayer

Dr. Jennifer Thayer is an Associate Professor of Accounting at Austin Peay State University, where she has been a member of the faculty since 2015. An APSU alumna, she earned her Bachelor of Science degree from Austin Peay before earning her Juris Doctor from Samford University.

Before entering academia, Dr. Thayer spent more than a decade working in public accounting, primarily in taxation. Her professional experience continues to shape her approach to accounting education, with an emphasis on helping students connect technical concepts to the decisions and responsibilities they will encounter in professional practice.

Dr. Thayer is particularly committed to experiential and service learning. She has led APSU's Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, providing accounting students with the opportunity to gain hands-on tax preparation experience while serving individuals and families in the community. In 2025, she was selected as a Tennessee Board of Regents High Impact Practices Pathway Ambassador for Service Learning.

In addition to her teaching and research, Dr. Thayer serves as Austin Peay's Faculty Athletics Representative, acting as a liaison among the faculty, University administration, Athletics, the ASUN Conference, and the NCAA in support of student-athlete academic success and well-being.

• Taxation and tax policy

• Accounting education and pedagogy

• Experiential and service learning in accounting education

• High-impact teaching practices

• Artificial intelligence in accounting education

• Tax and financial education for student-athletes and Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL)

• Brown, P. K., Thayer, J., & Di Paolo Harrison, B. (2024). Play to learn: Using the Jeopardy game!. Journal of Business Cases and Applications. Published.

• Morris, R. B., Tilooby, A., Thayer, J. D., Melton, A., & McCarthy, V. (2023). The Benefits of Telework and a Strategy for Successful Implementation (PDF). Global Journal of Management and Marketing, 7(1), 46–59.

• Cockrell, S., Di Paolo Harrison, B., Rodriguez, L., Brown, P. K., Thayer, J. D., & Meyer, P. S. (2022). The Evolution of Introductory Financial Accounting Labs Using Monopoly and Excel - Is Learning Improved? (PDF). Journal of Instructional Pedagogies, 27(1), 1–12.

• Thayer, J. D., Melton, A., & Grimmett, D. R. (2020). Employment Classification in an App-Based Nation. ABA Tax Times, 39(4).