For his longstanding leadership and dedication, McIntire School of Commerce Professor Craig Lefanowicz has been chosen by his colleagues to receive McIntire’s 2026 Whit Broome Faculty Service Award.
An important member of the School’s Accounting area, Lefanowicz, who fulfills dual roles as both the Director of the M.S. in Accounting Program and of the PricewaterhouseCoopers Center for Innovation in Professional Services, was nominated for the honor by Accounting Area Coordinator and Professor Adam Koch. Koch says that Lefanowicz’s “service and leadership have been essential to the success of both the Accounting area and the McIntire School.”
The Whit Broome Faculty Service Award, endowed by Commerce Professor Emeritus Whit Broome, acknowledges faculty for exemplary community and professional service. Recipients are selected by the Dean’s Office in coordination with the School’s Area Coordinators. Lefanowicz is the sixth faculty member to receive the award, which was first conferred in 2021.
An Outstanding Community Contributor
Lefanowicz’s recent appointment as M.S. in Accounting Program Director had him “step into this role at a particularly challenging time for Master of Accounting programs, as CPA requirements continue to shift across states,” Koch observes, noting that Lefanowicz is widely regarded by his peers as a role model for his “commitment to meet students where they are.” “The Accounting area is excited to have Craig bring his thoughtful, student-centered approach to this new role.”
Koch adds that, as PwC Center Director, Lefanowicz supports a wide range of innovative classroom initiatives and important research projects.
Lefanowicz’s exemplary commitment has extended well beyond that part of the Commerce School. “I’ve been fortunate to serve in a variety of roles—MSA Program Director, Center Director, Accounting Area Coordinator, Faculty Senator, Interim Chair at UVA Wise, and others—and each has given me a different vantage point on how to support our students, faculty, and programs,” the award winner says.
Feeling that his greatest impact to the McIntire community has been within the Accounting area, Lefanowicz shares that contributing to its strength and evolution has been especially rewarding: “I’m grateful for the opportunity to help shape a community that has given so much to me.”
As he reflects on Lefanowicz’s other responsibilities, Koch lauds his work on the Faculty Senate’s Academic Affairs Committee, one of the Senate’s most intensive and impactful teams. Likewise, as a McIntire representative on the All-University Teaching Award Committee, Lefanowicz is “an effective advocate for the School in this University-wide role and is himself a 2018 recipient of the award,” Koch says.
As Interim Chair at UVA’s College at Wise Department of Business and Economics (which he held from May 2021 to December of 2022), Lefanowicz was described repeatedly by colleagues as transformational. Koch notes that “he modernized the curriculum, strengthened relationships with local employers, supported faculty development, and moved the needle in ways that made a meaningful difference to the program and the region.”
Inspired by His Peers
What resonates most with Lefanowicz from his experiences collaborating with colleagues over the years is the “unwavering dedication of my colleagues to McIntire’s mission of delivering a world‑class education,” he says. “I feel incredibly fortunate to work alongside faculty who consistently put students first and who approach service to the School, the University, our alumni, and our corporate partners with genuine generosity and humility. The collaborative spirit here is remarkable, and being part of a community that acts so unselfishly has been one of the great privileges of my career.”
Indeed, as an Area Coordinator for Accounting, he was known to be thoughtful, informed, and highly effective at building consensus and mentoring faculty. Colleagues consistently praised his balanced leadership and his willingness to guide and support each other. Some of his peers have described him as “a great sounding board for ideas,” with one faculty member noting that he had been “a mentor since my first day at UVA.”
For his part, earning this recognition—one named after his own mentor—is nothing less than a full circle moment.
“Winning an award named after Whit Broome is a tremendous personal honor,” says Lefanowicz. “Whit was my mentor when I joined McIntire in 2004, and I was always struck by how deeply he gave of himself—to the School, to the University, and to the accounting profession. He set a standard for service, integrity, and commitment that has guided me throughout my career. To be recognized with an award that carries his name is both humbling and profoundly meaningful.”
