Business Matters

When Jim Parkin ’86 teaches Navigating the Profession in the College of Business, his goal is to prepare his accounting students to succeed in industry as soon as they graduate. 

“I’m trying to bring to them what I wish I knew when I graduated,” said Parkin, who earned a business degree with a concentration in accounting and minor in management information services. “I want to help them understand the industry perspective while they’re in college.” 

Parkin has served as executive in residence in the college since he retired from Deloitte in 2021. He has long been connected to Oregon State and the College of Business and is an invaluable bridge between industry and higher education.  

Parkin, who has also been a member of the Dean’s Council of Excellence since 1998, has dedicated himself to advancing the college more broadly. 

“Jim uses his expertise and network to help the College of Business evolve to further align with Oregon State’s mission, advance our goals and develop partnerships within the university and beyond,” said Tim Carroll, the Sara Hart Kimball Dean of the College of Business. “I am grateful that he makes us better, boosts our reputation and helps create a singular experience for our students.” 

Parkin also is a member of the Oregon State University Foundation Board of Trustees; the Advisory Board of The Salvation Army of North Texas (the largest social-services provider in the Dallas-Fort Worth area) and serves on the Board of Directors for Virginia-based Tactical Retreat Unplugged, a nonprofit that supports wellness services for first responders and veterans, and their spouses. 

Parkin’s ingenuity and service to Oregon State, as well as his 35-year career at Deloitte, much of which he spent in leadership roles, are why he is the 2024 College of Business Hall of Fame winner. 

“Jim has persistently worked on behalf of the college and university, and I am honored to welcome him into our Hall of Fame,” Carroll said. “Throughout his career and in his service to the university, he has shown ethical leadership and made a real difference to our students and his community. He has been kind, insightful and down to earth. He is very deserving of this award.” 

Parkin started his career at Deloitte and advanced to several leadership roles in the audit practice, including chief financial officer of the U.S. audit and assurance practice and Silicon Valley audit and assurance practice leader. During his tenure with Deloitte, he lived in Portland, New York, Seattle, St. Louis, and San Jose. 

“I was constantly given new challenges at Deloitte,” Parkin said. “Every five to eight years, I was given a new opportunity. I could continue to learn in that culture and feel good about what I was doing.” 

One of the projects Parkin is most proud of is when, as a young partner at Deloitte, he helped manage Microsoft’s account. 

“It was a tremendous high point for me,” Parkin said. “I was working with a company who was on the leading edge of technology. Microsoft was one of the most demanding clients I worked for, but when we delivered, they were one of the most appreciative.” 

Parkin attributes his success in leadership, in part, to an inquisitive nature and a desire to know more about Deloitte’s mission and how the company could achieve it. 

“I was always trying to understand more, and I would see which leader was around the table in a work setting and ask him or her questions,” he said. “I got to thinking, ‘Is that something I could do? Is that a job I could do?’” 

After he retired, Parkin wanted to give back to the College of Business even more, an ethos he learned from his parents.  

“My parents weren’t rich, but they were charitable,” he said. “My father was a scout leader, and my mother volunteered locally in our school. They taught me the value of giving back early on, so after you spend 35 years working your tail off, it’s very satisfying to be in a position where I can share with others.” 

Giving back has been rewarding for Parkin: Not only has he been able to bring more than 40 industry professionals to speak in his undergraduate classroom, but some students have even reached out for advice after the class was over. 

“I’m building a sense of authentic trust where they would say, ‘Hey Jim, I’m wrestling with this problem. Do you have thoughts or advice?’” Parkin said. “That feels really good and fully satisfying.” 

He’s proud, too, of the college’s evolution since he was a student and since he joined the Dean’s Council of Excellence. 

“The College of Business is key to the university’s overall mission,” he said. “They are helping people in the state of Oregon, throughout the west coast and the world. I’ve seen so much progress being made, and I’m glad to be involved in whatever way I can.”