With $15M Gift, Accounting Steps Into The Spotlight At William & Mary

Accounting is no longer the quiet function in the back office. At William & Mary’s Mason School of Business, it’s about to take center stage, thanks to a $15 million gift from alumni Rob W. Estes ’74 and Jean Berger Estes ’75.

The couple’s legacy gift will launch the Estes Center for Excellence in Accounting, a major new initiative designed to elevate the visibility, relevance, and strategic power of accounting in business education — to “bring accounting out of the back room and into the boardroom,” as Rob Estes, the longtime CEO of Estes Express Lines, puts it. “The accountant should be guiding the conversation.”

A NEW MODEL FOR MODERN ACCOUNTING EDUCATION

Set to officially debut this month, the Estes Center will offer career treks, case competitions, weekend seminars, and immersive learning experiences. It will emphasize analytics, emerging technologies, and strategic thinking — not spreadsheets and number-crunching — to prepare students for leadership roles in finance, operations, and beyond.

The center is modeled after the Mason School’s successful Boehly Center for Excellence in Finance and will be supported by dedicated staff, industry partnerships, and a strong alumni network. 

The aim: make accounting exciting — and aspirational.

“Accounting today is a dynamic, decision-making discipline,” says Mason School Dean Todd Mooradian. “It’s the bloodstream of any business, and this gift allows us to showcase that in a way we never could before.”

A LEGACY ROOTED IN REAL-WORLD IMPACT

The gift from the Estes family — which includes their son, Webb Estes ’06, M.Acc. ’07, now president and COO of Estes Express Lines — continues a legacy of support for business education at William & Mary. Rob, who studied accounting as an undergrad, says the discipline gave him the tools to turn a small, regional trucking company into a $5 billion logistics empire.

“Understanding accounting allowed us to model cost structures and evaluate profitability in a much more precise way,” he says. “That changed our business.”

The Estes Center will also offer new entry points into accounting for students who might never have considered the field — an intentional part of the family’s vision.

“We want students to experience the excitement that Rob did when he first saw how his accounting studies could be put to work,” Jean Berger Estes says.

REFRAMING THE FIELD — AND THE FUTURE

William & Mary has long been home to a respected accounting program. Its Master of Accounting program, launched in 1968, has produced generations of corporate finance leaders, Big Four professionals, and entrepreneurs.

Now the Estes Center is poised to become a national hub for accounting innovation — one that the Mason School hopes will reframe what it means to pursue the field.

A signature event, Pioneering Excellence: Shaping the Future Generation of Accounting, will be held April 24 to mark the launch. The showcase will feature curriculum innovations, faculty research, and trends redefining the field.

“My priorities have shifted from chasing success to creating significance,” Rob says. “Jean and I are proud to build something lasting at William & Mary — something that will keep shaping principled leaders for years to come.”

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