William H. "Bill" Watkins Jr., Founding Member of Memphis-based Watkins Uiberall, PLLC Certified Public Accountants, has recently been recognized by the University of Memphis when a classroom was named in his honor in the Fogelman College of Business and Economics.

"Naming a room in our Fogelman College, where accountancy students learn their profession, is a fitting tribute to Bill Watkins," said Dr. Shirley Raines, president of the University of Memphis. "Because of his commitment to the future of accountancy education and education in general, it is very appropriate that a classroom in the business building bear his name."

The classroom named for Watkins is a 144-seat auditorium where many business students are taught accounting principals. The naming ceremony capped an evening of awards and recognition of new members of Beta Alpha Psi, the professional society for accounting students. Taking part in the recognition of Watkins were Dr. Shirley Raines, president of the University of Memphis, and Dr. Charles Manning, chancellor of the Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR), which governs the University of Memphis and 45 other public higher education institutions in Tennessee.

Watkins earned his Bachelor of Business Administration degree in accounting from the University of Memphis in 1967. In the four decades since his graduation, Watkins has led a successful career in the field of accountancy. He began his career in public accounting with a large local firm, served as controller for the sixth largest industrial security firm in the U.S., and was divisional controller for a subsidiary of a security firm. Watkins returned to public accounting in 1971, founding the firm of Watkins and Watkins, which is now Watkins Uiberall, PLLC.

Throughout his career, Watkins has been an active contributor to his profession, community organizations, the Fogelman College, and the University of Memphis. Watkins is a member of the American Society of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and the Tennessee Society of CPAs (TSCPA). He has served as a member of the Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR) and its Audit Committee. Watkins also serves on the University of Memphis's voluntary advisory body, the Board of Visitors, and has been president of the National Alumni Association, of which he is a lifetime member.

Watkins Uiberall has been providing accounting and business consulting services in the Mid-South since 1971. As one of the largest locally-owned certified public accounting firms in Memphis, the firm employs over 60 individuals including 9 partners and 40 professionals. Through its affiliated companies, Plan Administration Consulting, LLC and Watkins Uiberall Healthcare Consulting Group, LLC, the firm goes beyond the traditional services of tax accounting and auditing by offering clients extended services such as retirement plan administration and healthcare-focused business advisory and consulting services.