To enhance the Paton Fellow Program’s mission of encouraging Michigan undergrads to explore a career in accounting, the Paton Center created the Honorary Paton Fellow Award in 2016 to honor individuals who through their accounting expertise have made significant contributions as business leaders. There are two categories for the Honorary Paton Fellow awards:
“Lifetime Achievement” candidate nominations honor individuals who through their accounting expertise have made significant contributions as business leaders or a leader in their profession. They may be honored for lifetime contributions, living or posthumously. Secondary consideration may also be given to meritorious community or professional service and positive impact on Michigan Ross accounting education.
“Rising Star” candidate nominations honor mid-career U-M alums (or significant U-M affiliation) who through their accounting experience are making contributions as business leaders, in community, industry, or professional services – and having a positive impact on Michigan Ross accounting education. We are looking for candidates our current Ross students can see making contributions they can relate and aspire to in their not-too-distant future.
We invite you to nominate an individual for consideration, using our nomination form. Submissions are accepted year-round and evaluated for selection in September. Submissions received after September 5 are considered for the following award year. Nominations will remain active for consideration for 3 years. After 3 years, a new nomination form will need to be submitted.
Honorary Fellows are then inducted and formally recognized with Junior and Senior Paton Fellows. This process strengthens the Paton Accounting Center’s relationship with key individuals in the profession and university, while the honorees serve as great examples to Paton Fellows of the diverse and rewarding opportunities in the field of accounting.
Meet the 2025 Honorary Paton Fellows
The Paton Center is pleased to announce the 2025 Honorary Paton Fellow Award recipients: Jonathan Peck, MAcc ‘17, and Matthew J. Howell, AB ‘85. Peck and Howell will be recognized during the Paton Fellow induction ceremony on April 8.
Jonathan Peck – Rising Star
Peck was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. He earned his undergraduate degree with honors from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, where he studied economics and accounting. He then attended the University of Michigan Ross School of Business, where he earned a Master of Accounting degree with distinction. Peck is an Eagle Scout, Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Certified in Financial Forensics (CFF), and Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE).
Peck started his career at Google, where he participated in a rotational accounting and finance program for new college graduates. Peck has experience on many different teams at Google, including operating expenditures controllership, Ads revenue accounting, internal audit investigations, and YouTube financial planning and analysis. At YouTube, Peck has worked on the Business-to-consumer marketing, Global Operations, Originals, Spaces, Music, Content Partnerships, and Strategy finance teams.
Peck was part of the Google.org Crisis Connectivity team, deploying to disaster zones to restore internet and cellular connectivity to critically enable first responders to communicate with each other and with survivors. He went to Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria, to the Florida Panhandle after Hurricane Michael, and to Panama for training with non-profits Information Technology Disaster Resource Center (ITDRC), and NetHope.
Peck has volunteered as an Emergency Medical Technician with Rock Medicine, a non-profit that provides emergency medical services at music festivals and large public events to ease the burden on local hospitals and first responders. He served as a Ross MAcc alumni ambassador and has formally and informally mentored numerous Michigan Ross and Cal Poly accounting students. Peck also served as the Secretary for the Cal Poly Alumni Association SF Bay Area Chapter, Treasurer of the University of Michigan Alumni Association SF Chapter, Board Member for the Cal Poly Alumni Association, and board member on the Cal Poly Orfalea College of Business Dean’s Advisory Council.
Matthew J. Howell – Lifetime Achievement
A Detroit native, Howell joined Touche Ross & Co. (now Deloitte & Touche LLP) in 1985 and became a partner in 1998. Howell served over thirty-three years at Deloitte, taking on numerous career-defining roles, and leaving an indelible mark on Deloitte and the profession. He started his career in Detroit serving on many of the office’s most important clients; from 1996 – 1998 he worked for Deloitte in Belgium; from 1998 – 2002 he was on assignment for Deloitte in Russia, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan; and then returned to Detroit for the remainder of his career. Howell’s strategic global assignments helped strengthen the firm’s global network. In addition to serving both public and private clients in a variety of industries, Howell held several audit leadership roles, including Michigan audit quality leader and U.S. audit quality leader for Deloitte’s private company audits. In this last role, he was instrumental in updating Deloitte’s private company audit approach to achieve both efficiency and effectiveness. This updated approach continues in use today.
Howell’s legacy extended well beyond Deloitte with an impact on the profession, in the community, and giving back to the University of Michigan. From 2010 through 2018, Howell served on the State of Michigan Board of Accountancy. He continues to be associated with the State since his retirement as a consultant to the Board on accountancy matters. Examples of his commitment to his community and the university are through serving as Treasurer for several non-for-profit organizations and serving as a member of the Paton Advisory Board at the Ross School of Business.
Howell holds a BA in Economics from the University of Michigan.
Howell has demonstrated a lifetime commitment to the accounting profession through his dedicated service to clients and professionals within Deloitte, the profession, the community, and the University of Michigan.
Meet the 2024 Honorary Paton Fellows
2024 HONORARY PATON FELLOW, RISING STAR, JARROD WOOD
2024 HONORARY PATON FELLOW, LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT, SUSAN MEYER
Meet the 2023 Honorary Paton Fellows
2023 HONORARY PATON FELLOW, LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT, DOUGLAS C. MCCLINTOCK
2023 HONORARY PATON FELLOW, RISING STAR, ALEXANDRA ROSELLE
Meet the 2022 Honorary Paton Fellows
2022 HONORARY PATON FELLOW, KAREN BIRD
2022 HONORARY PATON FELLOW, JAMES J. LEISENRING
Meet the 2020-2021 Honorary Paton Fellows
2020-2021 HONORARY PATON FELLOW, JACK DARVILLE
2020-2021 HONORARY PATON FELLOW, ROBERT M. PATTERSON
2020-2021 Honorary Paton Fellow Induction Ceremony
Meet the 2019 Honorary Paton Fellows
2019 HONORARY PATON FELLOW, EDDIE HALL III
2019 HONORARY PATON FELLOW, GORDON KRATER
Meet the 2018 Honorary Paton Fellows
2018 Honorary Paton Fellow, Julie R. Booth
2018 Honorary Paton Fellow Lifetime Achievement, Robert D. Neary
Meet the 2017 Honorary Paton Fellows
Bob Anthony- 2017 Honorary Paton Fellow, Robert L. Anthony
Greg Jonas - 2017 Honorary Paton Fellow, Gregory J. Jonas
Meet the 2016 Honorary Paton Fellows
The Ultimate Mentor-2016 Honorary Paton Fellow: A Tribute to Carleton H. Griffin
Professor of Accounting, former Paton Center Director and Deloitte Chairman, Carleton H. Griffin (1928-2014).
A Valued Partner-2016 Honorary Paton Fellow: David R. Noonan
David R. Noonan, a partner in Assurance Services at Ernst & Young LLP was celebrated at the Michigan Ross Paton Fellow Induction Ceremony on March 31, 2016. Dave was named the Honorary Paton Fellow Active Partner.