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OSU's School of Accounting will honor (from left) Les Austin, Tom Franz, Jacob Dover and Blake Witten at the 2025 Wilton T. Anderson Hall of Fame and Awards Banquet.

School of Accounting will honor 4 alumni at Wilton T. Anderson Hall of Fame Banquet

Friday, February 21, 2025

Media Contact: Stephen Howard | Manager of Communications | 405-744-4363 | stephen.howard@okstate.edu

Oklahoma State University’s School of Accounting will recognize four outstanding alumni during the 2025 Wilton T. Anderson Hall of Fame and Awards Banquet on March 2 at the ConocoPhillips OSU Alumni Center.

The School of Accounting will induct Les Austin and Tom Franz into the Wilton T. Anderson Hall of Fame as Distinguished Alumni, while Jacob Dover and Blake Witten will receive Early Career Rising Star awards.

“We're excited to recognize this fantastic group of School of Accounting alumni, who have shown exceptional excellence in their careers, service to the SOA, and contributions to the accounting profession and their communities,” said Dr. Angela Spencer, head of the School of Accounting. “These standout graduates embody our commitment to developing top talent and future leaders. Their successes serve as examples to inspire our current students, showing them the incredible impact and success that dedication to excellence in accounting can bring.”

Austin is a certified public accountant, business advisor and principal at Austin & Associates in Tulsa, a firm providing strategic planning and restructuring services since 2020. He graduated from OSU with a bachelor’s degree in accounting in 1988. 

Austin launched his career as an auditor at Arthur Young, which later became Ernst & Young. Austin served a variety of clients in the energy and retail spaces, including ConocoPhillips, Hess Corporation, Williams, QuikTrip Corporation and Tyson Foods. 

In 1994, he transitioned from public accounting to being a business leader working for many private and public companies. From 1994-99, Austin served in various finance and accounting positions at Flint Energy Construction Company. From 1999-2008, he served in various finance and accounting leadership roles, including chief financial officer from 2004-08, at Matrix Service Company. He has also served as CFO for Ram Resources, Cypress Energy Partners and Unit Corporation. 

Throughout his career, Austin has served several charitable organizations, including Hospitality House of Tulsa and the Jenks Public Schools Foundation. He is a member of the OSU School of Accounting Advisory Board, having previously served on the executive committee. In fall 2022, Austin fulfilled a lifelong dream of being an educator, teaching classes as an adjunct professor in OSU’s School of Accounting. 

Austin and his wife, Nancy (also an OSU graduate), engage regularly in the Stillwater community, spending most football and basketball weekends at their Stillwater home. They have funded endowed scholarships for OSU’s School of Accounting, Department of Political Science, College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology, and OSU Athletics. 

They are proud of their three children — Ashley Thomits (OSU accounting graduate), Lauren Augustyn (OSU chemical engineering graduate) and Alex Austin (age 14 and a huge OSU fan) — and two sons-in-law, Alec Thomits (OSU chemical engineering graduate) and Jacob Augustyn (OSU electrical engineering graduate). The Austins are also proud grandparents of Tristen, Avery and Jemma. 

Franz is the principal at TJ Franz & Associates, a firm dedicated to providing contract CFO services to mid-sized clients, with a primary focus on helping troubled companies improve profitability. While he now lives in Georgetown, Texas, the firm serves clients in Oklahoma and Missouri. 

In 1980, Franz earned his bachelor’s degree in accounting from OSU, followed by his master’s degree from OSU two years later. He was a graduate assistant for Dr. Dale Armstrong. Franz attributes much of his professional success to his OSU education and the mentorship of Dr. Lanny Chasteen and Dr. T. Sterling Wetzel.

In 1983, Franz passed the CPA exam. His professional journey began on the audit staff at Ernst & Whinney in Oklahoma City before he transitioned to Stanfield & O’Dell and Coopers & Lybrand in Tulsa. He then served as CFO for several mid-sized companies. 

In 2003, he formed TJ Franz & Associates. Franz enjoys working with troubled companies to help them back to profitability, but even more, helping business owners who are great at their craft better understand the financial aspects of their businesses.  

Community service has always been important to Franz. He has been an active Rotarian since 1995 and has served on the boards of several nonprofits. He also founded the Finance Committee for the City of Joplin and has served on the Sales Tax Oversight Committee and the Joplin TIF Commission.

Franz met his wife, Jeany, at OSU through cost accounting class. They have been happily married for 40 years and have two children. John lives in Nevada, and Emily resides in Texas. Emily, who was born with Down syndrome, has inspired Franz to embark on a "second job" dedicated to making a difference in the lives of individuals with disabilities. He co-founded SHINE Joplin, a nonprofit organization supporting adults with disabilities.

Dover is a first-generation college graduate who earned his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in accounting from OSU in 2021, followed by a Master of Science in accounting with a data analytics and systems focus in 2022. During his academic journey, OSU faculty nominated Dover for the Federation of Schools of Accountancy Outstanding Student Award. 

After graduation, Dover passed the CPA exam while working at KPMG in Oklahoma City. He then transitioned to an internal audit role at ONEOK, where he has been contributing for the past two years. In 2024, Dover obtained his certified internal auditor designation by passing the CIA Challenge Exam. As an integrated auditor at ONEOK, he has participated in a diverse range of audits, including Shared Services, IT, SOX, TSA and Operations. 

His work has taken him across 13 states, auditing various ONEOK operational segments. In 2024, Dover played a crucial role in the internal audit activities related to the stabilization, integration and transformation phases of multiple recent acquisitions. He was instrumental in the planning, testing and review stages of the 2024 SOX efforts.

An active member of the Institute of Internal Auditors Tulsa Chapter, Dover was awarded New Member of the Year for 2023-24 and serves as the chair for the Academic Relations Committee. He resides in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, with his wife, Bailey. Dover enjoys returning to Stillwater to present to prospective accounting professionals, participate in panels and attend OSU sporting events.

Witten was raised near Miami, Oklahoma, and graduated from Commerce High School. He began his college journey at Missouri Southern State University in Joplin, Missouri, before making the decision to join the Oklahoma Army National Guard in 2012 as an aircraft avionics mechanic. After completing basic combat training and advanced individual training as a distinguished honor graduate, he continued his education at OSU.

In December 2019, he earned his OSU degree and began his professional career at HoganTaylor, where he had previously interned. Starting as a full-time staff member in the Tulsa office, he was recognized in 2022 for his leadership and professional contributions as an Oklahoma NextGen Under 30 Award honoree. Witten was promoted to assurance manager in January 2024. In this role, he provides services to both publicly and privately held companies, specializing in the energy, manufacturing and nonprofit industries.

His ability to lead and manage complex projects is rooted in more than 13 years of military service. Witten has completed multiple overseas deployments as recently as 2024, and his dedication and leadership have earned several commendations, including the Meritorious Service Medal, two Army Reserve Commendation Medals, an Army Commendation Medal and an Army Achievement Medal. He currently serves as a staff sergeant for Bravo Company, 834th Aviation Support Battalion in Tulsa.

Witten plays an active role in several initiatives at HoganTaylor, contributing to recruiting efforts, career advising and the Employee Experience Team. Additionally, he is a member of the Assurance Methodology Pilot Team and the Social Committee. Beyond his military and professional endeavors, he enjoys sports, spending quality time with friends and family, staying active as a runner and volunteering with local nonprofits.

Visit the Spears School of Business website to learn more about the School of Accounting’s Wilton T. Anderson Hall of Fame.

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