Karen Ton, PhD, Named Inaugural Mahoney Family Foundation Senior Research Fellow 

Villanova, Pa., May 1, 2026 — Karen Ton, PhD, associate professor, Accounting & Information Systems, has been named the inaugural Mahoney Family Foundation Senior Research Fellow. Her appointment will begin in Fall 2026. 

“I feel honored to be named the inaugural Mahoney Family Foundation Senior Research Fellow,” said Dr. Ton. “I am deeply grateful for the Mahoney family’s generosity and commitment to advancing research; this fellowship provides invaluable support at an important stage of my career, allowing me to pursue ambitious projects while contributing to the long‑term research excellence of the Villanova School of Business.” 

Dr. Ton joined Villanova in 2022 as an assistant professor in Accounting & Information Systems. She previously held the Vincent B. DiDomenico, Jr. '88 Assistant Professorship, ceding the position in 2025 when she received tenure and was promoted to associate professor. Prior to joining Villanova, she was an assistant professor at the Goizueta Business School at Emory University, and a visiting assistant professor at the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University. Before her career in academia, she worked in both assurance services and transaction services at PwC and remains an active certified public accountant in California. 

Dr. Ton received her PhD in Accounting and BS in Business Administration from the University of Southern California. Her research focuses on financial reporting, auditing, and regulation, and has been published in leading academic journals, including The Accounting Review, Contemporary Accounting Research, and Review of Accounting Studies. She also serves on the editorial board for Auditing: A Journal of Practice & Theory. 

Beyond her scholarly achievements, Dr. Ton has been the recipient of several VSB Teaching Innovation and Development grants for her work in updating the required financial accounting course. Prior to joining Villanova, she was awarded the Crystal Apple for Excellence in Undergraduate Business Education at Emory University and received the Mary Pickford Foundation Doctoral Teaching Award at the University of Southern California.  

This fellowship was made possible through the generosity of Michael Mahoney ’72 VSB. Mentored by the late accounting professor Gerald Dougherty, ’58 VSB, Mahoney has long been a dedicated advocate for Villanova, demonstrating his commitment through significant support of VSB. His contributions include two endowed positions: the Mahoney Family Foundation Senior Research Fellowship, which provides critical support to high-potential associate professors as they progress toward promotion to full professor, and the Mahoney Family Endowed Professorship, established in 2014.

In recognition of his enduring impact on the VSB community, Mahoney was awarded the Rev. Joseph C. Bartley, OSA Alumni Medallion in 2026—the highest honor bestowed upon a Villanova alumnus.

The Villanova School of Business (VSB) undergraduate program is top-ranked among business schools in the nation. Its online graduate business programs are ranked #28, and its part-time MBA program is ranked #25 by U.S. News and World Report. VSB has been at the forefront of business education since it was founded in 1922. Serving over 2,700 undergraduate and graduate students, VSB is home to five Centers of Excellence – the Daniel M. DiLella Center for Real Estate, the Elenore and Robert F. Moran Sr. Center for Global Leadership, the Center for Business Analytics, the Center for Marketing & Consumer Insights and the Center for Church Management – with each designed to foster innovative, cross-disciplinary research and applied opportunities for students. VSB is known for academic rigor; creativity and innovation; hands-on and service learning opportunities; a firm grounding in ethics; and an applied education that prepares students to become outstanding leaders and global citizens within the ever-changing, complex, and fast-paced world of business. For more, visit business.villanova.edu.  
  
About Villanova University: Since 1842, Villanova University’s Augustinian Catholic intellectual tradition has been the cornerstone of an academic community in which students learn to think critically, act compassionately and succeed while serving others. There are more than 10,000 undergraduate, graduate and law students in the University's six colleges—the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the Villanova School of Business, the College of Engineering, the M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing, the College of Professional Studies and the Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law. Ranked among the nation’s top universities, Villanova supports its students’ intellectual growth and prepares them to become ethical leaders who create positive change everywhere life takes them. For more, visit www.villanova.edu.