Samuel Handwerger Directory Page

Sam Handwerger, CPA, is a Senior Lecturer in the Accounting and Information Assurance department, and is a University of Maryland undergraduate accounting alumnus. He also holds a Master of Science in Taxation degree from the University of Baltimore. Handwerger was a Senior Tax Researcher with EY in New York City and later led the Tax Planning and Preparation Departments of the CPA firm Handwerger, Cardegna, Funkhouser & Lurman. In 1996, he was awarded the Governor’s Volunteer of the year award in the State of Maryland for financial and management advisory to non-profit organizations. Before joining the Smith School on a full-time basis, Handwerger held adjunct positions at the Johns Hopkins University School of Business and the University of Baltimore Law School.

Handwerger's professional accomplishments includes giving professional expert testimony in various legal cases involving accounting and tax issues as well as for the now landmark decision in Maryland Tax Court, Har Sinai West v. Comptroller. Further, in 2013 Handwerger orchestrated a "no-change" IRS audit in Tax Court involving a $30.0 million assessment, Docket 28353-12.

Since joining UMD Handwerger has received the Krowe Teaching Award on two occasions, became designated as a Certified Forensic Accountant (CrFA), started both the TerpTax, Inc and Justice for Fraud Victims, Inc programs where each serves the mission of bringing experiential learning to UMD students in these respective disciplines, and has been designated to receive a Provost Award for Service to the school. One of his passions is writing human interest stories and the school sponsors a blog featuring these.

View the blog