Dr. Bembenista has served as Associate Dean for Accounting and Finance in the Maine College of Business since 2003. She has served as Interim Dean of the College of Business in 2005 and again in 2011. She is a CPA licensed to practice in Illinois. In addition to having been sole proprietor of her own accounting firm, Dr. Bembenista brings accounting and management experience from her industry work with Westinghouse and continues to work closely with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants to ensure a strong, up-to-date curriculum. Under her leadership, six new programs have been developed including a BBA, Accounting Fraud Investigation and honors program.

Dr. Bembenista also has extensive educational experience from Prairie State College where she taught and was Director of the Writing Lab. With graduate work in learning disabilities, she understands different learning styles and applies this knowledge in the classroom. A firm believer in experiential learning, Dr. Bembenista created honors projects that enhance learning and make graduates more marketable. She has taught undergraduate and graduate accounting courses in principles, intermediate, cost, information systems, and ethics and CPA responsibilities, as well as management courses in foundations, organizational behavior, and leadership.

Dr. Bembenista has mentored many students in the honors program. Her teaching philosophy is that “the goal of teaching is to foster better decision-making.”