College of Business: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Dennis Beard

Adjunct Lecturer of Finance

Biographical Sketch

Dennis Beard, CPA is an adjunct lecturer in the Department of Finance. He earned his bachelors’ degree in accounting from Millikin University and an MBA from UIUC. Dennis is currently a partner with Blakeman and Beard, LLC, a business and tax advisory services firm.  He is also a Venture Partner of Open Prairie Ventures, a Central Illinois-based early stage technology venture capital firm.  During his career, he served as CEO and CFO of Home Recovery Home Health, Inc., CFO of Segno Communications, Inc., Controller of SLM Instruments, Inc., and Audit Manager for Pricewaterhouse Coopers. He brings a broad range of experience to Illinois students in finance.