Prior to joining academia, she served as a Seahawk-60B helicopter pilot in the U.S. Navy in which she was the first female pilot assigned to her squadron, the first female operation officer, the first female aircraft commander and the first female detachment maintenance officer. Meckfessel holds a PhD in business from Virginia Polytechnic and State University, an MS in accounting from Appalachian State University and a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Illinois Wesleyan University. She has received the American Taxation Association (ATA)/Deloitte Teaching Innovation Award and the Lybrand best article award from the Institute of Management Accountants. In her free time, Meckfessel enjoys swimming, biking, running and spending time with her three kids and husband.