About the Author

Maria Davis is an associate director in the Division of Registration and Inspections of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB). Before Ms. Davis joined the PCAOB in 2010, she was a partner in the Accounting Consultation Group at Deloitte & Touche LLP's National Office in Wilton, Connecticut. As the leader of the Leases and Real Estate subject matter team, she provided guidance on complex technical accounting issues, primarily in the subject matters of real estate and leases and joint ventures and consolidation, both under U.S. Generally accepted accounting principles and International Financial Reporting Standards.

A native German, Ms. Davis has published on U.S. accounting standards in the preeminent German accounting journal, Der Betrieb.¹

Ms. Davis received a master's degree in accounting from the University of North Florida as well as a degree in finance from the Hochschule Muenchen, Germany. In addition to her CPA qualification, she also holds professional qualifications as a German certified public accountant and a German certified tax advisor. Ms. Davis is a member of several professional organizations, including the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Florida Institute of CPAs, and the German Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

Note

1. Ms. Davis wrote the first edition of Accounting for Real Estate Transactions in her personal capacity prior to joining the PCAOB. The views expressed in this updated second edition are her own personal views and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Board as a whole or other staff of the PCAOB.