Peter Margaritis, CPA, CSP, the “accidental accountant” who used his love for improvisation not only to teach college students about accounting but also how improv can be a useful and impactful communication tool in the workplace, died unexpectedly at his home on March 20. He was 64 years old.
Margaritis had a passion for making people laugh, helping them to see content in a different light, and inviting them to gain a better understanding of the application of the concepts taught. By having fun in the workplace, he believed, employees would be more productive because people work better when they enjoy working in a fun environment.
“We lost a cherished member of the profession with the passing of Peter Margaritis. He brightened every room he entered and every event he attended,” said Gail Perry, editor-in-chief of CPA Practice Advisor.
Through his keynote presentations at conferences and customized workshops for clients, Margaritis demonstrated the tools used in improv—listening to understand, being present, adaptability, and “Yes! And”—because they can change how a team interacts with each other and with their clients/customers. He helped teams learn new methods to improve their communication and build stronger relationships with clients, customers, stakeholders, and associates. His programs and methods also helped organizations reduce turnover while increasing productivity and profitability.
“Peter’s deeply human approach, combining improv, humor, and accounting in our high-tech, AI-driven world, will be sorely missed. His ability to connect deeply and instantly with people of all kinds was a rare gift,” Liz Farr, founder of Farr Communications and host of “The Disruptors” podcast, wrote in a tribute to Margaritis.
He was born in Lexington, KY, on Dec. 6, 1960, to parents Michael and Pauline Margaritis. He graduated from the University of Kentucky in 1982 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and went on to earn a master’s degree in accounting from Case Western University.
Accounting may have been the career he chose, but stand-up comedy and making people laugh was his passion. Margaritis’s family noted in his obituary that “though accomplished in college, Pete would be the first to say that when all was said and done, he was a lousy accountant.” An interaction with a boss when he was a young professional led to the name of his business, The Accidental Accountant.
His bio states, “During one of Peter’s performance reviews, his boss said, ‘How in the heck did you ever become a CPA? CPAs can dig deep into the details, and you skim the surface. Peter, you are an accidental accountant.’ She was right.”
During his time as a corporate CPA, Margaritis took improv classes and performed stand-up comedy. It was during that time when he said he discovered his true calling: Teaching what he knew rather than being a practicing CPA. That led him to university faculty positions where he combined his accounting skills with his improv performance skills. He realized his students not only learned more when they were entertained and engaged, but they also retained that knowledge and could apply it in new situations.
He most recently taught accounting in the Spears School of Business at Oklahoma State University, which said upon learning of his passing, “Pete served as the inaugural director of our School of Accounting Communications Center, taught hundreds of students in Survey of Accounting, delivered numerous workshops for our students and external stakeholders, and added joy, enthusiasm, and a sense of fun to the School of Accounting operations. Once a Cowboy, always a Cowboy. We will miss you dearly, Professor Margaritis.”
During his career, Peter held several leadership roles, including chairman of the Ohio Society of CPAs Executive Board in 2010-11 and president of the Ohio chapter of the National Speakers Association in 2018-19.
“His humor and wit, bringing improv techniques to accountants and businesspeople through his books and workshops, made a significant contribution,” NSA Ohio said in a LinkedIn post. “As NSA Ohio president Peter created the ‘Nailed It’ award to acknowledge great contributions. The nail in a 2×4 never fails to bring a smile.”
Farr wrote in her tribute to Margaritis that while Peter was proud of earning his CPA, he was perhaps even prouder when he earned his CSP (Certified Speaking Professional) from the National Speakers Association.
“Some of my closest friendships were formed in the National Speakers Association. One of the earliest was with Peter Margaritis, The Accidental Accountant. When we met, Peter and I hit it off right away,” Eddie Turner, a leadership development expert, wrote in a March 31 post on LinkedIn. “Peter was a terrific person who had a zest for life. He had a passion for improv—so much so that he had custom cufflinks made with his favorite phrase. Peter Margaritis loved his family and friends with a fierceness. He was loyal and will truly be missed.”
Margaritis was the author of three books—Improv is No Joke, Taking the Numb Out of Numbers, and Off Script—all of them touching upon how to utilize improvisation in the business world, providing tools to help navigate change and improve interactions in the workplace through improv.
“He taught me about the power of storytelling in his Taking the Numb Out of Numbers book,” Perry said. “We will all miss him forever.”
Margaritis also hosted a podcast, first under the name “Improv is No Joke” and later as “Change Your Mindset,” where he interviewed accounting profession notables like Tom Hood, Kimberley Ellison-Taylor, Rebekah Brown, Amy Vetter, and Kristen Rampe.
“Touching many people’s lives, Pete will be remembered most for his loyalty to friends and family and for the way he would make you feel like the most important person in the world when you had his attention. While not long enough, his life was well lived,” his family said in his obituary. “Wherever he is now, and whoever is there to greet him, undoubtedly he is ready with a ‘Yes! And … .'”
Margaritis is survived by his wife, Mary, his son, Stephen, and his siblings, Steve and Stacie. Funeral services were held in Lexington, KY, on March 26.
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Tags: Accounting, Peter Margaritis
