Dr. Shastri has been actively involved in research related to internal management accounting practices. One of her current studies focuses on firms that do not utilize budgeting as part of their management information system. A recent study examined firms' budgeting processes to assess the value-added from these processes as well as identify best practices while another published paper focuses on firms that do not use budgets as a management tool. Additionally, she has been involved in a case write-up on real options and capital budgeting.
She has also and continues to work on the topics of costs as they relate to effectiveness in the criminal justice and human services fields. She has examined these aspects with respect to programs provided by behavioral health organizations for school age children, services training for officers and prosecutors (STOP), electronic fingerprinting and photo imaging, arraignments through video conferencing, and programs that instruct in the area of community oriented policing, an effort to integrate the police into the community, among others.
She also continues to evaluate the financial condition of firms and health care entities as a result of economic and firm-specific events.
Dr. Shastri serves on the Editorial Board for the Journal of Public Budgeting, Accounting & Financial Management and has been on the Editorial Board for Research in Healthcare Financial Management, and an ad hoc reviewer for accounting-related journals and conferences. Her research areas, teaching interests and other professionally related activities are correlated since all of these factors focus on an entity's effectiveness, efficiencies, and costs of activities.
In addition to serving as President of FEI Pittsburgh during the 2017-18 chapter year, Dr. Shastri is a member of several accounting organizations, including the American Accounting Association, American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, and Institute of Management Accountants.
Courses Recently Taught
Undergraduate and graduate classes in Managerial Accounting and Strategic Cost Management
Graduate class in Financial Accounting
Graduate class in Not for Profit and Governmental Accounting Awards and Honors
Shastri has been awarded a grant from the Institute of Management Accountants for Budgeting Systems: Operations, Firm Performance, and Management Rewards. Shastri has also received grants from and prepared reports for the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD) for:
An Evaluation of the Stop Violence against Women Training Program (STOP) with Holly Wald.
An Evaluation of Video Arraignments with Holly Wald.
An Evaluation of Community Oriented Policing Seminars (COPS) with Holly Wald.
An Evaluation of Criminal Identification Technology with Holly Wald.
An Evaluation of Management Information Systems with KIT Solutions, Inc.
Professional Service and Activities
Pittsburgh Chapter of the Institute of Management Accountings, Member, Board of Directors, 2010 - present.
Pittsburgh Chapter of Financial Executives International, Member, Board of Directors
Research in Healthcare Financial Management, Editorial Board.
Treasurer and Member, Board of Directors, National Cyber Forensic and Training Alliance (NCFTA), a Pittsburgh-based organization that investigates cyber crimes.
Member of the Board of Directors, and Chairman, Finance Committee, Renewal Inc., a Pittsburgh-based community corrections firm.
Member, Board of Directors, Renewal Treatment Inc., a Pittsburgh-based drug and alcohol treatment program.
Member, Board of Directors, Lydia's Place., a Pittsburgh-based services program for incarcerated women and their families.
Member, Board of Directors, GetPaid., a Pittsburgh-based employment services agency for persons involved in community corrections.
hastri continues to provide her expertise to the AICPA to review CPA exam questions Degrees
PhD in Accounting, University of Pittsburgh MBA in Finance, University of Pittsburgh BS in Business Administration, University of Baltimore