Joshua R. Zender

Associate Professor of Accounting

Joshua R. Zender is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and an Associate Professor of Accounting at Cal Poly Humboldt. He teaches corporate social responsibility, ethics, financial, managerial, cost, government, and nonprofit accounting. His research interests include cannabis tax and cost accounting matters. As an affiliated researcher of the Humboldt Institute for Interdisciplinary Marijuana Research, he has collaborated with his colleagues to produce the first Standardized Regulatory Impact Assessment (SRIA) of Regulations for Manufacturers of Adult-Use and Medical Cannabis in the State of California. This study was utilized by policymakers to design a cannabis tax system and project future governmental revenues. Through the work of his own CPA practice, he actively serves cannabis clients within the Emerald Triangle of Northern California.

Accomplishments

• Zender, J. (2020). “The Cannabis Enigma: Navigating Inequitable Tax, Banking, and Insurance Milieu in the United States” Book Chapter in the Handbook of Cannabis Studies.
• Eschker, Kaplan, Zender, et al. (2018). “Standardized Regulatory Impact Assessment (SRIA) of Proposed Regulations for Manufacturers of Adult-Use and Medical Cannabis.” Technical report prepared for the State of California’s Department of Finance.
• Zender, J. (2018). “The Marijuana Accountant.” Institute of Management Accountants (IMA) National Annual Conference. Indianapolis, IN, June 16th-20th, 2018.
• Zender, J. (2018) “Cannabis Accounting.” American Accounting Association Sectional Meeting. Vancouver, WA, March 10-14th, 2018.
• Zender, J. (2017) “Cost Accounting Considerations of Cannabis Clients.” Institute of Management Accountants (IMA) National Annual Conference. Denver, CO, June 10th-12th, 2017.
• Zender, J. (May 5, 2017). “Why Does the Cannabis Industry Need Accounting?” The Emerald Tribune, Eureka, CA. Houston, W. (August 2nd, 2016). “Growing divide: Humboldt County Pot Farmers Dispute Tax Proposal.” Times-Standard, Eureka, CA.
• Zender, J. (Jan/Feb, 2016). “Marijuana Legalization’s Impact on State Budgets.” National Social Science Journal. 46(1), pp. 67-77.
• Zender, J., (2015). “Cannabis Deregulation & Municipal Bond Market Rates.” Association of Government Accountants Conference. Nashville, TN, July 15-19th.
• Zender, J. (2015). “Forecasting the Impact of Cannabis Open Markets.” NSSA Summer Conference. Portland, OR.