Dr. Hira is the dean of the College of Business at Iowa State University. Prior to his appointment as the dean, he served as department chair for Accounting and Finance, associate dean, senior associate dean and interim dean of the College.

He earned his Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics from the University of Missouri – Columbia. His B.S. in Agriculture and M.S. in Economics are from Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, Punjab, India. Dr. Hira specializes in the taxation of retirement and insurance products with financial accounting being his teaching focus. He has been quoted in the Wall Street Journal and has authored numerous journal articles. He has served on the editorial board of two national journals and authored chapters in four books.

During his term as associate dean (1996-2000) and senior associate dean 2000-2001), Dr. Hira was instrumental in developing and implementing the Des Moines MBA program. He also chaired MBA students' program of study committees during this time while managing the College budget.

At Iowa State University, Dr. Hira chaired the College of Business Building Planning Committee. It was a $25 million project to build a state of the art facility for the College. The Gerdin Business Building, named for donors Russ and Ann Gerdin, opened in January 2004.

Dr. Hira serves on the Advisory Board of the Iowa State University Foundation. He is also a member of the Finance Committee for the Foundation. From 1996-2000, he was co-chair of the "Drive from Within" campaign. This $10 million fund drive exceeded its goal by raising $14.2 million.

He has also served on the Employee Plans Ad Hoc Committee for the Internal Revenue Service. For the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Dr. Hira acted as a technical reviewer for continuing professional education courses and served on the Employee Benefits Subcommittee.

Dr. Hira is a member of the Advisory Board, Audit Committee, and Compensation Committee of Smithway Motor Xpress Corporation. He serves on the Advisory Board and Public & Professional Relation Committee for the Iowa Society of Certified Public Accountants (ISCPA). At the ISCPA, Dr. Hira has also served on the Federal Taxation Committee, Professional Ethics Committee, Insurance and Membership Benefit Committee, and was an expert volunteer for employee benefits with the society's call-in program.

Dr. Hira is a member of the Iowa Society of Certified Public Accountants, American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, American Association of Accountants, American Taxation Association, Beta Gamma Sigma (Honor Society for Collegiate Schools of Business), and Gamma Sigma Delta (Honor Society of Agriculture).