Vote for the Future Leaders of the ACFE

GUEST BLOGGER

Joseph R. Dervaes, CFE, CIA, ACFE Fellow
Regent Emeritus (1999-2003)

I served the longest term ever on the Board of Regents: four years, with three years as Chairman. It was the beginning of a long career of service to the membership in ACFE leadership positions on the Board of Regents, the Board of Review and the ACFE Foundation Board of Directors; 13 consecutive years in all. Applying to be a member of the Board of Regents and then being elected to serve the membership, were clearly the greatest events of my professional career. It even led to my later selection as the recipient of the Donald R. Cressey Lifetime Achievement Award in 2003. My term on the Board of Regents allowed me to forge life-long personal and professional relationships with fellow Board members, two of whom subsequently received the Cressey Award as well. This glimpse of the quality of those who served on the Board of Regents with me should present you with a picture of future leaders in action. Yes, there was the downside of having to act to discipline members who failed to abide by the ACFE Code of Ethics. But, more importantly, there was the upside of working to establish new ACFE programs, participating in developing standards as well as program policies and procedures, and helping to formalize standards for ACFE Chapters around the world. 

The Board of Regents is the highest level of CFE leadership available in the ACFE. CFEs who have presented their names on the annual ballot are some of the finest professionals throughout the world. They have taken the first step by throwing their hat into the ring for election consideration by you, the members. Now it's your turn to take that all-important step of voting for the two CFEs of your choice. Vote wisely because these new leaders will help to set the future direction of the ACFE. And if you attend the 24^th Annual ACFE Global Fraud Conference, please take the time to introduce yourself to the Regents and thank them for their service.

Give a fellow CFE the opportunity to represent you on the Board of Regents by voting right now for the two representatives of your choice. Act now to help a colleague begin their role as a future leader in the premier anti-fraud organization in the world. You won't regret it, and those elected to represent you will always remember your grassroots support just like I have done over the years.

Not Your Average Board of Regents

GUEST BLOGGER

Bruce Dorris, J.D., CFE, CPA
ACFE Program Director

It’s that time of year again for Certified Fraud Examiners (CFEs). Today, June 1, marks the beginning of the nomination period for the ACFE Board of Regents elections. There are always so many qualified applicants, and, year after year, we continue to have such great representation on the Board.

Now if you are like most people, perhaps sitting on the fence of whether you wish to subject yourself to yet another meeting or another Board appointment, think again. The past Boards of Regents I have been involved with are always surprisingly fun, and the current Board is no exception.

For example, our initial February meeting at ACFE headquarters in Austin has fallen on my birthday for the last several years. This year’s Board decided it would be amusing (to them at least) to have a birthday cake presented to me at our traditional Texas BBQ dinner (see photo). Except they made a minor adjustment to the cake – they added trick candles that would not blow out, despite my best efforts. Now, regardless of the fact that I nearly set the table on fire trying to extinguish this practical joke, it showed just how light-hearted this group was. With responsibilities like setting the CFE Exam testing and CPE requirements, and enforcing the CFE Code of Professional Ethics, it is refreshing to know that such a dedicated and hard-working group can still sit back and have a good laugh (even at my expense). While they address serious issues by day, they can also let loose a little by night and enjoy one another’s company.

Whoever is nominated during this election and fortunate enough to be chosen will join a strong, confident and fun group. Nominate a CFE you know that meets these criteria, perhaps even yourself. But if you are elected, please, no trick candles.

Three New Regents Elected

AUTHOR'S POST

Mandy Moody
ACFE Social Media Specialist

The ACFE is proud to announce that Michelle Brown, CFE; Roger Darvall-Stevens, MBA, CFE; and James J. Oakes, CFE, CFCI, have been elected to the 2012-2013 ACFE Board of Regents. Fellow CFEs elected them from a list of nine candidates selected by the Board’s nomination committee. Brown, Darvall-Stevens and Oakes will take office at the Board’s meeting in February at ACFE headquarters in Austin, Texas.

Michelle Brown, CFE, Verizon Business

Brown, a pioneer in her field, has dedicated her career to working in the call-center industry. She has delivered a comprehensive suite of services to more than 60 global call-center clients and has received accolades from several Fortune 500 companies for her investigations and fraud controls. In one assignment, in which no fraud prevention team existed, she established, prepared and led an internal team of investigators in the discovery of a single fraud scheme with losses of more than $2 million.

Roger Darvall-Stevens, MBA, CFE, Ernst & Young, Fraud Investigation & Disputes Services

Darvall-Stevens has more than 25 years of anti-fraud and investigation forensics experience with Ernst & Young and in vehicle manufacturing insurance, and in law enforcement as a former policeman and detective. As a Certified Fraud Examiner since 2004, he said he wants to represent ACFE and its members, including those in the Asia-Pacific region, as part of the association’s sustained global efforts as the world’s largest anti-fraud organization.

James Oakes, CFE, CFCI, Financial Crime Risk Consultant

Oakes’ financial crime management experience spans the public, private and corporate sectors with an emphasis on financial services. He has worked on many complex cases, including those in corporate fraud, terrorism, ecrimes, corporate security, identity fraud, internal fraud, ethics violations, bribery and corruption. The Financial Services Authority, a U.K. regulator, has registered him as an “approved person” related to his money laundering reporting officer responsibilities. He has been vice president of the ACFE’s U.K. Chapter since 2005.

Find more information and read complete bios here.