The ACFE Celebrates International Women's Day

AUTHOR'S POST

Mandy Moody, CFE
ACFE Content Manager

Today, March 8, the ACFE is proud to recognize more than 30,000 female anti-fraud professionals in honor of International Women's Day. We created a page on our website to share articles, resources and profiles of the women dedicating their time to fighting fraud. I also wanted to share a few of the quotes and stories we heard from women over the past year.

Thank you for your work and for your invaluable contribution to the global fight against fraud.

"My father was a college professor and university administrator. My mother (the late Carol Kelly Richmond) was an elementary school guidance counselor. Education was always around me and I loved seeing the impact my parents had on students’ lives. So, I decided to follow in their footsteps. I left KPMG because I truly missed the classroom. I am a second-generation college professor at my core, and I decided to listen to my inner voice and return to teaching. I would argue that I am the only accounting professor who is a documentary filmmaker, received 3½ stars from film critic Richard Roeper [for the documentary, “All the Queen’s Horses”] and has an IMDb page. So, yes, I think I have developed a unique quality. I like being different and developing my own niche. Many students are visual learners, so teaching accounting using film is a natural progression for my teaching style." - Kelly Richmond Pope, Ph.D., CFE, CPA, professor and filmmaker

"Listening and following up with the right questions is much more important than being able to demonstrate what you know off the top of your head. Getting the complete factual picture will naturally elicit the appropriate conclusions and guide a recommendation." - Jill Handley, CFE, business owner

"I was the first reporter on the scene of a tragic plane crash in a huge corn field. As the Kentucky state trooper moved through the scene, I remember feeling helpless and out of place holding my microphone. I decided public service was the way to go — helping people during their most challenging times. So, I moved back to Louisville and joined the Jefferson County Police Department. I became fascinated with all manner of investigation — from homicides to fraud. After almost eight years as a police officer (including a gig as the spokesperson, thanks to my reporter training), I became a special agent with the FBI where I started in white-collar crime." - Wendy Evans, CFE, corporate ethics investigator

Read more about the women in the anti-fraud profession and share your own achievements below in the comment section. Happy International Women's Day!