Congratulations to the Newly-Elected ACFE Regents

ACFE Board of Regents Welcomes Two New Members

The ACFE is proud to announce that Johnnie R. Bejarano, DBA, CFE, CPA, and E. Wendell Hopewell, MBA, CFE, CPA, have been elected to the ACFE Board of Regents. Fellow CFEs elected them from a list of six candidates selected by the Board’s nomination committee. Bejarano and Hopewell will take office at the Board’s meeting this month at ACFE headquarters in Austin, Texas.

JOHNNIE R. BEJARANO, DBA, CFE, CPA, is a senior financial analyst and former accounting manager at National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the nation's primary research and development laboratory for renewable energy and energy efficiency. He's also an adjunct faculty member and area chair of accounting and finance at the Denver campus of the University of Phoenix School of Business. He's a combat military veteran with 26½ years of service in the U.S. Air Force and Colorado Air National Guard. Bejarano was deputy commander for support in the Sultanate of Oman during Operation Enduring Freedom, served as the base comptroller at Buckley Air Force Base, and was involved in inspector general investigations and reports of surveys as an assistant U.S. property fiscal officer. He retired as a lieutenant colonel.

E. WENDELL HOPEWELL, MBA, CFE, CPA, is managing director of Forensic Professionals LLC, a national fraud practice that has helped vindicate corporate executives of fraud allegations launched by audit reports and investigations. Hopewell's career began in the 1980s with Ernst & Whinney, a precursor to Ernst & Young. He was awarded the Ernst & Young Research Fellowship in conjunction with the Government Finance Officer Association of the United States and Canada. Previously, Hopewell led his own regional firm, Hopewell & Company; was director of litigation at BDO Seidman; and was director of litigation at American Express. He also held a federal bankruptcy trusteeship. Hopewell's knowledge and application of professional accounting, auditing, fraud examination, and ethical standards resulted in the nation's first civil finding of audit fraud against state auditors, Pacific West Marketing and Communications Firm Inc. v. California State Department of Transportation, which resulted in a $2 million verdict.

The Board of Regents is elected by CFEs. They are responsible for setting membership standards that promote professionalism and ensure the future of the organization as a whole. Elections are held annually to fill vacant positions and all regents serve two-year terms. Read more about the ACFE Board of Regents here.