ACFE Foundation awards scholarships in 23rd year of Ritchie-Jennings Memorial Scholarship Program

The ACFE Foundation has awarded $52,500 to college and university students through the Ritchie-Jennings Memorial Scholarship Program for the 2017-2018 school year. Each recipient also will receive a one-year ACFE student membership.

The ACFE Foundation, a nonprofit entity, raises funds to support the scholarship program for the education of students worldwide who have an interest in pursuing a career in fraud examination or similar fields. Candidates must be enrolled in accounting, business administration, finance or criminal justice higher-education programs. ACFE chapters and ACFE members also help underwrite the scholarships with donations. Also, royalties from books written by ACFE founder and Chairman Dr. Joseph T. Wells, CFE, CPA, help fund the scholarships.

The ACFE Foundation is managed by a board of directors that includes: Frank Abel, CFE, CFF, CPA, chairman (who’s also chairman of the ACFE Scholarship Committee); Vice President and General Counsel John Warren, J.D., CFE, secretary; ACFE Chief Financial Officer Marianne Fatter, CFE, CPA, treasurer; and Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Jeanette LeVie, CFE, assistant treasurer.

The ACFE Scholarship Committee reviews scholarship applications and recommends recipients to the ACFE Foundation Board of Directors.

“We’ve received impressive applications from budding fraud examiners from around the world,” says Abel. “I welcome them to our family of fraud fighters. We hope these scholarships will help encourage them as they begin their careers.

“I would like to express my sincere thanks to my fellow scholarship committee members for their persistent efforts — Sharad Kumar, CFE; Ryan Schwoebel, CFE; Paul Soos, CFE; and Jesse Weideman, CFE, CMA, CPA. Each of them provided sincere and honest considerations of each applicant’s potential as a scholarship participant.

“Our great thanks go to Joshua Amell, CFE, the scholarship committee liaison with the ACFE,” says Abel. “His organizational skills made the scholarship decision process seamless.”

Vice President and Program Director Bruce Dorris, J.D., CFE, CPA, CVA, says that the ACFE Foundation is grateful to the members who contribute to the scholarship program. “Our profession can’t survive unless we support the education of our future fraud examiners,” he says. “We’re not automatically self-perpetuating. Experienced CFEs have to support the new generation of anti-fraud professionals.”

The ACFE’s Board of Regents voted to name the scholarship program the Ritchie-Jennings Memorial Scholarships in 1998. Tracy Ritchie, CFE, and Larry Jennings, CFE, CPA, were killed Nov. 12, 1997, in Karachi, Pakistan, when terrorists fired on their vehicle during a business trip.

For more information about the Ritchie-Jennings Memorial Scholarship Program and applying for the 2018-2019 academic year, visit ACFE.com/Scholarship.

Following are the recipients for the top awards:

$10,000 scholarship: Alyssa Ong, West Virginia University

 

Alyssa Ong is a third-year doctoral student at West Virginia University maintaining a 3.86 GPA. Her research interests are fraud and forensics.

She reviews and codes the litigation releases for the Institute for Fraud Prevention’s Securities and Exchange Commission litigation release database.

Ong, a native of Malaysia, has recently passed the CFE Exam. She’s a member of the American Accounting Association, Beta Alpha Psi, Beta Gamma Sigma and Mortar Board international honors societies.

Her career goal is to become a university professor, teach students within the accounting and anti-fraud communities, and conduct fraud and forensic accounting research.

After graduation, Ong hopes to publish her dissertation to offer practical applications in detecting fraud and deterring fraud. She also would like to teach and inspire future fraud examiners, forensic accountants and litigation support professionals.

$5,000 scholarship: Nir Hertz, American University

 

Nir Hertz maintains a 3.92 GPA at American University. A native of Israel, he served in the Israeli Defense Forces as a special forces combatant for three years and for 2 ½ years as an air marshal at the Israeli prime minister’s office.

Hertz is interning in the Enforcement and Investigation Department of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board. His past work experience in the governmental security sector and his strong interest in accounting has enhanced his fascination with forensic accounting. He’d like to further his knowledge in the detection and investigation of business crimes and the role of forensic accountants in uncovering fraud.

After graduation, Hertz hopes to accept a position with one of the Big 4 accounting firms in a tax practice. With experience, he plans to transfer to the company’s forensic accounting practice.

$5,000 scholarship: Joon Suh, University of Portsmouth, England

 

Joon Suh, a native of the Republic of Korea, is a senior inspector with the South Korean Police Agency and a full-time doctoral student with a 3.78 GPA at the University of Portsmouth, England, in the Centre for Counter-Fraud Studies within the Institute of Criminal Justice.

Suh’s research interest is in occupational fraud within the financial industry. His thesis is on managing occupational fraud risk within the banking industry.

He won first prize in the 2014 National Lecturing Competition and also received the Prime Minister Award. Joon plans on becoming a CFE and hopes to educate anti-fraud professionals throughout the country.

$2,500 scholarship: Karey Curtin, Howard University

Karey Curtin is a student at Howard University, where she maintains a 3.99 GPA. She’s pursuing an accounting degree with a focus on forensic accounting in the School of Business Executive Leadership Honors Program.

Curtin has accepted an internship with KPMG for the summer of 2017. She’s the treasurer of the Howard University Student Council. Curtin is a member of Beta Gamma Sigma and has joined the National Association of Black Accountants.

She has made the dean’s list each semester, participated in the university’s Executive Leadership Honors Program, won the Northwestern Mutual competition and has participated in the National Deloitte Audit Innovation Campus Challenge in which university teams develop ways to improve the auditing profession.

After Curtin completes her master’s degree, she says she’ll seek employment that will utilize her strong desire and interest in investigating waste, corruption and malfeasance, especially related to taxpayer-funded projects.

$2,500 scholarship: Stacy Esimai, John Jay College of Criminal Justice

Stacy Esimai is pursuing a Master’s in Public Administration-Oversight and Inspection at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. She maintains 3.93 GPA.

While working at Deloitte, she mentored aspiring anti-fraud professionals through the National Association of Black Accountants and Deloitte Toastmasters.

Esimai became a full-time John Jay MPA-Inspector General student and received an unpaid internship with the New York City’s Comptroller’s Office Fraud Investigations group. Esimai is a CFE and a CPA.

$2,500 scholarship: Romaine Haffenden, New York University

Romaine Haffenden is pursuing a Master’s Degree in Accounting from New York University. He’s also an honors intern at the FBI’s New York Field Office. He’s interned at KPMG, PWC and the New York State Attorney General’s Office’s Consumer Frauds Bureau.

In 2016, he was accepted into the White House Internship Program but didn’t attend because of financial constraints. As a volunteer for the Nazi Victim Services Program, Haffenden visited and assisted Holocaust survivors. He also volunteered at Rikers Island Correctional Facility and tutored refugees at the International Rescue Committee.

After graduation, he plans to earn his CFE and CPA, and work in Ernst & Young’s Fraud Investigation and Disputes Services practice.

$2,500 scholarship: Sarah Maltz, Stevenson University

Sara Maltz maintains a 3.94 GPA as she pursues a Bachelor’s in Forensic Studies at Stevenson University. The program gives her the opportunity to explore her interest in fraud, investigations and white-collar crime. She serves on Stevenson University’s Accounting Association Executive Board.

Maltz is a member of the ACFE Maryland Chapter, volunteers through Operation HOPE — an organization associated with the university’s accounting department — teaches local elementary school students about basic banking concepts and is a member of the National Society of Leadership and Success, Sigma Alpha Pi.

Her career goal is to work in public accounting in an ethics, compliance or investigations department. She also plans to pursue a Master’s Degree in Forensic Studies plus the CFE and CPA credentials.

$2,500 scholarship: Lydia Rose, Utica College 

Lydia Rose maintains a 3.91 GPA while pursuing a Master’s Degree in Financial Crime and Compliance Management at Utica College. She says she’s passionate about detecting, investigating, and prosecuting financial crime.

As a student, she worked as a part-time teller at a credit union at which she learned about counterfeit checks, fraudulent invoices and the Bank Secrecy Act. In December 2015, she received the Member of the Year award from the International Association of Financial Crimes Investigators, an organization strengthening relationships between law enforcement, prosecution, and the private sector.

After graduation, Lydia plans to pursue the CFE, CAMS, CFCS, and CFCI credentials.

The following each received a $1,000 scholarship:

Ryan Amos, Case Western University

Ryan Amos is pursuing a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Case Western University. He maintains a GPA of 3.66. He was deployed with the U.S. Navy in Ramadi, Iraq in 2009. Amos was awarded the Navy Achievement Medal for the work he performed as an intelligence analyst and watch chief.

He has volunteered through numerous charities including Big Brothers/Big Sisters.

Amos plans to work in the financial services industry with a bank or consulting firm and eventually become a regulator, examiner or investigator for a government office.

Tyler Belec, Southern New Hampshire University

Tyler Belec is completing his Master’s Degree in Criminal Justice. He’s a member of the Alpha Phi Sigma Criminal Justice Honor Society and maintains a 3.83 GPA. Belec graduated cum laude with a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice from Northeastern University.

During his undergraduate studies, Belec completed an internship with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Mail Fraud Unit. He works at the U.S. Department of State screening U.S. passport applications for fraud. Belec eventually would like a career in federal law enforcement.

Galen Cheney, Seattle University School of Law

Galen Cheney is completing a Juris Doctor degree and maintains a 4.0 GPA. He is interested in financial technology and related fraud. Cheney, a financial examiner and regulator of financial technology companies, is interested in influencing the law to adapt to current vocabulary.

He’s created a data analytics program designed to detect and prevent fraud in closed-end consumer financial products. The Money Transmitter Regulators Association, a national organization of state regulators, awarded Cheney for outstanding achievement.

Rae Coleman, Southern New Hampshire University

Rae Coleman is completing her Master’s Degree in Criminal Justice while maintaining a 3.95 GPA. She’s an investigative trainee intern with the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Office of Inspector General (SBA OIG), Investigations Division.

Her contributions on a $20 million-plus government contract fraud case brought recognition from both the SBA OIG and the U.S. attorney’s office. Coleman wishes to work in federal law enforcement in a role focusing on financial crimes.

Corinn Deibel, West Virginia University

Corinn Deibel is completing her Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting at West Virginia University. She maintains a 3.97 GPA. She’s completed an internship with the FBI’s Buffalo, N.Y., Field Office, at which she worked with special agents and forensic accountants in their white-collar crime squad.

Deibel would like to earn the CPA and CFE credentials and join the FBI as a special agent. After graduation, she plans to pursue a Master’s Degree in Business Taxation at the University of South California.

Madison Gaither, University of Tennessee, Chattanooga

Madison Gaither is completing her Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting with a minor in Criminal Justice. She maintains a 4.0 GPA. She also studies Arabic at the Chattanooga School of Language. Gaither has made the dean’s list and Scholars in Residence for five consecutive semesters. She’d like to earn the CFE and CPA credentials and work as a forensic accountant within the FBI’s Terrorist Financing Operations Section.

Pia Gerloff, Northeastern University

Pia Gerloff is completing her Bachelor’s Degree in Finance with a 3.29 GPA. She’s an intern with Pioneer Investments in the trade and sales compliance department. Gerloff, a native of Germany, is interested in “Know your client” (KYC) and anti-money laundering rules and regulations.

Natalia Gieza, Newbury College

Natalia Gieza is pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting from Newbury College. She maintains a GPA of 3.94. She was nominated for the Leadership Academy at Newbury College and is actively involved in the Polish Community. After graduation, she plans to earn the CFE and CPA credentials. She plans to pursue a career in forensic accounting and work as a private accountant for an accounting firm.

Erika Jex, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

Erika is completing her Bachelor’s Degree in Forensic Accounting and Fraud Examination with a 3.93 GPA. She’s a member of the ACFE and the Aviation Business Networking Club, which hosts panels with business professionals. Jex was awarded a Women of Excellence certificate for outstanding academic achievements in the 2015-2016 academic year. She was on the dean’s list for two semesters. She would like to earn the CFE and CPA credentials and work for the U.S. Department of Justice.

Michelle Kinder, Western Governors University

Michelle Kinder is maintaining a 3.92 GPA as she completes a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration. As a school finance administrator she audits controls in place for numerous business cycles. Kinder plans on earning the CFE credential and obtaining an MBA.

Tiffany Mince, Texas State University

Tiffany Mince is completing her Master’s Degree in Health Information Management while maintaining a 4.00 GPA. She’s obtained her Registered Health Information Administrator certification. Mince is a student member of the American Health Information Management Association. She has spoken to groups on HIPPA and health care fraud issues. Mince plans to pursue the CFE credential and a career as a compliance officer.

Elena Nezhivleva, Florida International University

Elena Nezhivleva is completing her Master’s Degree in Finance with a 3.97 GPA. She’s a regulatory risk Consultant and manages risks for financial institutions. She’s interested in anti-money laundering and anti-bribery. Nezhivleva, a native of the Russian Federation, volunteers for Junior Achievement, which teaches basis financial skills to elementary school students. She also wishes to earn the CFE credential and obtain an MBA.

Thi Nhu Nguyen, University of Houston Clear Lake (Vietnam)

Thi Nhu Nguyen is an officer in the ACFE Student Chapter at the University of Houston Clear Lake and actively participates in the ACFE Houston Chapter. Her experiences in the hospitality industry influenced her desire to return to school and pursue a graduate degree in accounting. She carries a 3.7 GPA. After graduation, Nguyen, a native of Vietnam, will take the CFE and CPA exams and pursue employment in public accounting focusing on auditing and fraud examination.

Clayton Okada, University of Guam

Clayton Okada is employed in the gaming entertainment industry. He also serves as a teaching assistant at his university, at which he maintains a 3.7 GPA. Achieving both the CFE and CPA credentials are in his plans. His goals are to work for a public accounting firm and to continue to teach at his university as he pursues a graduate degree.

Emily Valla, Boise State University

Emily Valla is completing her Master’s Degree in Business Administration. She maintains a 3.95 GPA. She’s the vice president of the Idaho Crime Prevention Association. She planned and hosted two “Secure Your ID Day” events as the senior marketplace director for the Better Business Bureau. Valla has spoken to many groups about fraud, including the Idaho Scam Jam event. She was awarded the National Speaker’s Association Robert Henry Award in 2016.

Irina Vayner, John Jay College of Criminal Justice

Irina Vayner is completing her degree in fraud examination while maintaining a 3.80 GPA. She’s interested in forensic accounting and would like to earn the CFE credential. Vayner hopes to work for PWC and eventually the IRS.

Wade Weaver, Columbia Southern University

Wade Weaver is completing his Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration while he maintains a 3.92 GPA. As a law enforcement officer, he investigates fraud and computer crimes and provides fraud awareness presentations to community groups. Weaver has received several commendations from other agencies including the U.S. Secret Service because of his work in the anti-fraud field as a detective.

Margaret Wells, Southern Methodist University

Margaret Wells is completing her Master’s Degree in Accounting and maintains a 3.97 GPA. She’s worked for two years with Kanter Financial Forensics, a forensic accounting consulting firm. Wells has been a member of her university’s honors program and was designated as a distinguished business scholar. She’d like to obtain the CPA credential and join a fraud division at PWC.

Terryl Yelverton, Belhaven University

Terryl Yelverton is a bankruptcy paralegal specialist. She’s pursuing a post-baccalaureate certificate in accounting so she can become a bankruptcy analyst for the U.S. Trustee’s Office. She maintains a 3.94 GPA. Yelverton’s plan is to become a CFE and CPA after she completes her studies.

Rebecca Zinsley, John Jay College of Criminal Justice

Rebecca Zinsley is completing her Bachelor Degree in Fraud Examination and Financial Forensics while maintaining a 3.94 GPA. She’s made the dean’s list every semester and was invited to represent John Jay as a member of the National Society of Leadership and Success. Zinsley is on track to complete her bachelor’s in three years and then plans to pursue her MBA.