ACFE Foundation awards scholarships in 25th year of Ritchie-Jennings Memorial Scholarship Program

The ACFE Foundation has awarded $55,000 to college and university students through the Ritchie-Jennings Memorial Scholarship Program for the 2019-2020 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.

An independent board of directors manages the ACFE Foundation. Its members include: Vincent Walden, CFE, CPA, chairman; Charles Washington, CFE, CICA, CPP, vice chairman; Vice President and General Counsel John Warren, J.D., CFE, secretary; ACFE Controller Jeannie Kwong, 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’re glad that the Ritchie-Jennings Memorial Scholarship Program has been so helpful to scores of students in the last quarter century,” says Ryan Schwoebel, CFE, chair of the ACFE Scholarship Committee at the time of the judging. “Our applicant pool was outstanding. The future of the profession is bright.

“Thanks to my fellow committee members for their hard work in considering all the applicants — Sharad Kumar, CFE, CQA; Mark F. Lukens, CFE, CFI; Natasha Novikov, CFE, CPA, CFF; and Robert N. Sinclair, CFE.

“And I thank Dinora Soto, the ACFE’s higher education program coordinator,” says Schwoebel. “We couldn’t have done our work without her great organizational skills."

ACFE President and CEO Bruce Dorris, J.D., CFE, CPA, says the ACFE Foundation is grateful to the members and generous ACFE chapters who contribute to the scholarship program. “As we enter our 26th year of this amazing scholarship program, we’re so thankful to our generous members and chapters who want to make sure that we support budding fraud examiners for decades to come. During that time, contributions from ACFE members have enabled the Foundation to distribute approximately $800,000 to nearly 600 deserving students.

“Dr. Joseph T. Wells, CFE, CPA, the ACFE’s founder and Chairman, knew the ACFE and its members had to heartily support prospective CFEs to ensure the profession would thrive. So, he began the Foundation and the Ritchie-Jennings Memorial Scholarship to not only help replace retiring CFEs but multiply their numbers. Communities around the world have been the benefactors,” Dorris says.

The ACFE’s Board of Regents voted to name the scholarship program the Ritchie-Jennings Memorial Scholarship 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, visit ACFE.com/scholarship. Students may apply for the 2020-2021 academic year in September of this year.

The ACFE presented these students with the top seven awards:

$10,000: Yelesina Hernandez, University of Houston

Yelesina Hernandez’s passion to pursue a career in fraud examination began, she says, when she attended a workshop hosted by the CIA that discussed the importance of forensic accounting and fraud examination in many CIA assignments. Since the workshop, Hernandez has worked hard to find opportunities to learn about fraud examination from professionals in the field.

She co-founded the University of Houston (UH) ACFE student chapter (of which she is the IT and communications officer), has attended Houston ACFE Chapter luncheons and volunteered at the chapter’s annual convention.

Hernandez maintains a 4.0 GPA as she earns bachelor’s and master’s degrees in the UH Professional Program in Accountancy. She’s active in the Hispanic Business Student Association at UH. Following her studies, Hernandez says she’s interested in pursuing opportunities in Ernst and Young’s Forensic and Integrity Services group. She then would like to move into a position at CIA headquarters fighting fraud as a forensic accountant. Hernandez’s recommendations for the Ritchie-Jennings scholarship laud her initiative, leadership, advocacy and commitment.

$5,000: Marie Rice, CFE, West Virginia University

Marie Rice maintains a 3.77 GPA as she pursues her doctorate in accounting. Her participation at Gonzaga University’s Justice for Fraud Victims Project (JFVP) influenced her decision to earn a Ph.D. and teach future anti-fraud professionals in higher education. Rice received multiple awards for her work with the JFVP, including the Chief’s Citizen Award from the Spokane Police Department.

She was a 2010 recipient of the ACFE’s Outstanding Achievement in Outreach/Community Service Award. Rice also helped form the ACFE Spokane chapter.

$5,000: Daniel Luna, George Mason University

Daniel Luna says he’s had a strong interest in accounting long before college, where he’s earning a master’s degree in the field. He maintains a 3.93 GPA while also volunteering as a student member of the Virginia Society of CPAs (VSCPA). He’s also a member of Tau Sigma National Honor Society.

After graduation, Luna says wants to earn the CFE credential and CPA license and work in forensic accounting with a public accounting firm.

$5,000: Ethan Howard, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

Ethan Howard says he’s been interested in fraud fighting and forensics since he was 15. His involvement in the Sumner County Teen Court during high school helped nurture and cultivate his interest to learn more about the legal system and pursue an anti-fraud career, he says. He’s a junior with a major in accounting and a minor in criminal justice. A mid-size public accounting firm has offered him a litigation support/fraud and forensics internship.

Howard is a crime analyst intern with the Chattanooga Police Department. He says he’s developed connections within law enforcement and the legal system while learning about various crimes.

Howard says his ultimate career goal is to work for the FBI as a forensic accountant and eventually become the FBI director. After graduation, he says he plans to work in public accounting in the forensics field or go straight to the FBI while obtaining his CPA license and CFE credential.

$5,000: Hannah Algasem, Boston University

Hannah Algasem’s academic background is in criminology, but she says she’s always been interested in how financial institutions help prevent or end illicit activities, such as human trafficking.

She works as a financial intelligence analyst with Lone Star National Bank in Texas along the southwest border. Her role requires her to do extensive research on high-risk accounts to identify any questionable patterns or trends that could point to illegal activity.

Algasem has interned with the U.S. federal probation office where she assisted in writing pre-sentence investigation reports and follow-up evaluations on offenders who committed offenses ranging from white-collar crimes to sexual assault. Her investigative training during her internship, she says, helped her obtain her current position as a financial intelligence analyst and set her on a career path in white-collar crime and cybersecurity.

$2,500: Steven Shannon, University of Wisconsin- Platteville

Steven Shannon works as a special agent with the U.S. Secret Service and maintains a 3.98 GPA as he pursues a master’s degree in criminal justice at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville. At the Secret Service, Shannon has investigated complex wire, bank and credit card fraud cases. He previously worked as a municipal police officer for more than a decade.

Shannon says he derives professional fulfillment from ensuring justice for everyday citizens and businesses. His duties are split between investigative work and protective duties. He says his goal is to become a CFE and pursue a full-time fraud investigation position. Shannon says he’d also like to teach future law enforcement professionals part time.

$2,500: Alison Parker, Metropolitan State University

Alison Parker says a former professor’s “contagious” passion for fighting fraud led to her anti-fraud career interests. She’s pursuing a master’s degree in accounting and is a student member of the ACFE and the ACFE Colorado Chapter. Parker maintains a 3.69 GPA and has received awards, including the National Engaged Leader Award from the National Society of Leadership & Success.

After graduation, Parker says she plans to pursue the CFE credential in the fall of 2021. Her career goal, she says, is to work as a forensic accountant with Colorado’s Office of the Attorney General.

$2,500: Matthew Mitchell, Old Dominion University

Matthew Mitchell maintains a 3.63 GPA as he pursues a master’s degree in accounting. He was an audit intern with BDO in Norfolk, Virginia, which hired him as an audit associate. He’s a member of the ACFE Hampton Roads Chapter and the IIA Tidewater Chapter.

Mitchell also served as the vice president of the Managerial Auditing and Accounting Club, plus the ACFE and IIA student chapters. He’s pursuing the CFE credential, CPA license and CIA designation.

$2,500: Emily Taylor, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

Emily Taylor’s job as a U.S. Army intelligence analyst inspired her to pursue forensic accounting and fraud examination. She’s studying accounting and has maintained a 3.58 GPA. Taylor’s goal is to be an internal auditor for a major corporation such as Amazon or Google. After graduation, Taylor wants to earn an MBA, the CFE credenetial and the CPA license. She’s a member of the ACFE and the student chapter at Embry-Riddle.

The ACFE presented each of these students with a $1,000 scholarship:

Samantha Brooks, New York University

Samantha Brooks is pursuing a master’s degree in accounting. She’s interned for the FBI and is interning this summer for PricewaterhouseCoopers as a forensic consultant. Brooks maintains a 3.57 GPA. She says her ultimate goal is to be a forensic accountant for the U.S. federal government.

Stafford Baum, Georgia Southern University

Stafford Baum is pursuing bachelor’s and master’s degrees in accounting. He’s an officer for his university’s ACFE student chapter. He maintains a 3.51 GPA. He says he hopes to work at a local CPA firm with a forensic accounting practice.

Annissa Steiner, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

Annissa Steiner is studying forensic accounting and fraud examination. She says she plans to pursue a master’s in accounting, the CFE credential and CPA license, and then a career in internal audit in the aeronautical industry. Steiner has a 4.0 GPA.

Rashae Hart, St. Mary’s University

Rashae Hart is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in commerce with an intended declared major in finance. She says she intends to pursue a master’s degree in either forensic accounting or fraud examination. She has a 4.0 GPA and has made the dean’s list.

Jaron Patterson, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

Jaron Patterson, CFE, is earning an MBA. He has a 4.0 GPA. Patterson works in the University of Tennessee Police Department’s FBI Cyber Task Force. He says his goal is to be an FBI special agent.

Stephen Cox, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi

Stephen Cox works as a detective with the narcotics division of a municipal police department. He maintains a 4.0 GPA as he pursues a master’s degree in accounting. He says he’s planning to retire from police work and transition to a career in private-industry forensic accounting or fraud investigation.

Colin Haynes, Western Governors University-Nevada

Colin Haynes is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in accounting. He’s worked for the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department as a senior financial intelligence analyst. He says he’ll be earning his CPA license. He has a 3.0 GPA.

Claudia Munoz, Florida Atlantic University

Claudia Munoz is studying forensic accounting and business valuation with a 3.94 GPA. She says she plans to earn the CFE credential and the CPA license, become a forensic accountant in the private sector and eventually open a public accounting and fraud examination practice.

Trent Williams, Penn State University

Trent Williams is earning a master’s degree in accounting and maintains a 3.9 GPA. He interned for the Office of the County Controller of Schuylkill County, where he worked on internal audits, the first “simple pension” form report and the 2017 “friendly understandable financial statement.” Williams is a member of the Beta Gamma Sigma Honor Society and treasurer of Penn State University’s Corporate Control and Analysis Club. He says he plans to earn the CFE credential and the CPA license, and work for a government agency.

Kylie Ting, University of Texas at Austin

Kylie Ting plans to graduate with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in accounting and earning the CFE credential and the CPA license. She has a 3.84 GPA. Ting says she wants to be a forensic auditor with the U.S. Government Accountability Office.

Michael Gillen, Villanova University

Michael Gillen is a finance and accounting double major with a 3.8 GPA. He says anti-fraud professionals, including professors and his father, have influenced him. He serves on the executive board and is an ambassador at the Villanova School of Business, and is an active member of the Villanova Mergers and Acquisitions Society. Gillen says he plans on pursuing the CFE credential, the CPA license and the Certified Financial Planner certification.

Haley West, Wake Forest Business School

Haley West is pursuing an MBA and maintains a 3.7 GPA. She says she plans to focus on developing business theory as it relates to organizational psychology and its effects on employee fraud. West is a member of SynerG, a young professional’s group; the ACFE; AICPA; and the North Carolina Association of CPAs. West says she’d like to earn a doctorate in a management program and work for the FBI.

Claire O’Brien, The Catholic University of America

Claire O’Brien is pursuing a bachelor’s in accounting with a minor in finance. After graduation, she says she plans on earning the CPA license, becoming a forensic accountant and working at one of the Big Four accounting firms. O’Brien has a 3.41 GPA.

Eric Ingwerson, Montana State University

Eric Ingwerson is studying accounting. He says he plans to pursue a career in internal audit, a master’s degree in professional accounting, the CFE credential and the Certified Internal Auditor certification. Eric has a 3.15 GPA.

Crystal Balderas, Texas A&M University-Kingsville

Crystal Balderas is studying accounting. She says she wants to pursue the CPA license and be an FBI special agent. After college, Balderas says she plans on working at a bank. She has a 3.03 GPA.