Accounting professionals from central North Carolina and southern Virginia gathered at Elon University for the 1st Annual Department of Accounting and Finance Spring CPE Seminar on Monday, May 22nd. The seminar kicked off with a presentation titled “SOX: What is it good for: Money Well Spent,” in which Brad Hayes, Chief Financial Officer, Ed Dodson, Chief Accounting Officer, and Dale Phipps, Chief Auditing Officer — all from Laboratory Corporation of America (LabCorp) — discussed the impact, challenges and benefits of Sarbanes-Oxley legislation.
The program continued as Glenn Helms, professor of accounting with the Love School of Business, challenged and entertained participants with a lively session entitled “Fraud: How to Fool the Auditors and Catch the Evil Doers.” In this session, Glenn stressed how traditional auditing techniques often fail to detect fraud and discussed various tools and techniques used by forensic accountants to catch evildoers. Helms is a nationally recognized speaker in this field and was recently honored with the Outstanding Discussion Leader Award from the American Institute of CPAs.
The seminar wrapped up with a highly interactive session, “Responding to Change: Personal and Organizational Choices,” led by David Noer, Frank S. Holt Professor of Leadership. Participants explored the effects of changes in the business climate and how individuals and organizations respond to change and transition. Noer is the author of six books, including Healing the Wounds and Breaking Free.
The Department of Accounting and Finance hosts two seminars annually, and participants earn credit toward the continuing professional education requirement of the AICPA for continued certification. Presenters volunteer their time, and proceeds go to support undergraduate student activities through the Lambda Xi chapter of Beta Alpha Psi, the international honors organization for accounting and finance majors. The seminars are co-hosted and coordinated by Elon Executive Education, an outreach of the Love School of Business.
For information on other seminars or program available through Elon Executive Education, visit www.elon.edu/execed.