2018 -2019 Board Elections

It is time for board elections.  Board elections will be completed by May 31st.  As of April 23rd, there are no positions for which there are more than one candidate.  Around April 30th, we will be sending an election notice through Survey Monkey to members in good standing of the Austin Chapter with a choice to either accept the entire slate of volunteers for each position  or reject the entire slate of volunteers.  Votes must be posted before May 31st.  If a majority of the votes is to reject the slate of candidates, we will hold elections for each position as soon as possible in 2018.

Please note that some of the positions are on a one year cycle and some are on a two year cycle.  We are intentionally staggering board positions so that we can better maintain institutional knowledge from year-to-year.

Here are short bios on persons that have volunteered for each position.

Billy Petty – running for President (a one-year term)

I have been a CFE since 2009 and have been involved with the Austin Chapter on some level for much of that time. For the past two years, I have served as the Chapter Treasurer.  My only goal is for our chapter to grow in the quality of what is provided to our membership.  I have been privileged to have been part of a board that truly worked toward that goal and am willing to serve as the President of the Austin Chapter.

Erin Anker – running for Vice President (a two-year term)

I am a shareholder in the Austin public accounting firm of Phillips Anker, PC.  I work with small- to medium-sized businesses on various business needs ranging from financial statement and tax preparation to internal controls and fraud protection. I have been a CFE since 2007, have been actively involved in the Chapter, and enjoy meeting with members and assisting with the various duties to keep our Chapter up and running. In 2017, I was asked to step in and fill the role of Vice President and would love to continue in that role.

Donna Knapp – running for Secretary (a two-year term)

I am a CPA with over 20 years of experience and has the following certifications; Certified Financial Forensic, Certified Information Technology Professional, and Certified Fraud Examiner. I have experience in fraud investigation, prevention and assessment, data analytics, litigation support and federal and state taxation. Presently I serve as the chairwoman of the Communications Committee of the Business Valuation Forensic Litigation Support (BVFLS) section of the Texas Society of CPAs.

Maddie Conner – running for Treasurer (a one-year term)

I am currently a senior accounting student at St. Edward's University and will begin my Master's degree in accounting in the summer of 2018. Upon graduation, I plan to obtain CFE and CPA licenses. While I have only been a chapter member since 2017, I hope to bring a fresh perspective to the Austin Chapter ACFE's board of directors. I work for Heyman & Associates, PLLC, and have been helping the current treasurer in his duties over the past year.

Carolyn Conn – running for Director

I am a PhD, CFE, and CPA, and am on the Texas State University accounting faculty. I’ve been a CFE since 1997 and was instrumental in including and teaching a Fraud Examination course in the master's of accounting program at St. Edward's University. About half of my career has been in the classroom and the other half in higher education administration. The ACFE has provided me with valuable insights and ideas for improving accounting operations under my control as well as for fraud examination work. 

Jared Jordan – running for Director

I am a Managing Director in the Dispute Advisory & Forensics practice of HSSK, LLC and the leader of firm's Austin office.  I have over 18 years of experience assisting clients with the financial and accounting aspects of disputes and investigations, including serving as an expert witness in state and federal court as well as in arbitration I’ve been a CFE since 2002, served as a Director of the Austin Chapter since 2014, and currently serve on the ACFE Advisory Council.

Doug Lowe – running for Director

I earned my CFE in 2014 during my last year as elected district attorney for Anderson County, Texas. I loved prosecuting white collar crime and the challenge of investigating and presenting fraud cases. Before my 16 years as D.A., I was a personal injury trial lawyer. I am currently working on an LLM in Risk Management from the Texas A & M School of Law and this semester we are studying international white collar crime: what a trip! In 2015, I was appointed to the Texas Lottery Commission where I focus on charitable bingo. Although new to the chapter, I would bring an interesting perspective to this group.

The following individuals have volunteered to serve as committee chairs for the upcoming year:

Ping Ku –Membership Committee Chair

I have been a CFE member since September 2012.  I try to attend every meeting/training offered - whenever possible.  I want to be part of the chapter’s administrative group because I believe in the organization and I admire the hard work and dedication of the group very much. It would be my pleasure if I have the opportunity to be part of this amazing team.

Melissa Stice Larson –Education Committee Chair

I am the Information Technology Audit Manager at the HHSC Office of Inspector General, have over 24 years of audit expertise, and have been a CFE since 2004. I have been a servant leader throughout my career in non-profit healthcare and state government and hope to bring my experiences and energy to the Austin Chapter of the ACFE with the goal of continuing to provide services to our members such as affordable education and networking opportunities.  

Cynthia Fenton – Website Committee Chair

I am the owner of Workplace FactFinders, a licensed investigation firm specializing in workplace and business-related misconduct investigations. I have had my CFE since 2008 and hold a Masters’ degree in Business and Human Relations. I am co-author of the book Company Confidential: The Secrets to Effectively Resolving Internal Conflict, which came out in April 2018.

2018 Austin Chapter Scholarships

Our 2018 scholarships have been awarded.  More to come about the recipients.