ACPEN Signature 2025-2026: Business Fraud Update and Managing the Risk of Fraud

David L. Cotton, CPA, CFE, CGFM Related Seminars and Products

Chairman Emeritus

Cotton & Company

David L. Cotton, CPA, CFE, CGFM, is an accountant with Cotton, a Sikich Company, headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia. He has performed grant and contract, indirect cost rate, financial statement, financial related, and performance audits for more than two dozen Federal inspectors general as well as numerous other Federal and State agencies and programs.

Dave received a BS in mechanical engineering (1971) and an MBA in management science and labor relations (1972) from Lehigh University in Bethlehem, PA. He also pursued graduate studies in accounting and auditing at the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business (1977 to 1978).

Dave served on the Advisory Council on Government Auditing Standards (the Council advises the United States Comptroller General on promulgation of Government Auditing Standards—GAO’s yellow book) from 2006 to 2009. He served on the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) Anti-Fraud Programs and Controls Task Force and co-authored Managing the Business Risk of Fraud: A Practical Guide. He served on the American Institute of CPAs Anti-Fraud Task Force and co-authored Management Override: The Achilles Heel of Fraud Prevention.

Dave is the past-chair of the AICPA Federal Accounting and Auditing Subcommittee and has served on the AICPA Governmental Accounting and Auditing Committee and the Government Technical Standards Subcommittee of the AICPA Professional Ethics Executive Committee.

Dave chaired the Fraud Risk Management Task Force, sponsored by COSO and ACFE and is a principal author of the COSO-ACFE Fraud Risk Management Guide. Dave has testified as an expert in governmental accounting, auditing, and fraud issues before the United States Court of Federal Claims and other administrative and judicial bodies. He has been an instructor for the George Washington University masters of accountancy program (Fraud Examination and Forensic Accounting), and has instructed for the George Mason University Small Business Development Center (Fundamentals of Accounting for Government Contracts).

Dave was the recipient of the ACFE 2018 Certified Fraud Examiner of the Year Award (“presented to a CFE who has demonstrated outstanding achievement in the field of 2 fraud examination … based on their contributions to the ACFE, to the profession, and to the community”).

Vincent M. Walden, CPA, CFE Related Seminars and Products

CEO

Kona AI

Vincent Walden, CPA, CFE, is CEO of KonaAI, specializing in forensic data analytics, continuous controls monitoring, anti-bribery & corruption analytics and compliance. His primary area of concentration is in providing leading technology and perspectives on both proactive compliance programs and reactive investigations and is 2022’s CFE of the Year by the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners.

Prior to leading KonaAI as their CEO, he was a managing director at Alvarez & Marsal, and a partner at Ernst & Young’s Forensic & Integrity Services Practice in Dallas, New York and Atlanta. Before EY, he worked at KPMG and Arthur Andersen. During his career, he also served as President and CFO of a privately-funded Internet company, which was subsequently sold to a Fortune 500 Company.

As an industry thought leader, Mr. Walden sits on Compliance Week’s Advisory Board and is featured in many publications including Internal Auditor Magazine, Compliance Week, Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, Harvard Business Review and The Economist. He is a regular columnist for FRAUD Magazine and writes about anti-fraud innovation. As part of COSO’s Anti-Fraud Task Force, Mr. Walden co-authored its “Fraud Risk Management Guide”, which was released in September 2016 and is being updated in 2022. He also hosts a bi-weekly podcast show, “The Walden Pond”, which focuses on compliance innovation and is an Adjunct Professor at Fordham Law School teaching on compliance technology & innovation.

Paul E. Coggins, JD Related Seminars and Products

Paul Coggins, JD, is a partner at Locke Lord LLP, where he co-chairs the firm’s national White Collar Criminal Defense and Internal Investigations practice. Paul served as the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas from 1993 to 2001 and as the president of the National Association of Former United States Attorneys from 2019 to 2021. He received his B.A. in Political Science from Yale University and both a B.A. and a Diploma in Law from Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar, before graduating from Harvard Law School.

Paul is a former radio host, a published author, a frequent speaker, and is involved in numerous public service organizations. Paul’s most recent novel (The Eye of the Tigress) was released in August 2021. His third Cash McCahill book (Chasing the Chameleon) is due out next year.

Mr. Dennis F. Dycus, CFE, CPA, CGFM Related Seminars and Products

Dennis F. Dycus, CPA, CFE, CGFM, is retired, after 39 years in the Office of The Comptroller of the Treasury of the State of Tennessee as the Director of the

Division of Municipal Audit where he was responsible for the audits of all local governments in Tennessee. His responsibilities included conducting investigations related to fraud, waste and abuse in local governments.

For the last several years, Dennis has developed and/or conducted training programs in all fifty U.S. states and in various countries for the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, and many state CPA societies and associations. In addition, Dennis has provided training for the United States, GAO, Department of Labor, the Environmental Protection Agency, the GAO and the OMB. He has also worked with numerous state audit organizations and individual professional firms.

Kevin M. Rockecharlie, CISA Related Seminars and Products

Principal

CohnReznick

Kevin M. Rockecharlie, CISA, A former Partner/Principal of Information Technology Assurance Services for CohnReznick, LLP in Dallas, TX. Kevin has more than 20+ years of experience providing assurance and consulting services to a wide range of industries working with both public and privately held companies. Kevin’s expertise includes implementing technical accounting guidance such as ASC 606 (Revenue Recognition), implementing artificial intelligence in financial audits, configuration of financial systems, development of data analytics, evaluating and recommending cybersecurity controls as well as performing information technology audits. Kevin has held positions at Accenture, Protiviti, Alcatel-Lucent (Nokia) and Dell Computer. Kevin graduated from Texas Tech University with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Management Information Systems. He also holds a Master of Science in Accounting and Information Management as well as a Master of Business Administration.