Dr. Carolyn Conn Named 2021 ACFE Educator of the Year

The Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE) has chosen Dr. Carolyn Conn as its 2021 Educator of the Year. A clinical assistant professor of accounting in Texas State University's McCoy College of Business, Dr. Conn was recognized during the ACFE’s annual global meeting in June.

Ross Pry, ACFE Membership Director, highlighted Dr. Conn’s work in announcing her selection: "Dr. Conn has been a strong supporter of students pursuing anti-fraud careers and provides encouragement as they work towards obtaining the CFE credential. She motivates students to continue learning about occupational fraud and raised funds so they were able to attend the ACFE Global Fraud Conference. We are proud of the work she has done throughout her career."

The focus of Dr. Conn’s research is accounting ethics and fraud examination. She has published articles and teaching cases in these areas and received the Outstanding Case Award in the accounting track from the North American Case Research Association. Several of her case studies are distributed through Harvard Business Publishing. She has also received educator awards from the Southwest region of the American Accounting Association and from the Texas Society of CPAs.

Dr. Conn previously served as Associate Vice President for Financial Services and Treasurer at Texas State University. She earned a Ph.D. in accounting from the University of Arkansas and is a certified public accountant (CPA) and a certified fraud examiner (CFE). 

"The CFE is a respected credential, in addition to the CPA, for members of the accounting profession," Dr. Conn said. "It has been invaluable to me both as an administrator and faculty member. From the ACFE training, I gained many insights about internal controls and other anti-fraud procedures that I have shared with my staff and continue to share with my students. Educating students about steps they can take to protect themselves and their future employers from fraud is imperative."

The AFCE Educator of the Year award was established in 2002 to recognize outstanding contributions to anti-fraud education. The ACFE is the world's largest anti-fraud professional organization with a mission to reduce business fraud worldwide and to inspire confidence in integrity and objectivity within the profession. There are nearly 90,000 total members. Nominations were accepted from among thousands of educators.