Member Awards

ACUA Awards

• Member Excellence in Service Award - This Award recognizes a member who has made outstanding contributions to the mission of ACUA through exceptional service.

• Outstanding Professional Contributions Award - This Award recognizes a member who has made outstanding and noteworthy contributions to the profession of internal auditing in higher education.

• Rising Star Award - This Award recognizes an “up-and-coming” member who has made significant individual contributions in the areas of internal audit, compliance, or risk management that furthers the mission of ACUA.

Please contact Rachel Schuster if you have any questions. 

2021 Award Recipients 

Member Excellence in Service Award 2021
Janet Covington

Janet Covington is the Director of Internal Audit at Rice University. Janet has been a member of ACUA for over two decades.  She is a former board member of ACUA, and a stalwart of a variety of roles, including intrepid service to the Membership Committee. Janet has been a proctor, speaker, and collaborator at conferences.  She is a committed member who has given her professional life to serving the profession and her relentless pursuit of excellence is contagious.

Deidre Melton is Associate Vice President for Audit and Chief Risk Officer for Florida A&M University. 

Deidre has been an ACUA member for 7 years and is the Chair of ACUA's Diversity and Inclusive Leadership Committee, drawing on her previous experience in ISACA and at her own institution in accelerating the development of DEI initiatives. As described by a fellow board member, "Deidre has the ability to keep a pulse on the finer details of delegated achievements while keeping an eye on the big picture of how it will all fit together in moving ACUA forward." 

Deidre's noteworthy contributions to internal auditing expand well beyond just that of ACUA or higher education. Deidre has been an active member of the ISACA Tallahassee Chapter for more than five years, having served as Secretary, Vice President, and most recently as President of the Chapter. Deidre was appointed to ISACA's SheLeadsTech Council for their One In Tech foundation where they are working to close the diversity gap for women in the IT sphere across the globe. 

Deidre is an individual committed to not only enhancing her profession, but also to building a more diverse and inclusive working world. 

Rising Star Awards 2021
Katie Bumgardner


Katie Bumgardner is an Associate IT Auditor at University of Oregon. Since 2019, Katie Bumgardner has been volunteering for ACUA.  She has served as a member of the Virtual Learning Committee.  In October 2020, Katie was selected to be the Audit Interactive Conference Director.  After the success of Audit Interactive in March 2021, Katie was elected to serve as the Chair of the Professional Education Committee, and now oversees the AuditCon, Audit Interactive, and Virtual Learning Committees, while working in close coordination with the ACUA Board of Directors. Katie’s positivity is contagious, her willingness to share and learn is endearing, and her professionalism shines through in every interaction

Alison Bogart

Alison Bogart is the Director of Internal Audit at the Florida Inst. of Technology.  Alison had an idea a few years ago to do a better job sharing data analytic scripts and tools between schools and better educate smaller shops on the benefits of data analytics.  She recruited a number of interested volunteers, creating and leading the new data analytics subcommittee for ACUA.  This has resulted in a subforum on ACUA's website where data analytics can be shared amongst members.  She has encouraged multiple ACUA members to sign up and share expertise related to data analytics. Alison has also led the effort to publish multiple 'data analytics kickstarters,' while aligning the tools being published with webinars and conference sessions.