ACUA 2023 Award Winners and Board Members
December 4, 2023
Member Excellence in Service Award
Justin Noble was selected for the Member Excellence in Service Award, which recognizes a member who has made outstanding contributions to the mission of ACUA through exceptional service. Justin is the Chief Audit Executive at Virginia Tech and has served in numerous ACUA roles, including Distance Learning Chairman (2012-14), Board Member-at-Large (2014-17), Vice President (2017-18), President (2018-19), Immediate Past President (2019-2020), and Nominating Committee Chair (2019-20).
Outstanding Professional Contributions Award
Carolyn Saint was chosen for the Outstanding Professional Contributions Award, which recognizes a member who has made outstanding and noteworthy contributions to the profession of internal auditing in higher education. Carolyn is the Chief Audit Executive at the University of Virginia and chaired the Institute of Internal Auditors’ (IIA) North American Board of Directors.
Rising Star Award
Erica Smith received the Rising Star Award that 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. Erica is a Principal Auditor at the University of Tennessee and has served as the ACUA Audit Interactive Conference Director. Erica also is the incoming Professional Education Committee Chair.
Please make sure to congratulate our 2023 award winners and thank them for their outstanding work on behalf of ACUA and the profession!
Board Members
The 2023-2024 ACUA Board of Directors officially assumed their new roles at AuditCon. Marion Candrea, Associate Vice President of Internal Audit & Advisory Services at Boston University, succeeds Melissa Hall as ACUA President; Melissa will continue her work with the Board in her role as Immediate Past President. Laura Buchhorn, Assistant Audit Director at the University of Texas San Antonio, will serve as Vice President, and Eulonda Whitmore, Associate Vice President and Chief Audit Executive at Wayne State University, will serve as Secretary and Treasurer. The following members will round out the Board in their role as Board Member-at-Large:
- Jana Clark, Chief Audit Executive at Kansas State University
- William Hancock, Jr., Audit Manager at Auburn University
- Andre’ McMillan, Director of Internal Audit at the University of Delaware
- Deidre Melton, Associate Vice President for Audit and Chief Risk Officer at Florida A&M University
- Kara Kearney-Saylor, Director of Internal Audit at the University of Buffalo
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