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.
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2025 Award Recipients
Member Excellence in Service Award 2025
Kara Herner, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Kara L. Hefner, CPA, CIA, CFE, is an Internal Audit Manager at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she has worked for the past six years, bringing more than 25 years of internal audit experience in higher education, healthcare, public utilities, and finance. She has served as Editor of the ACUA College & University Journal for two years and previously as Deputy Editor, publishing numerous articles. Kara is also an active member of the Auditing and Accounting Principles Subcommittee, where she created Kick Starters for internal self-assessments and helped develop ACUA’s self-assessment tool under the new IIA Standards. She is also a frequent presenter at ACUA conferences and webinars.
Member Excellence in Service Award 2025
Mary Krauss, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Mary Krauss is the IT Audit Manager at Auburn University and has worked in higher education since 2009, with experience in both audit and cybersecurity. She has served as ACUA’s Social Media Director since 2009, where she has helped strengthen the association’s online presence by introducing new management tools, custom graphics, and video content to engage members. In addition to her social media leadership, Mary has contributed as a conference volunteer and speaker, member of the Marketing Task Force, and participant in the first ACUA Leads cohort. Her dedication reflects a deep passion for fostering community and connection among higher education auditors.
Outstanding Professional Contributions Award 2025
Nilufer Shroff
Nilufer K. Shroff recently retired as Vice President and Chief Audit and Compliance Officer at Princeton University, where she served for 18 years as the institution’s first leader of its Office of Audit and Compliance. Over her 35-year career, she has been recognized for her transformative leadership, including developing Princeton’s first university-wide risk assessment and enterprise risk management framework. Nilu has also served in leadership roles at the University of Pennsylvania, the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and the Institute of Internal Auditors’ Philadelphia Chapter, where she launched the inaugural Diversity and Inclusion Committee. Widely respected as a mentor, peer reviewer, and national speaker, Nilu has left a lasting impact on higher education auditing by modeling audit as a trusted, collaborative advisor to leadership and the broader academic community.
Rising Star Award 2025
Patrick McKinney, The University of Texas at Austin
Patrick McKinney is the Director of the Office of Internal Audits at The University of Texas at Austin, where he oversees the annual audit plan and leads the office’s quality assurance program. He has 15 years of higher education internal audit experience, including leadership roles with the Texas Department of Transportation and the Texas Tech University System. Within ACUA, Patrick has been an active volunteer for four years, serving as Membership Committee Chair, Mentorship Program Director, and member of a task force evaluating future conference delivery methods. He also served as President of the IIA Austin Chapter in 2020 and remains engaged in leadership and professional development for the internal audit community.
Rising Star Awards 2025
John Winn, The University of South Carolina
John Winn is currently a Lead Audit Manager at the University of South Carolina and has more than 20 years of experience in higher education and corporate auditing, risk assessment, and compliance. Since joining the University of South Carolina in 2018, he has taken on numerous roles within ACUA, including authoring six Kick Starters, serving as Kick Starter Program Director, leading as Best Practices Subcommittee Director, and currently serving as Chair of the Tools & Resources Committee.