Gatton Professor Receives Highest Auditing Honor

University of Kentucky Gatton School of Business and Economics Professor Urton Anderson has been inducted into the American Hall of Distinguished Audit Practitioners.

“I was very surprised when I got the call about the award,” Anderson said. “This is only the sixth year of the award and the past recipients have been among the giants of the field — I am truly honored to be considered in this group.”

Anderson is currently the Ernst Young Professor of Accountancy in the Von Allmen School of Accountancy in the Gatton College. His esteemed career spans more than three decades; he has been a leader in identifying and framing important internal audit issues and a champion of research in internal auditing. He has served as the chairman of the Institute of Internal Auditor’s (IIA) Board of Regents and two-time chairman of the Internal Auditing Standards Board. Among many other accolades, Anderson also served as an academic fellow in the Office of the Chief Accountant of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission from 2011-2012.

Anderson is just one of four internal audit leaders from business, government and academia to make up the 2016 class of inductees. Established in 2011, it is the highest honor given by IIA’s North American Board to individuals who contributed significantly to the profession throughout their careers. To be considered, professionals must not only provide diligent service to their organizations, but also advance the profession through thought leadership, presentations at conferences or seminars, or service to the IIA in leadership roles. Inductees also must have served as leaders in the internal audit profession for at least 10 years and exemplify highly ethical conduct, integrity, moral character and service.

The other inductees were Eric Hespenheide, a past global leader for internal audit services at Deloitte & Touche and current chairman of the Global Sustainability Standards Board and chairman of the AICPA Sustainability Assurance and Advisory Task Force; Jon T. Rymer, inspector general of U.S. Department of Defense and former IG for U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and for the FDIC; and Stephen Morgan, president of Excellence in Government Accountability and Performance Practices and the former city auditor of Austin, Texas.

The Douglas J. Von Allmen School of Accountancy, part of the Gatton College of Business and Economics at UK, helps prepare its graduates for leadership roles in the accounting profession by offering high quality, fully accredited academic programs. The Von Allmen School emphasizes strong analytic and communication skills among its students and keeps the accounting curriculum current as the profession changes.