Donor Spotlight
Longtime Researcher & Educator Supports the Next Generation of Internal Auditors
Urton Anderson has been teaching internal audit for the last 30 years. He started his career as an educator at the University of Texas at Austin, and is currently a professor and researcher at the University of Kentucky.
His dedication to education was sparked by the late Michael J. Barrett, one of his teachers and mentors. Barrett, who played a vital role in the Codification of Standards, taught Anderson that providing students with real-life opportunities is critical to developing their interest in internal auditing. Following his mentor’s advice, Urton, in partnership with local IIA chapters, matches students with local companies to apply their classroom learnings and carry out practical projects on internal controls and risk assessment.
Urton’s research addresses internal and external auditing and organizational governance – particularly compliance, enterprise risk management, and internal control. In addition to numerous articles, he has written six books, with several translated into multiple languages. Among those books is the Internal Audit Foundation’s textbook, Internal Auditing: Assurance & Advisory Services, used by educators around the globe.
“Research plays an important role in the profession. It helps us do internal audits better. The Internal Audit Foundation has always supported research by providing grants for Ph.D. dissertations. These grants have allowed students to conduct timely research and get the appropriate exposure in academic journals.” Anderson is also thankful for grants provided by the Foundation to hold global student exchanges and fund learning opportunities for educators.
Urton has been honored by The IIA throughout his career, earning the Leon R. Radde Educator of the Year Award and the Bradford Cadmus Memorial Award for his contributions to the profession.
The Foundation is grateful for Urton’s longstanding involvement as an author and researcher, as well as for the financial support he provides as a member of the Leadership Society.
Make a Lasting Contribution Through a Donor-Advised Fund
Have you ever considered using a donor-advised fund to support the internal audit profession? In addition to great tax benefits, it is one of the most convenient ways to give and consistently support the Internal Audit Foundation.
Kevin Cantrell, CIA, and Frank O’Brien, CIA, QIAL, are two long-time internal audit professionals and donors to the Foundation who have given their time, treasure, and talent to support their profession for many years. They are also two of many Foundation donors who prefer to give through a donor-advised fund.
“Giving needs to become a routine that is easy to follow,” says Kevin. “Setting up a donor-advised fund is not a complicated process. It can be created and managed 100% online, and you don’t need a large sum of funds to establish one. If you want to have a lasting contribution, giving on an annual basis needs to be routine. Giving through a donor-advised fund is a way to ensure continuity year after year.”
Kevin Cantrell, CIA,
has been involved with the IIA–Houston Chapter for more than 20 years, having served on the chapter’s board of governors, chaired its audit committee, and served in national and global liaison roles. He has also been involved extensively with the Internal Audit Foundation, serving as chair and vice president of the Financial and Development Committee. He has been with Plains All American Pipeline since 2009, and currently serves as vice president of internal audit.
“My only regret is that I didn’t do it even sooner,” says Frank. In addition to tax advantages, a donor-advised fund helps with budgeting your donations throughout the year. Kevin says he likes that you can “set it and forget it.”
“For those looking to create a legacy, a donor-advised fund is another vehicle to keep giving in perpetuity. You can make arrangements to donate all of the remaining funds to a good cause like the Foundation,” says Frank.
Kevin and Frank both support the Foundation because they believe in giving back to the profession that has been good to them. “The Foundation matters,” says Kevin. “A gift to the Foundation is an investment in the profession and in yourself. If everyone gives even a little, it adds up and makes a huge difference in the Foundation’s ability to serve our profession and each of us.”
Frank calls giving to the Foundation “a joy,” adding, “The Foundation has a significant role in advancing the profession, and its influence has been critical to what our profession has become. We owe it to those who came before us and also to those who will come after us.”
The Foundation appreciates its donors who give through donor-advised funds. If you have an interest in supporting the Foundation through a donor-advised fund, please consult with your financial advisor or contact Foundation@theiia.org.
Frank O'Brien, CIA, QIAL,
spent 38 years in the internal audit profession before retiring recently. He has served as president of the IIA–St. Louis Chapter and also as a district representative for the Midwest region. He was the first chair of the IIA North American Committee, and has also served as vice chair of the Committee of Research and Education Advisors (CREA) and as president of the Internal Audit Foundation.
AFIIA Takes a Leading Role by Partnering With the Internal Audit Foundation
When Emmanuel Johannes, CIA, CCSA, CGAP, became chairman of the African Federation of Institutes of Internal Auditors (AFIIA), his main goal was to invest in the worldwide profession. One of the ways Emmanuel and AFIIA are doing this is by partnering with the Internal Audit Foundation to sponsor critical research projects and publications. Their first sponsorship, in partnership with 12 African Institutes, will be of an upcoming book on audit reports of the future. It will explore the gap of expectations in report writing and offer opportunities to shift to a more modern, forward-looking report format that builds from the foundation up in a thoughtful, methodical way.
As an associated organization of The Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA), AFIIA exists to support and promote the profession in Africa. It was created in May 2009 to provide a non-political, unified voice of the members of the African continent on common issues, to collaborate in a manner which will best serve the interest of all African IIA members, and to promote and develop an effective internal audit profession supported by strong, recognized institutes.
Currently, there are 29 IIA affiliates in Africa, and AFIIA is working to increase that number. “We want to create a united voice for Africa,” explains Emmanuel, who has seen his share of changes and challenges in the 15 years he has been involved with his local chapter and as a volunteer on IIA Global committees. “Today, leveraging the resources of our more established affiliates, hosting combined events, and engaging more with governmental regional bodies to create new legislation to advocate the profession all are key,” he says. AFIIA offers ongoing programs, educational presentations, and regional conferences that are beneficial to the members of their IIA affiliates and beyond.
The Foundation thanks AFIIA and the partnering Institutes for their support. “It's important for us to have a continued role with the Foundation. We are looking forward to other collaborations in the future,” says Emmanuel. Institutes partnering with AFIIA to sponsor the upcoming book on audit reports of the future are IIA Ghana, IIA Mali, IIA Kenya, IIA Côte d'Ivoire, IIA Congo (DRC), IIA Uganda, IIA South Africa, IIA Morocco, IIA Malawi, IIA Tanzania, IIA Zambia and IIA Zimbabwe.
If your chapter or affiliate would like to partner with the Foundation on research and educational projects, please contact foundation@theiia.org
AFIIA Chairman Emmanuel Johannes (far right) with the leadership of IIA Tanzania and the technical support team at a recent AFIIA hybrid conference.
Join Richard Chambers in Honoring Internal Auditors
As the former president and CEO of The IIA, Richard Chambers remains instrumental in elevating the profession. Richard plans to continue donating the royalties from his book sales to the Foundation in honor of practitioners around the globe. His most recent book, Agents of Change: Internal Auditors in an Era of Disruption, currently is on the IIA Bookstore’s best-selling list.
Richard’s previous books include Lessons Learned on the Audit Trail (2014), Trusted Advisors: Key Attributes of Outstanding Internal Auditors (2017); and The Speed of Risk: Lessons Learned on the Audit Trail, 2nd Edition (2019).
Through his generosity, Richard honors internal auditors everywhere, and the Foundation thanks him for his longstanding support.
You too can honor fellow practitioners or Richard’s exemplary service as past president and CEO of The IIA during International Internal Audit Awareness Month.
Bruce R. Turner, AM, CRMA, CGAP
When Australia-based Bruce R. Turner decided to retire in 2012, he had a firm plan in place. “We all have a different idea of ‘retirement’, and mine just happened to include professional writing,” he said. That decision was definitely a plus for the Internal Audit Foundation.
Bruce has more than 40 years of practitioner and leadership experience in internal auditing across the globe. He is a past chair of The IIA’s Global Public Sector Committee, served on the IIA–Australia Board, and remains an active executive coach, mentor, and white ribbon ambassador (denouncing violence against women). He has recruited dozens of new auditors into internal audit roles throughout his career and watched proudly as their careers blossomed.
His relationship as an author with the Foundation began when he chaired The IIA’s Global Public Sector Committee and wrote a Common Body of Knowledge (CBOK) study report published by the Foundation, GREAT Ways to Motivate Your Staff. That opened the door even wider, leading to opportunities to write books that provide insight for those new to internal auditing as well as for seasoned professionals who are in leadership roles. He also served as a contributing author for Sawyer’s Internal Auditing: Enhancing and Protecting Organizational Value, 7th Edition.
So far, he has authored three books published by the Foundation:
- New Auditor’s Guide to Internal Auditing, 2019, sponsored by IIA–Toronto, gives practical insights to practitioners who come to internal auditing from a different profession (for instance, a nurse who moves into medical internal auditing).
- Team Leader’s Guide to Internal Audit Leadership, 2020, recognizing that chief audit executives (CAEs) are increasingly moving into the C-Suite, this is a practical guide for those who need to take on some of the functions the CAE would have traditionally handled.
- Powering Audit Committee Outcomes: The Essential Guide, 2020, sponsored by Galvanize. This book provides support to chairs and members by offering the tools to be a leading practice audit committee.
Bruce reflects that the books he has written are a tribute to the people with whom he worked as a CAE. He says, “The books share practical ideas that ultimately help to build a stronger internal audit profession, and more effective governance, risk, compliance, and assurance practices.”
What advice does Bruce give to internal audit professionals who also are contemplating becoming writers? Don’t worry too much about where you are in your career. “For some who lead busy lives and have lots of commitments, that opportunity might come in the twilight years of their career. That is how it worked for me,” he explains. “But for a younger professional, a good first step is to start writing some publications—such as white papers for a local IIA institute—and build from there so that by the time they want to become a knowledge contributor with the Foundation, they’ve actually developed their writing skills with professional publications.”
The Foundation is grateful for the partnership with Bruce and his willingness to share his expertise with internal audit professionals. If you would like to learn more about becoming a Foundation Knowledge Contributor, please visit Become an Author.
Bruce (center) holding the ‘world class chief internal auditor’ goblet with some members of the Australian Taxation Office Internal Audit Team.