A high-profile whistleblower who uncovered one of the largest corporate fraud cases in American history will speak at New Mexico State University on Monday, October 4th.
Cynthia Cooper, bestselling author, consultant, and internationally recognized voice on ethical leadership, will be speaking at three different lecture events presented by the NMSU College of Business and the Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative at NMSU.
Cooper rose to fame in 2002 after uncovering massive accounting fraud at WorldCom, where she served as vice president of internal audit and led a team of accountants that found the company lost $ 3.8 billion in fraudulent losses Accounting had covered. She was one of three whistleblowers named Time Magazine’s 2002 Person of the Year. In 2007 she published her book “Extraordinary Circumstances: A Corporate Whistleblower’s Journey”.
Cooper will initially speak in Domenici Hall, Room 109, in front of several business classes on the Las Cruces campus between 9 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. Afterwards she will give a lecture during lunch in the Las Cruces Convention Center with a second face-to-face lecture between 5 and 7 pm, also in the Domenici room, room 109, to end the day.
The lunchtime and evening lectures are open to the general public and business professionals, especially accountants, who can receive advanced training points by participating in both lectures. Both events are free of charge, but registration is required. Registration for lunch ends on Friday, October 1st, and registration for the evening lecture ends on Sunday, October 3rd.
“As a whistleblower, Cynthia saw some important things that turned out to be the biggest accounting fraud in US history – and she did something about it,” said Erin Baca Blaugrund, director of the Daniels Ethics Fund Initiative at NMSU. “In her case, as in most whistleblower cases, it hurt her career. It’s unfortunate, but I feel these are ethical lessons people need to learn: don’t be afraid to do the right thing because it has possible consequences. “
Cooper is the most high-profile figure to partner with the NMSU during Blaugrund’s tenure on the program through the Daniels Ethics Fund Initiative, Blaugrund said. Cooper’s visit – made possible by a grant from the Daniels Ethics Fund Initiative – will also be the first major in-person event the NMSU program has hosted in 18 months.
“We want attendees to go home with a thought process about ethics,” said Blaugrund. “We want you to pay attention to the tiny hairs on the back of your neck when you think something is wrong. We want our students in particular to think about principle-based ethics, lead an honest and transparent life and hold themselves accountable. “
For more information about Cooper’s visit or the Daniels Ethics Fund Initiative at NMSU, contact Blaugrund at [email protected] or 915-345-0554 or visit the program’s website.
Information from NMSU
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