Whistleblower, Author Cynthia Cooper to Visit UA to Share Her Experience in MCI/WorldCom Scandal

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Cynthia Cooper, who received her master’s degree in accountancy from The University of Alabama and has achieved worldwide acclaim for her role in uncovering the corporate fraud at WorldCom, will return to Tuscaloosa to talk about her new book, “EXTRAORDINARY CIRCUMSTANCES: The Journey of a Corporate Whistleblower.”

Her appearance is scheduled for 7 p.m., April 23, at the Ferguson Student Center Theater at The University of Alabama. The event, sponsored by the Culverhouse College of Commerce and the UA Center for Ethics and Social Responsibility, is open to the public. Cooper will sign copies of her book, which is drawing national attention.

Cooper was named one of Time Magazine’s 2002 Persons of the Year after detecting and reporting the fraud. The designation is given to the person or persons who most affected the events during the year

“What Cynthia did at WorldCom is nothing short of incredible,” said Dr. Todd DeZoort, UA professor of accounting, whose specialties are auditing, corporate governance and fraud risk management. “We are very fortunate to be able to host Ms. Cooper and hear her account of what she went through at WorldCom.”

Cooper was inducted to the 2004 American Institute of Certified Public Accountants Hall of Fame, the first woman to receive this distinction. She was featured as one of 25 influential working mothers in the November 2004 issue of Working Mother. Along with Senator Paul Sarbanes, Representative Michael Oxley and Sherron Watkins, Cooper was awarded the 2003 Maria & Sidney E. Rolfe Award by the Women’s Economic Round Table. This award was presented to Cooper for her contribution in educating the public about economics, business and finance.

Cooper also is the 2003 recipient of the Accounting Exemplar Award, which is awarded annually to an individual who has made notable contributions to professionalism and ethics in accounting practice or education. The American Accounting Association’s Public Interest Section recognized Cooper for her efforts to promote professionalism and ethics in the accounting profession. Cooper is the 10th recipient of the Accounting Exemplar Award and the first woman to receive the award.

Cooper previously served as the Chief Audit Executive for MCI, formerly WorldCom, until July 2004. Prior to joining MCI, she worked in public accounting in Atlanta for PricewaterhouseCoopers and Deloitte & Touche. Cooper received her undergraduate degree in accounting from Mississippi State University.

Cooper is a Certified Public Accountant in Georgia, a Certified Information Systems Auditor and a Certified Fraud Examiner. In addition to her professional designations, she is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Information Systems Audit and Control Association, The Institute of Internal Auditors and the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners.

Cooper previously served on the Accounting Advisory Board for The University of Alabama, and serves as the chairperson of the Louisiana State University Center for Internal Auditing Advisory Board. Cooper speaks to both students and professionals across the country to share some of the lessons she has learned and to emphasize the importance of strong ethical and moral leadership.

The Culverhouse College of Commerce and Business Administration was established in 1919, and in 1929 it became the 38th school to earn admission into the American Association of Collegiate Schools of Business. The excellence of the UA business school has been acknowledged on a national level. The undergraduate program is ranked 29th among public universities by U.S. News and Culverhouse School of Accountancy is ranked 15th among public universities by U.S. News. The graduate accounting program is ranked 15th and the undergraduate program 14th by Public Accounting Report. The entrepreneurial program is ranked 18th nationally.