Updated September 20, 2019
Toronto, ON:
New Board of Directors
Effective October 2, 2019, following the Chapter's Annual General Meeting, the Board of Directors, whose term runs from October 2, 2019 to September 30, 2023, will consist of the following volunteer members:
Colleen Basden
Dorian Dwyer
Penny Hill
Andrew Kautz
Jordan McManus
Mark McManus
Kathleen Watson
Ryan Duquette
Elodie Goncalves
Kyle Kanstein
Christine Stevens-Gopsill
Timothy Zimmerman
William Vasiliou (Immediate Past President)
Board Size
The Chapter Bylaws state that the Board can set the number of directors on the board; however, the requirement is for no less than three members. In early September, 2019, the current Board of Directors passed a resolution to define the size of the Board to be "no more than thirteen members."
The rationale of setting an upper limit for the board is the Chapter's need to benefit from a diversity of expertise, a depth of experience, and a breadth of organizational connections, so that we can continue to achieve our Core Purpose and Vision. Should the number of directors decrease from time-to-time, no further board resolutions will be required. The Board felt that going forward, a maximum of thirteen members would be the upper-limit for a manageable and effective board.
Nominee Vetting Process
As an established practice, the Chapter has a process whereby all potential nominees for the ACFE-GTA Chapter board of directors are interviewed by an executive officer of the Chapter before their nomination is finalized.
Usually, it is expected that a nominee will have been a volunteer with the Chapter for at least a year, either as a (non-board member) committee member or in another such role, before they are considered for a position on the board. This requirement, which is common practice among similar non-profit, professional organizations, allows the Chapter member to become familiar with the operations of the Chapter and the expectations of board members, as well as allows the Chapter executive to get to know the volunteer and their ability to contribute to the core purpose and vision of the Chapter. Where a potential nominee has not met that requirement, then they are first offered a non-board member role in the Chapter, say as a committee member.
Chapter Governance
Over the past few months, the current Board of Directors has been busy refreshing the governance structure of the Chapter. The Chapter Bylaws have been updated and approved by both the Board of Directors and the ACFE World Headquarters in Austin, Texas. Some of the important changes to the Bylaws include the updating of our name from the Toronto Chapter to the GTA Chapter (Greater Toronto Area); the clarification of election processes; the transitioning of the role of Director of Training to Senior Vice-President, Professional Development and the inclusion of that role as an officer of the Chapter; and the appointment of the Executive Vice-President (formerly the Chapter Vice-President) as the Chapter Chief Compliance Officer and Chief Technology Officer. The Board has also updated the Chapter's Core Purpose and Vision statements.
A number of new Chapter policies were approved, including an Anti-Corruption & Anti-Bribery Policy, a Privacy Policy, and a Technology & Administration Policy. The Board has developed and approved a Chapter Board Member Agreement, a Chapter Committee Member Agreement (for non-board committee members), and updated the Personal information Protection Agreement, as required by Canadian law. The Board has also approved position descriptions for board members, committee members (who are not board members), as well as all five officer roles.
You may read these documents on our website at: https://acfe-gta.com/page-1753329.
Election of the President and Officers
As per the Chapter Bylaws, at their first board meeting following the AGM on October 2, 2019, the new Board of Directors will elect a new president, who will be one of the thirteen board members. This secret ballot election process will be conducted by Bill Vasiliou, current Chapter President with the assistance of the new Chapter Administrator, Deborah Thompson. Bill will be transitioning to the role of Immediate Past President following the AGM. Bill will introduce the new President to those attending the Ethics Day Training seminar being held on October 2nd (starting at 9 am), following the AGM, at the BMO Conference Centre in Toronto.
Then, over the following week or so, the new President will compile a list of board members who have either self-identified or agreed to be appointed to officer roles (i.e., Executive Vice-President, Senior Vice-President, Professional Development, Secretary and Treasurer).
Also, the President may approach some directors to take on some non-officer roles, such as membership, professional association liaison, community outreach, or website support, mentorship & certification, etc. The President will then present the list to the board for ratification at the next board meeting. Appropriate announcements will be made in due course, so make sure you watch this space for more news!!
Bill Vasiliou, the present ACFE-GTA Chapter President expressed his great pleasure with the response from Chapter members to serve on the board, when he recently said "We've been very lucky to have a strong set of candidates come forward to join the existing board members who have stood for re-election. We also have received interest from a couple of members to volunteer for the Chapter in non-board roles! I am excited about the Chapter's future as I transition to the role of Immediate Past President of the Chapter!"
Bill went on to say, "I would like to extend my sincere thanks to Astra Williamson and Ryan Watt for their long service on the board. Their passion, commitment, dedication, and contribution to the Chapter and the ACFE in general will be missed. However, we look forward to their continued support of the Chapter as members. Penny Hill is transitioning out of the Chapter Administrator role, a position she has held for a significant number of years, as she looks forward to a well-earned retirement. Penny has, in many ways, been the "bedrock" of our Chapter and we are grateful for her devotion to our work. Penny has decided to stay on as a director of the Chapter and we are thrilled to be retaining her expertise and knowledge as we move forward."
As a final comment, Bill expressed his thanks to Mark McManus, a member of the board and the Director of Mentorship & Certification, for the significant work that has been done in updating the Chapter's governance structure. "Mark led the effort to refresh our governance structure and we now have a solid foundation going forward. He covered a lot of ground and on behalf of the Board, I extend my sincere thanks for a great job."
About the ACFE
The Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE) is the world's largest anti-fraud organization and premier provider of anti-fraud training and education. Together with more than 85,000 members, the ACFE is reducing business fraud world-wide and inspiring public confidence in the integrity and objectivity within the profession. The mission of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners is to reduce the incidence of fraud and white-collar crime and to assist the Membership in fraud detection and deterrence. The ACFE-GTA Chapter is affiliated with the ACFE, and is registered as a Non-Share, Non-Profit entity under The Province of Ontario. The Chapter's primary purpose is to serve the Greater Toronto Area community in the promotion of improved fraud detection, education, prevention, and deterrence and through expansion of knowledge and the interaction of its members. You may contact the ACFE-GTA Chapter at admin@acfe-gta.com.
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