Southern Illinois University Edwardsville business students learned about forensic accounting Oct. 9-10 from alumnus Bob Gray, ‘76, partner at ParenteBeard LLC.
Gray oversees the national practice of Forensic, Litigation & Valuation Services for the firm from both his Dallas and New York offices. He returned to his alma mater as the executive in residence for the School of Business.
“When I was asked to be the executive in residence, I jumped at the chance, because SIUE was my launching point,” said Gray. “I’ve been very blessed with my career in public accounting, so it is always nice to give back to the industry and the community.”
The purpose of the executive in residence program is to provide students with the opportunity to learn from alumni who have exceeded in their field. Gray, a native of Decatur, has had an extensive career, having worked in St. Louis, Davenport, Omaha, Houston, New York and Louisville offices of Deloitte & Touche prior to joining ParenteBeard.
“Forensic accounting is a practice area that is growing in importance,” said Dr. Mike Costigan, chair of the SIUE Department of Accounting. “Bob has significant experience, both performing the analyses and testifying in court, about economic damages and other litigation matters.
“Bob has a unique perspective because of his recent term as chair of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants’ (AICPA) Committee on Forensic and Litigation Services.”
Assistant Professor of Accounting Dr. Jamie Hoelscher believes the executive in residence program is beneficial to the School of Business, noting, “Students are intrigued to hear from individuals who once sat in their seats and the significant contributions those alumni have been able to make in their respective fields.
“The program helps students by bridging the gap between classroom learning and real-world issues, in addition to providing networking opportunities many of my students have already taken advantage of.”
During his visit, Gray taught two classes ordinarily taught by Hoelscher. Gray discussed the accounting field and the various career paths available, such as forensic accounting. Hoelscher said she hoped the students were able to take away the diverse options accountants have.
“In addition, I hope they gained an understanding of the resources available to them to obtain these career aspirations,” she said.
Gray said he wanted to provide students with real-world examples and field advice.
“The advice I would give them is not to look at themselves as just another CPA or just another accountant. They are business people,” said Gray. “Students need to be equipped with the hard skills of accounting as well as other skills of communication, ethics, and marketing. If they view themselves as a business person, they will go a lot longer and farther in this field.”
Senior accounting and political science major Jonathan Roberts of St. Louis found the presentations to be beneficial, adding, “I have been considering the possibility of getting a legal degree after my master’s in accountancy. Gray explained how forensic accounting is related to the legal field and the opportunities that are available. After this presentation, I have been inspired to do some additional research on forensic accounting.”
As part of the executive in residence program, Gray spoke to students in the Continuing Professional Education (CPE) program. All certified public accountants (CPA) are required to have CPE hours each year to remain licensed. In attendance were accounting faculty, alumni and area CPA’s.
Hoelscher attended the CPE presentation and also found Gray’s discussions to be beneficial. “I was interested in learning the varied cases Mr. Gray has been involved with and how those cases related directly to concepts and the terminology I’ve been discussing with my students,” said Hoelscher.
“We hope that our accounting majors saw that it’s possible for an SIUE accounting alum to rise to the highest ranks of the profession,” stated Costigan.
Photo: SIUE alumnus Bob Gray, ‘76, partner at ParenteBeard LLC spoke to business students about forensic accounting as part of Executive in Residence program.