Utah Governor Gary Herbert Speaks at Utah Chapter Conference

The ACFE Utah Chapter held its Second Biennial White Collar Crime Conference, Oct 17-18.  This event attracted more than 140 attendees and was highlighted by a presentation from Utah’s Governor Gary Herbert.

Utah Chapter Training Director, Antonio Pooe, CFE, said the event saw a slight uptick in attendees from the first event held two years ago, including an increase in attendees who do not hold the CFE credential. “This is a good sign of the growing interest in our local chapter,” Pooe said.

Pooe said that the recent government shutdown caused a few scheduled speakers to cancel their attendance, but that the chapter’s board worked together as a team to face that challenge and ensure a successful event.

Pooe also said the event provided some lessons learned for future events. “Even though our average speaker rate was above 80 percent, we still see this as an opportunity for us to stress the importance of a well-researched and delivered presentation.  We hope to engage more with our speakers, consider evaluating speaker slides prior to delivery so that we can make recommendations based on our members’ needs, and investing a bit more on the snacks during the breaks,” Pooe said.

Pooe said the successful conference, which was also featured on a local news report fueled increased attendance at the chapter’s November luncheon and Governor Herbert’s declaration of International Fraud Awareness Week at the event helped boost the participation of local businesses in Fraud Week.

ACFE Utah Board members with Utah Governor Gary Herbert.

Speaker Frank Scafidi, Public Affairs Director at National Insurance Crime Bureau.

ACFE Utah Training Director, Antonio Pooe, CFE, addressing the media.

Attendees enjoying the presentation.