Cynthia Cooper
Best-Selling Author, Consultant and One of Time Magazine's Persons of the Year
In 2002, Cynthia Cooper was named one of Time Magazine's Persons of the Year for her whistle-blowing role in identifying the corporate fraud at WorldCom. As the Chief Audit Executive for MCI, she and her team worked undercover to discover billions of dollars in fraud, exposing the largest case of accounting fraud in U.S. history. 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 leadership.
In 2002, Cynthia Cooper and her team identified the corporate fraud at WorldCom - to date the largest corporate fraud in history. Cooper previously served as the Chief Audit Executive for MCI until July 2004. Prior to joining MCI, she worked in public accounting in Atlanta, Georgia for PricewaterhouseCoopers and Deloitte & Touche. Cooper received her undergraduate degree in Accounting from Mississippi State University and her Masters of Accountancy from the University of Alabama.
Cooper previously served on the Accounting Advisory Board for the University of Alabama, and currently serves as the Chairperson of the Louisiana State University Center for Internal Auditing Advisory Board and the Mississippi State University Executive Advisory Board. She is also the author of Extraordinary Circumstances. 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 leadership. She has donated profits from her book to further ethics education for high school and college students.
In 2002, Cooper was named one of Time Magazine's Persons of the Year. She was inducted to the 2004 AICPA Hall of Fame and was featured as one of twenty-five influential working mothers in the November 2004 issue of Working Mother. Cooper is also 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 Ms. Cooper for her efforts to promote professionalism and ethics in the accounting profession.
Cooper is a Certified Public Accountant in the state of 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.
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2. Defining Moments: The Power of Choice
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3. Amazing Change: Making the Most of Every Opportunity
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1. Leading with Passion and Purpose
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In post-event surveys, Cynthia's speech rated 'off the charts' with event attendees. Her story-telling approach is extremely engaging. We received a high return on our investment. I would recommend Cynthia to other organizations that want to enhance ethical awareness, energize their talent, and build stronger leaders.
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Cynthia gave a great presentation to a packed house. She is dynamic and highly engaging. I enthusiastically recommend her!
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Cynthia Cooper is truly a captivating and passionate speaker, whose personal stories of leadership, courage, and ethics will motivate and educate those attending...attendees will talk about her presentation for months after the event.
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March 2009Extraordinary Circumstances
Cynthia's book, Extraordinary Circumstances, resonates with readers across the globe and describes her personal experiences as a corporate executive. Cynthia donates profits from her book to further ethics education for high school and university students.
Cooper explains the circumstances and relates the tale that led her to becoming the courageous whistleblower that put the wheels in motion ahead of the WorldCom collapse.
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