Georgia Southern University School of Accountancy

04/10/2026

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Alumnus Speaks to Forensic Accounting Students
by Andrea M. Scheetz PhD, CPA (Ohio), CFE. associate professor of accounting

Bill Donaldson (ACCT &MAcc, 2008), CPA and CFE, supervisory special agent (SSA) and coordinator of the FBI’s transnational organized crime – Western Hemisphere (TOC-West) program and manager of the FBI’s William J. Fay TOC-West Task Force, a component of the Atlanta OCDETF Strike Force, and domestic and international investigations involving priority targets associated with transnational criminal organizations, recently served as a guest speaker in Andrea Scheetz’s fraud schemes class and with Don Berecz’s, senior lecturer emeritus of accounting, interviews & interrogations class.

Bill, a double-eagle operating out of the FBI’s Atlanta field office, frequently returns to the Parker College to address accounting classes and student organizations. In early April, he spoke to classes about money laundering and provided anecdotes of cases he has investigated as part of his current and past roles with the FBI including assignments in the Miami and Chicago offices.

03/21/2026

02/22/2026

Fraud Examiners Club February Speaker
By Layla Berry

On February 5, 2026, the Georgia Southern Fraud Examiners Club hosted Nicole Ponziani as their speaker of the month. Ponziani is the President of the GA ACFE and the Vice President of Fraud & Credit Operations – BSA/AML Compliance Officer at a fintech company. She is a University of West Georgia alumni with a B.S. in Criminology and has her CFE, CCE, and CECI certifications. Ponziani has previously worked at Goldman Sachs, Aprio, and SunTrust. In her position at GreenSky, Ponziani leads enterprise-wide financial crime strategy, investigations, and regulatory programs. She has built and modernized BSA/AML and OFAC programs, partnered closely with legal and risk teams, and regularly engages with executive leadership and boards.

In the meeting, Ponziani spoke about her team, which consists of 143 investigators, compliance employees, etc. That being divided into various teams including consumer fraud, merchant fraud, special investigations, and BSA/AML. In their work, Ponziani’s team works with fraud operations, compliance and legal, law enforcement, and SARs.

Ponziani was very enthusiastic and engaged about sharing this information with students and emphasized her non-standard approach to reaching this forensic
accounting position. She encouraged students to explore options and different
pathways within the career to make for a position that you love.

01/21/2026

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On November 20, 2025 the Fraud Examiners Club hosted Trey Davis, the Atlanta Ernst & Young Forensic and Integrity Services Senior. He is a Double Eagle, with his bachelor's and master’s degree in accounting. Davis also had several internships during his time in college, including with E&Y, earning quality experience and knowledge through these internships.

After sharing about his time at Georgia Southern, Davis spoke about Ernst & Young and his time there. E&Y has over 91,000 employees in the U.S. and has offices in over 150 countries. EY is a big four accounting firm and is known for its accounting and consulting services. Some of these service lines that they focus on are tax, assurance, consulting, and strategy and transactions. The EY Forensics team, where Davis works, collaborates with clients on high-stakes situations requiring meticulous management, risk mitigation, and operational integrity.

Davis also spoke about a few big projects he has been a part of. The biggest one being E&Y’s contract with the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, which Davis is one of the lead people on. The TDEC is allocated large amounts of money to be used for infrastructure and structures for pipes and sewage systems. EY makes sure that the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation follows the 2 CFR 2000 Uniform Guidance. This is a set of strict regulations that must be followed to be able to give them the amount of money for these projects for their state.

Davis shared how important it is that you obtain your CPA certification to help you stand out as a young professional. He also emphasized how much he has loved his time with Ernst & Young and encouraged students to reach out if they are interested in being connected to opportunities with E&Y.

01/15/2026

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Parker College of Business is proud to announce Sharon Ponder (ACCT, 1994) as the recipient of the 2026 Distinguished Service Award.

The Distinguished Service Award is the highest honor conferred by Parker College. It celebrates alumni who embody the aspirations, achievements, and impact of the College. Recipients demonstrate exceptional support for Parker College throughout their lifetimes, excelling as leaders in their professions and communities.

After graduating from Georgia Southern, Sharon began a 29-year ascent at Bennett International Group, where she now serves as vice president of finance for an organization with revenues exceeding $1 billion. Beyond her corporate success, Sharon is a devoted servant-leader, currently serving as treasurer for the Georgia Southern University Foundation Board and as a director for several community organizations. Her visionary leadership as chair of the Henry County Chamber led to the creation of a thriving business resource center, providing vital mentorship and innovation hubs for small businesses in Metro Atlanta. Sharon’s legacy of professional excellence and her tireless advocacy for education and entrepreneurship make her a cornerstone of our alumni community.

The Distinguished Service Award will be presented to Sharon at the Fifth Annual Parker College Gala, presented by Heritage Capital Group/Business Valuation, Inc., on March 7 in Savannah. To sponsor or purchase tickets for the Gala, please visit https://www.georgiasouthern.edu/colleges/parker-business/donate/gala

09/18/2025

Congratulations to alum Carlton Hodges (ACCT, FINC 1980), who was recently appointed to the Georgia State Board of Accountancy!

Carlton Hodges is a certified public accountant with more than four decades of experience in public accounting, specializing in tax compliance and audit services. He began his career in 1980 with SRLS, where he advanced to Tax Manager following a merger with Price Waterhouse. His practice focuses on business, individual, fiduciary, and nonprofit tax returns, as well as audit and accounting engagements in sectors such as construction, services, and government-assisted entities. Carlton holds Bachelor of Business Administration degrees in finance and accounting from Armstrong State College. He is a member of both the Georgia Society of CPAs and the American Institute of CPAs, and serves on the board and leadership council of the Georgia Society, where he also chairs the GSCPA Insurance Trust. His civic involvement includes prior service as a Pooler City Councilman, treasurer of the Savannah-Chatham MPC, and leadership roles with the Armstrong Foundation and Rotary Club of Savannah West.

07/08/2025

Our School of Accountancy's annual magazine is out now!

View or download it here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dZTj8Ua3g-La_hkaU-hJPnIyu9sp630G/view?usp=sharing

07/08/2025

Great job!

Our School of Accountancy's annual magazine is out now!

View or download it here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dZTj8Ua3g-La_hkaU-hJPnIyu9sp630G/view?usp=sharing

05/13/2025

On April 24th, the Fraud Examiners Club hosted its guest speaker of the month, Brandi Steinberg, Senior Manager at IAG Forensics & Valuation. She also serves as the President of the GA ACFE Board. Brandi is a Georgia Southern alumnus with a bachelor's (2009) and master’s (2010) degree in accounting and a forensic accounting minor. She is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and a Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) with extensive experience in financial reporting, auditing of local governments, taxation of individuals and businesses, addressing complex accounting issues, evaluating and designing internal controls, and performing corporate investigations.

In the meeting, Brandi shared photos of her time at Georgia Southern, giving students a neat look at what the program looked like 15 years ago and how many of the professors, who are still teaching, impacted her college career. She then spoke about the many credentials that are obtainable within the forensic accounting profession, how those can be used, and the different types of clients that can be served with them. To continue, Brandi shared how she and her colleagues go about starting an investigation.

This includes starting with what they know, doing a risk assessment and cost/benefit analysis to decide what period of information will be used in the case, and then making an investigative plan. Brandi went into further detail about different types of accounts where money can be hidden, different ways to analyze the data, and red flags to look out for. Lastly, she ended the meeting with a case example of a business owner who did not fulfill their duties of reviewing financial statements, which led the business's bookkeeper to embezzle money over the years.

Brandi would love to recruit future forensic accountants from Georgia Southern, so connect with her if you’re ever thinking of relocating to the Atlanta area!

04/11/2025

04/01/2025

Accounting Day is just a few weeks away, so it is time to get registered and get ready. We will meet at 4:30pm on Wednesday, April 23th for a career fair. We currently have 30 firms that will be participating. This will be held in the foyer to the ballroom, so things may get a little cramped. Be ready.

At 6:00pm we will retreat to the ballroom for our banquet and awards ceremony. This year the School of Accountancy will be recognizing over $120,000 worth of scholarships being awarded to Accounting students. The event is usually over around 8pm.

Here is what you need to do to attend the career fair:
#1 https://app.joinhandshake.com/career_fairs/77e8e917-57fd-4fe7-aa50-68847164d4fc/student_preview
#2 Get your resume ready
#3 Research the firms to identify who you want to talk to
#4 Since this is a business professional event, get your professional attire ready

Here is what you need to do to attend the banquet:
#1 https://app.joinhandshake.com/career_fairs/77e8e917-57fd-4fe7-aa50-68847164d4fc/student_preview (This is the same as above. No need to do it twice.)
#2 Pay for your meal. The meals are costing us $25 per person. In the past we have had students sign up for the meal and not show up resulting in a ton of wasted food. We decided to have you put some skin in the game if you would like to attend. Use the link below to pay $10 for the banquet. You will definitely get your money's worth out of it.
https://www.givecampus.com/campaigns/59019/donations/new

DO NOT WAIT UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE!!! Get registered now!
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Dr. L. Dwight Sneathen Jr., CPA, CFE
Associate Professor of Accounting
School of Accountancy
Parker College of Business
Georgia Southern University
Office: 912-478-0167
Fax: 912-478-0105