Yellowbook-CPE Presents: Auditors Save The World

Before and after stories about how super auditors improve systems and fix what is broken using empirical evidence. YellowBook-CPE interviews experienced auditors who rescued the day!

Yellowbook-CPE Presents: Auditors Save The World is a business podcast hosted by Yellowbook-CPE, with 47 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Yellowbook-CPE hosts Yellowbook-CPE Presents: Auditors Save The World, a business show with 47 episodes published.

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  Episode #46

  Episode 46 - Steven Harper

  Sep 15, 202626 min

  Another day, another taxpayer dollar hanging in the balance! In this episode, our calm and confident hero Steven investigates two seemingly ordinary contracts. One software contract keeps county revenues flowing. The other staffs the Medical Examiner’s Office with physicians. But beneath the signatures and legal language lies some uncomfortable questions: Is anyone making sure these contracts are being followed by the county? Are the vendors delivering what they promised? Is the county receiving the value it paid for? And perhaps most surprising: does anyone even know how many contracts the county has? Join us as Steven patiently separates fact from assumption, and accountability from wishful thinking. Because saving the world doesn't always require a cape. Sometimes it just requires a really good audit. CHAPTERS: 00:00 — Intro: Auditors Save the World 01:00 — Two contracts, a lot of questions 02:00 — A routine meeting changes everything 05:00 — Overextended licenses and a surprise invoice 08:00 — Three options and a vendor with leverage 13:00 — The medical examiner audit 17:00 — A contract ignored for decades 22:00 — Key questions every auditor should ask ABOUT STEVEN HARPER: Steven is an experienced audit professional with a strong background in internal auditing across both public sector and corporate environments. He currently serves as the Internal Audit Coordinator for Fulton County Schools, where he supports audit planning, execution, and compliance initiatives to strengthen organizational accountability. Prior to his current role, Steven worked as an auditor for a county government, gaining valuable experience in governmental auditing standards, risk assessment, and internal controls. He also held various positions, including internal auditor, within an international corporation, where he developed a broad skill set in auditing and operational reviews across diverse business functions.

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  Episode #45

  Episode 45 - Doug Hileman: Part 2

  Sep 1, 202623 min

  In this episode of Auditors Save the World , podcast host Leita Hart-Fanta, CPA interviews audit superhero, Doug Hileman . Once upon a time, the auditor’s world was neatly boxed: Travel and entertainment. Receipts and reimbursements. Check the rules, check the math, case closed. But what happens when the real risks don’t fit in a spreadsheet? When strategy itself is on trial and public policy carries consequences that ripple for decades? And when climate risk refuses to stay politely in the footnotes? That’s where this story begins. Because in this episode Doug and I step into the gray space where compliance ends and something much bigger begins. Should auditors stay in their lane? Or is it time to widen the road? It’s not a verdict. Not a tidy conclusion tied up with a bow. It’s a debate. A spirited, thought-provoking clash of ideas… Because the future of auditing might not be about checking the past at all. Don't miss an episode! Follow our podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcasts and subscribe to our channel on YouTube . CHAPTERS: 00:00 — Meet the Super Auditor, Doug Hileman 01:48 — Climate Risk 02:50 — Auditors to the Rescue 03:48 — Beyond the Checklist 05:22 — The Strategy Showdown 07:38 — The Advisory Superpower 10:56 — A New Era for Audit 11:39 — Climate Disclosure 13:25 — Sustainability Assurance 15:00 — Assurance vs. Advisory 16:23 — The Missing Hero: Risk 18:00 — Public Policy Under Audit 20:51 — Speaking Truth to Power 21:59 — Finding the Middle Ground 22:38 — The Future of Auditing ABOUT DOUG HILEMAN: Douglas Hileman (FSA, CRMA, CPEA, P.E.) brings over four decades of experience in sustainability compliance, risk, reporting, and audit. Among his most notable contributions, he is an author of COSO's groundbreaking document Achieving Effective Internal Controls over Sustainability Reporting (ICSR). Earlier in his career, he served as the senior environmental management and auditing specialist on the Volkswagen Monitor Team and spent six years at a Big 4 firm. From there, Doug led his boutique consultancy for 16 years, focusing on climate-related programs and GHG emissions reporting, sustainability policies, reporting and audits, and other specialty needs. Beyond his consulting work, he has been active in the Institute of Internal Auditors for over a decade, contributing to supplemental guidance, and currently leads a Governance and Controls work group for the Institute of Management Accountants . Mr. Hileman submitted detailed comments to the SEC on the proposed climate disclosure rule. In the final rule (released March 6, 2024), there are 42 references to his comments. See www.douglashileman.com .

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  Episode #44

  Episode 44 - Doug Hileman: Part 1

  Aug 18, 202648 min

  In this episode of Auditors Save the World , podcast host Leita Hart-Fanta, CPA interviews audit superhero, Doug Hileman . In a world where the stakes stretch beyond borders, and where rising tides, shifting climates, and unseen risks threaten the balance, one brave leader doesn’t just watch the horizon. He redraws it. Meet our hero, Doug. From the shadowy trails of conflict minerals to the high-stakes halls of global industry (where even giants like Volkswagen faced the reckoning), he stood at the intersection of accountability and consequence. A guardian not just of rules, but of the planet itself. Then, when the call came from COSO , the architects of internal control, they didn’t ask for a participant. They called for a protector. A mind built for the big picture, a voice that echoes across continents, and a force for sustainability, integrity, and action. Because when Doug takes on a mission, it’s not just about compliance. It’s about the future. CHAPTERS: 01:00 — Environmental regulation history 03:00 — ESG as a taxonomy, not a state of being 05:00 — Voluntary frameworks and climate financial disclosures 08:00 — How Doug fell into this career path 10:00 — Conflict minerals: what the law requires and why it matters 13:00 — The Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act explained 15:00 — The Volkswagen monitorship: watching in real time 19:00 — Carbon reporting and finding his niche post-pandemic 22:00 — The COSO sustainability guidance document 26:00 — Why "sustainability" may be the wrong word 29:00 — SASB: industry-specific sustainability risk done right 35:00 — Financial disclosure vs. financial reporting 40:00 — B2B sustainability pressure in the supply chain 44:00 — Climate risk as a government audit opportunity ABOUT DOUG HILEMAN Douglas Hileman (FSA, CRMA, CPEA, P.E.) brings over four decades of experience in sustainability compliance, risk, reporting, and audit. Among his most notable contributions, he is an author of COSO’s groundbreaking document “Achieving Effective Internal Controls over Sustainability Reporting (ICSR).” Earlier in his career, he served as the senior environmental management and auditing specialist on the Volkswagen Monitor Team and spent six years at a Big 4 firm. From there, Doug led his boutique consultancy for 16 years, focusing on climate-related programs and GHG emissions reporting, sustainability policies, reporting and audits, and other specialty needs. Beyond his consulting work, he has been active in the Institute of Internal Auditors for over a decade, contributing to supplemental guidance, and currently leads a Governance and Controls work group for the Institute of Management Accountants . Mr. Hileman submitted detailed comments to the SEC on the proposed climate disclosure rule. In the final rule (released March 6, 2024), there are 42 references to his comments. See www.douglashileman.com .

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  Episode #43

  Episode 43 - Anne C. DeTraglia: Part 2

  Aug 4, 202626 min

  In this episode of Auditors Save the World , podcast host Leita Hart-Fanta, CPA interviews audit superhero, Anne DeTraglia . In our last conversation with Anne , she told us how she kept her company out of hot water with the feds. Today she tells us how the fraud risk program she implemented actually worked. Not in theory. Not in a binder. In the real world. Anne walks us through the pieces, including the people and the meetings that made it stick. Because it turns out the front line isn’t the problem. It’s the solution! And along the way, Anne shares a little hard-earned wisdom on SOX . Careers aren’t built on checklists. They’re built on applying your wisdom and judgment in complex situations. Don't miss an episode! Follow our podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcasts and subscribe to our channel on YouTube . CHAPTERS: 01:00 — Who belongs in a fraud risk workshop (hint: not the executives) 05:00 — Convicted fraudster videos and the fraud triangle in action 08:00 — Scoring schemes by impact, likelihood, and pervasiveness 12:00 — Turning high-risk schemes into audit projects 14:00 — Boardroom standoff: 6% fraud awareness is not a win 16:00 — New auditor advice: skip SOX, find the operational work 21:00 — AI governance: the audit priority you can't ignore 25:00 — We get paid to think, not type ABOUT ANNE DeTRAGLIA Anne DeTraglia is a recognized Internal Audit and Risk Management executive leader with thirty years’ experience building teams and capabilities across multiple disciplines, including fraud risk management, compliance, and enterprise risk management at Fortune 100 companies including The Home Depot, Sears Holdings, Nike, United Airlines, and Samsung. In her most recent role, she was the Vice President and Chief Audit Executive at Sabre Corporation, a multinational travel and technology company. Anne is a graduate of Illinois State University. She holds an undergraduate degree in Spanish Linguistics and Literature. She earned her MBA from The American Graduate School of International Management and is proud to be a Certified Internal Auditor and Fraud Examiner. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family, traveling the world, and eating good food.

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  Episode #41

  Episode 41 - Harriet Richardson: Part 2

  Jul 7, 202625 min

  Harriet Richardson returns for a second episode, and this time she pulls back the curtain on how great audits get built. She walks through the frameworks she relies on most, the logic model, Bloom's Taxonomy, and the elements of a finding, and shares how mastering these tools turns even the messiest, most sprawling audit into something decision-makers can actually use.Harriet takes us inside a real-world case where a chaotic, multi-topic audit was rescued, reorganized, and split into three focused projects, all because she could see the structure hiding inside the noise. She also tackles one of the hottest topics in auditing right now: the difference between outputs and outcomes, and why measuring the wrong one can make an ineffective program look like a roaring success. From a contract that helped exactly one person to auditors going into the field without the frameworks to back them up, Harriet connects the dots between structure, fieldwork, and real impact. If you want to think like a legend, this is the episode to study. CHAPTERS: 00:00 — Intro 00:53 — Harriet's origin story: rescuing a runaway audit 03:47 — How editing hundreds of audit reports sharpens your instincts 06:14 — Why financial auditors struggle with cause 09:01 — Training auditors to think like performance auditors 12:33 — Efficiency audits and a national trend 15:06 — Outputs vs. outcomes: the BART homeless services example 19:35 — Bloom's Taxonomy and critical thinking in auditing 22:57 — Advice for new auditors ABOUT HARRIET RICHARDSON Harriet Richardson is a respected expert in government auditing standards with a career spanning over three decades as a performance auditor, a Yellow Book advisor, and an instructor. She holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting and a Master of Business Administration degree with an emphasis in financial management. She is a Certified Public Accountant, Certified Internal Auditor, and Certified Government Audit Professional. For more than three decades, she served as a performance auditor at the federal, state, and local levels of government. In addition to an appointment by California Governor Gavin Newsom as the first Inspector General for the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit system (also known as BART), Harriet served in other key roles including City Auditor for the City of Palo Alto (California), Audit Manager for the City of Berkeley (California), Deputy State Auditor for the Washington State Auditor’s Office, Audit Director for the City and County of San Francisco (California), and Deputy City Auditor for the City of Atlanta’s Auditor’s Office (Georgia). Harriet’s accomplishments include serving for five years on the board of the Association of Local Government Auditors (ALGA), including a term as president and as chair of the ALGA’s Professional Issues Committee. She was ALGA’s representative on the Comptroller’s General’s Government Auditing Standards Advisory Council (2016-2021), which advises the U.S. Government Accountability Office on the Yellow Book. She currently sits on The Institute of Internal Auditors’ International Internal Audit Standards Board and the Government Accounting Standards Advisory Council, and is chair of her city’s Planning Commission. She was recognized for her professional achievements when she received ALGA’s Lifetime Achievement Award, the Association of Government Accountant’s Excellence in Government Leadership Award (2017), and the David M. Walker Excellence in Government Performance and Accountability Award (2018).

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