Student wins anti-fraud scholarship

Second-year student Heidi Exner is one of 25 winners of the Ritchie-Jennings Memorial Scholarship from the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, and the only Canadian winner in the group. 

The Ritchie-Jennings Memorial Scholarship provides an opportunity for students to advance their education and anti-fraud career paths. The scholarship program was established in 1992 to provide opportunities for students who had demonstrated achievement in fraud-related studies. In 1998, the program was renamed the Ritchie-Jennings Memorial Scholarship in honor of ACFE members Larry Jennings, CFE, and Tracy Ritchie, CFE. Both men were among five people fatally wounded during terrorist attacks in Karachi, Pakistan, on November 14, 1997.  

As a Canadian it is especially meaningful to receive a Ritchie-Jennings Memorial Scholarship, as it is rarely awarded to Canadian students. This award is personally significant because in addition to recognising my academic achievements, it celebrates my work with my non-profit, the Exner Foundation. The first step to addressing white-collar crime in Canada is to bridge academic and industry expertise across law, business, and finance. This is the heart of what I aim to achieve through my research, my pursuit to obtain JD, MBA, CFE, and CFA designations, and by creating the Exner Foundation.