Former CPA, whistleblower to speak on corporate fraud

The Messenger 09.12.12

Weston Smith, former chief financial officer with Healthsouth Corporation, will present a lecture, “Crossing the Line — An Insider’s Story,” at 7:30 p.m. Thursday in Watkins Auditorium of Boling University Center at the University of Tennessee at Martin.
Smith spent five years as a certified public accountant on the audit staff of Ernst & Young. He was subsequently recruited to a management position with Healthsouth Corporation and ultimately became chief financial officer.
During his tenure at Healthsouth, the company grew from 13 locations to an international corporation with more than 2,000 locations. The company also became listed on the New York Stock Exchange and entered the Fortune 500.
However, a multi-year $3 billion accounting fraud developed within Healthsouth and, in what Smith describes as “finally doing the right thing,” he blew the whistle on the fraud in 2003. Since then, he has become an outspoken advocate of ethics and integrity — not just in business but through all walks of life — and has spoken to thousands of professionals and university students.
Smith has been featured on CNBC and as a guest of Neil Cavuto on the Fox Business Channel.
His presentation is co-sponsored by the UT Martin College of Business and Global Affairs.
The lecture is free and open to the public.
“Honors Programs is thrilled to collaborate with the College of Business and Global Affairs to bring such a dynamic and relevant speaker to UT Martin,” said director Lionel Crews. “Mr. Weston’s experiences in business and personal ethics are a story we all need to hear.”
For more information, contact Crews at (731) 881-7436 or by email at lcrews@utm.edu.

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