A Conversation with IIA President David A. Richards

Elevating the Role of Internal Auditors

Donald E. Tidrick, PhD, CPA, CMA, CIA

In May 2004, David A. Richards was appointed president of the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA), the primary association and advocacy organization for internal auditing professionals around the world. Prior to joining the IIA, Richards served as the chief audit executive of FirstEnergy Corporation, an electric utility serving more than 4 million customers in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. Richards is a Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) as well as a CPA. He has an MBA from Baldwin-Wallace College and an undergraduate degree in accounting from John Carroll University. Richards has an extensive record of professional service to the IIA, ranging from the local chapter level in Cleveland, Ohio, to the global level as a member (and as a former chairman) of the board of directors and a former member of the IIA executive committee, among other volunteer roles. He was awarded the IIA's Victor Z. Brink Award for Distinguished Service in 2004.