Anthony Menendez visits SCU
On May 13th, 2022, the SCU Accounting Department and Accounting Association had the honor of hosting Mr. Tony Menendez who is best known as the “Accountant Who Beat Halliburton.” Mr. Menendez is widely recognized for his decade-long legal battle with the oil giant as a corporate whistleblower under Sarbanes-Oxley. Despite having no formal legal training, he prevailed in the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals as a pro-se litigant, representing himself in the court. Ultimately, his case has resulted in significantly increased protections for all corporate employees in their efforts to do the right thing.
Photo credit: Bryce Otsuka (Accounting '23)
Mr. Menendez has held senior positions in both the public and private sectors. He is a former controller at General Motors over U.S. sales, service, and marketing where he oversaw the reporting of over $100 billion in annual revenues and the reporting of one of the world's largest marketing and advertising budgets. Over his years as a forensic accountant, he has provided expert services to attorneys representing individuals and shareholders on numerous nationally litigated cases involving allegations of improper accounting, financial reporting, and violations of federal securities laws.
He has been honored with prominent nationally recognized awards. In 2017, he received the “Accounting Exemplar Award” from the American Accounting Association for his “notable contributions to professionalism and ethics in accounting.” In 2015, he received the “Sentinel Award” from the American Certified Fraud Examiners Association for “putting truth over self.”
The SCU Accounting Department and SCUAA welcomed Mr. Menendez from Loyola Marymount University where he is the George A. Dasaro Clinical Assistant Professor of Accounting and shares his experiences while teaching financial accounting, auditing, and fraud examination courses to undergraduate and graduate students.
During the first day of his visit, the Accounting Department enjoyed dinner with Mr. Menendez and welcomed him to Silicon Valley. On the day of his presentation, the SCU Accounting Association had the pleasure of taking Mr. Menendez on a tour of SCU as it was his first time visiting the campus. The Accounting Association officers then took Mr. Menendez to lunch at Pizza Antica in Santana Row. The Accounting Association officers enjoyed their conversation with Mr. Menendez and were able to learn more about what it takes to be successful in the world of business.
Mr. Menendez concluded his visit to SCU by giving a presentation on “What it Takes to Do the Right Thing in Corporate America.” With more than 100 students and professors in attendance, Mr. Menendez shared his story in SCU’s Recital Hall.
Written by Bethany Candler (SCUAA President, Accounting '23)