Experts on accounting standards, ethics to speak at School of Management

By Matthew Biddle

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Two financial accounting experts will speak at the University at Buffalo School of Management as part of this year’s Helen and Oscar Sufrin Lectureship in Accounting on Oct. 20 in the Center for Tomorrow on UB’s North Campus.

Debra A. Cutler, a CPA with 25 years of experience in forensic accounting and litigation, will speak at 9 a.m. on the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants’ (NYSSCPA) new Code of Ethics.

At 10:30 a.m., Paul Munter, CPA, partner in the Department of Professional Practice – Audit at KPMG, will discuss the new revenue recognition standard that was jointly passed this year by the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) and the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB).

A certified fraud examiner, Cutler is president of Debra A. Cutler, CPA, P.C., where she provides dispute and litigation services, including fraud investigations. She serves as a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants Joint Trial Board and is a former chair of the NYSSCPA Professional Ethics Committee. She also teaches an online business ethics course for Rutgers Business School and is the author and presenter of an ethics course for the Foundation for Accounting Education of the NYSSCPA.

Previously, Cutler provided attestation and tax services to corporations for more than a decade as partner at Kramer Love & Cutler LLP and served as senior manager at Ernst & Young. She earned her bachelor’s degree in accounting from the UB School of Management.

Munter joined KPMG in 2003 and serves as the lead technical partner for the company’s international accounting and International Financial Reporting Standards activities. He also is involved in the development of firm positions on proposals from the IASB, FASB and other standards-setting bodies, and leads the firm’s efforts related to the new revenue recognition standard.

Prior to KPMG, Munter served as an academic fellow in the Office of the Chief Accountant at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). He has been named an Outstanding Educator by the Florida Institute of CPAs and the National Business Information Professional of the Year by Beta Alpha Psi.

The free event will begin with a continental breakfast at 8:15 a.m., and each lecture will end with a Q&A. Reservations are required by Oct. 13 and can be made at mgt.buffalo.edu/sufrin14event. For more information, contact Janet Kiefer at 716-645-3290.

The Sufrin Lectureship brings distinguished business professionals to the UB School of Management to speak about accounting issues. Funding is provided through the generous support of Leslie Sufrin, CPA, and Gerald Sufrin, MD, a longtime UB professor, in honor of their late parents.

The UB School of Management is recognized for its emphasis on real-world learning, community and economic impact, and the global perspective of its faculty, students and alumni. The school also has been ranked by Bloomberg Businessweek, the Financial Times, Forbes and U.S. News & World Report for the quality of its programs and the return on investment it provides its graduates. For more information about the UB School of Management, visit mgt.buffalo.edu.

The University at Buffalo is a premier research-intensive public university, the largest and most comprehensive campus in the State University of New York. UB's nearly 30,000 students pursue their academic interests through more than 300 undergraduate, graduate and professional degree programs. Founded in 1846, the University at Buffalo is a member of the Association of American Universities.