We are industry-leading global executives ready to help your organization.
Verracy was founded by a group of global executives with the purpose of helping companies transform their risk and audit functions from back office, check list support, to trusted advisors helping set the strategic direction, evoke positive change, and deliver value.
Our goal is to provide consulting and training using cutting-edge tools and forward-thinking methodologies to meet the challenges of competing in today’s global economy.
Verracy was founded by a group of industry-leading global executives to help companies transform their risk and internal audit functions into trusted advisors. In just a few years, we have led the transformation of the corporate accountability industry from a staid and reactive corner of the business landscape to a dynamic source of invaluable insights. And we’re just getting started.
We recognized a need in the corporate training space, where the material being taught to maintain certifications was often delivered by people without experience in the field using outdated information. Much of the training available covered just the basics, instead of truly adding value and developing skills.
Led by co-founders Mary Breslin and Keith Barber, Verracy began producing new course materials built on the principles of participant engagement, real-world applicability, and the need to evolve with the landscape. Each new course we created resonated with attendees and helped prepare them to overcome the challenges they faced every day.
Almost immediately, training attendees asked us for help with their specific issues. With the extensive experience our team has accumulated in the trenches and in corporate leadership, we quickly became trusted partners to individual companies, government entities, and organizations. Verracy has been getting to the root of persistent issues, designing solutions, assisting with program implementation, and transforming the internal capabilities of entities around the world ever since.
Today and always, whether you are working with us for one-off organizational training or a full-scale overhaul of your operations, Verracy is ready to partner with you to create a culture of performance with integrity.
Mary Breslin is the Founder of Verracy and specializes in Internal Audit transformations, Operational and Financial Auditing, Fraud Auditing and Investigations, and Corporate Accounting.
Ms. Breslin’s career spans over 20 years in Internal Auditing, Management and Accounting for companies such as ConocoPhillips, Barclays Capital, Costco Wholesale, Jefferson Wells and Boart Longyear. With significant International experience, she has managed audit programs in more than 50 countries. Most recently, Ms. Breslin held the title of Vice President and Chief Audit Executive where she transformed a checklist audit function into a value-add audit department which regularly delivered measurable business results through the use of risk-based auditing, data analytics, continuous education and skill development for her leadership team and staff.
Additionally, Ms. Breslin has extensive Fraud Audit and Investigation experience and has conducted major fraud investigations on multiple continents including large scale federal cases domestically. She has developed and implemented fraud auditing programs in various industries focused on both accounting and operations.
Ms. Breslin attended Rutgers University and received her BS in accounting, and an MBA from the University of Phoenix while living and working overseas. She is a Certified Internal Auditor (CIA), and Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE). She maintains memberships in the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA), American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), ISACA, the Society of Corporate Compliance (SCCE), and the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE) and is currently an instructor and conference speaker for the IIA, The ACFE and ISACA.
Bret Kobel, MBA
MANAGING PARTNER
Bret Kobel, MBA
MANAGING PARTNER
Mr. Kobel is Managing Partner for Verracy and has more than 20 years of professional finance, accounting, audit, risk and compliance experience. Mr. Kobel specializes in internal controls, process improvement, process transformation & implementation with organizations operating under GAAP and/or IFRS Standards. He brings a diverse background to the organization from venture-backed startups to global Fortune 500 companies.
Prior to joining Verracy, Mr. Kobel spent two years on assignment in Singapore as the Regional CFO and Controller for an international logistics company responsible for seven countries in the Asia Pacific region. Mr. Kobel was tasked with transforming the financial organization and redesigning the financial processes to ensure timely and accurate financial reporting.
Prior to that, Mr. Kobel spent several years with a large international drilling services company operating in over 40 countries on six continents. He was responsible for developing the company’s initial policies and procedures and implementing the baseline internal controls framework for the company as well as the initial Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) program. Mr. Kobel later led global Internal Audit teams performing the first ever internal audits in the company’s 120-year history.
Earlier in Mr. Kobel’s career, he was part of a team that interpreted the newly released 1992 COSO Internal Control – Integrated Framework that worked to define a set of policies and procedures for one of the largest university systems in the nation and later led teams conducting the initial internal audits for the newly-implemented procedures.
Mr. Kobel received his BS degree from Indiana University and his MBA from The University of Texas at Austin. He is a member of the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) and the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE).
Michael Fucilli, CIA, QIAL, CRMA, CGAP, CFE
Training Facilitator
Michael Fucilli, CIA, QIAL, CRMA, CGAP, CFE
Consultant & Training Facilitator
Mike Fucilli has 40 years of internal auditing experience that includes Financial Services, Public Sector, Defense Contracting, Inventory Management, Technology, COSO & SOX Reporting.
Mr. Fucilli has over 20 years of experience as a Chief Audit Executive and is currently an Adjunct Professor for St. John’s University where he teaches the IIA Learning System for the Certified Internal Auditor Exam.
Mike has hands on experience in conducting operational, risk management, and governance audits of major corporations’ operations, including, Revenue, Core Operations, HR, Pensions, Medical Costs, Finance, Procurement, Occupational Safety, and Technology, including major system implementations. Over the last ten years Mike and his team identified over $1 billion in cost efficiencies identified in accordance with the COSO Framework.
Mr. Fucilli received a B.S. Degree in Accounting with a concentration in Economics from St. Peter’s University in New Jersey. He has provided training for IIA chapters and Institutes worldwide, MISTI, CFE Association, the AICPA, among others, as well as top 100 corporations and major Federal and State government agencies. He has presented courses and made presentations on the continents of North America, Europe, Asia and in the Caribbean. Mike is a sought after passionate and energetic speaker, receiving the highest ratings by participants. Mike spoke at the last five IIA International Conferences and is a subject matter speaker on all facets of Internal Auditing and Consulting projects.
Mike is currently Vice Chairman of the Institute of Internal Auditors’ Board of Directors. He is the Past President of the IIA Internal Audit Foundation. He was President of the New York City Chapter of The Institute of Internal Auditors.
Hal Manasa, CGMA, CIA, CFE
Training Facilitator
Hal Manasa, CPA, CIA, CFE, CGMA
Consultant & Training Facilitator
Mr. Manasa’s career spans the Middle East and the United States. He is currently Chairman and a member of several audit and risk committees in the Middle East, as well as serving as a consultant for the IIA and their clients worldwide. He also serves on the Board for the Western Carolina chapter of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, is a former volunteer to the Taxpayer Advocacy Panel of the Internal Revenue Service, and is an arbitrator for the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA)
Hal’s extensive professional experiences include: Audit manager for the finance and operations division at Saudi Aramco, providing support services and advice to the Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice President of Exploration. He was a Senior Audit Manager for PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) in the Middle East and Florida, the Chief Financial Officer for the City of Miami Parking Authority, and served on the accounting and finance faculty at Clemson and Winthrop Universities in South Carolina.
Mr. Manasa holds a Master’s Degree in Economics from the University of Oklahoma and a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from the University of West Florida. He is a Certified Public Accountant, Certified Internal Auditor, Certified Fraud Examiner, and Chartered Global Management Accountant.
Mr. Manasa brings significant financial, accounting, tax, and internal control expertise and has a deep understanding of governance and multinational issues.
His personal interests include camping, travel, and vintage auto restoration and serving on local civic, community and church committees.
Anthony Joy, CFE, CPA
Training Facilitator
Anthony Joy, CFE, CPA
CONSULTANT, INTERNATIONAL AUDIT TRANSFORMATION
Tony is the Director of Compliance / Internal Audit (which includes Investigations) for Ausenco Group, an Australian Engineering and Construction Management company that specialize in Mining / Minerals, Energy and Infrastructure, with offices and projects across the globe.
Tony has more than 20 years of professional accounting, audit, risk, compliance and investigative experience – all in numerous roles with multi-national companies. He has specialized in Designing, Developing / Transforming and Overseeing the execution of the Governance, Risk Management, Compliance, Internal Audit, and Investigation functions at numerous diversified multi-national companies. In addition, he has also worked in Mergers and Acquisitions, Crisis and Security Management, and SOX implementation.
His experience includes numerous projects in Emerging Markets, particularly China, India, Eastern Europe / Russia, Brazil and the Middle-East.
He is also a Guest Instructor, with the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA), and has presented on numerous occasions for the MIS Training Institute on a variety of topics related to internal audit, internal controls, compliance and investigations.
He received his Bachelor degree from Baldwin-Wallace College and is a veteran of the United States Marine Corps. He is a member of the Dayton, Ohio, chapter of The Institute of Internal Auditors, is a CPA and a Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) and a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Ohio Society of CPAs, and the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners.
Gwen McDade, CPA, CIG, CPIP
Training Facilitator
Gwen McDade, CPA, CIG, CPIP
CONSULTANT, GOVERNMENT AND NONPROFIT AUDITING
Gwendolyn D. McDade is a Certified Public Accountant, a Certified Inspector General, and a Certified Program Integrity Professional in Medicaid.
Gwen has extensive audit and financial management responsibilities in the private sector, non-profit, and government performing internal and external audits, in audit preparation and readiness, launching and sustaining internal controls, establishing finance and internal audit departments, implementing accounting and audit systems, developing and documenting policies and procedures, and delivering operational results and training classes.
As America’s region Internal Audit Manager at Motorola, she worked to implement global controls over $1 billion of inventory. In her four years as a Deputy Inspector General of Compliance at the Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, she oversaw a budget of $10 million and led 200 auditors and nurses in ensuring that state and federal funds were used in accordance with applicable law.
A financial leader in industry and government, Gwen partnered with a $200 million Global Drivers business at Motorola. She oversaw $100 million in revenue and $300 million in assets for a governmental risk pool, earning unqualified opinions of the annual financial statements for eight years while ensuring the existence of effective internal controls and implementing an accounting system.
Gwen is able to convey her knowledge to individuals and national audiences. She trained agency auditors to audit the multi-fund college and university financial statements, delivered training to the IIA and governmental risk pools on internal controls and compliance, and served as a mentor to aspiring leaders.
Keith Barber, CISA, ACDA, ACT
Consultant
Keith Barber, CISA, ACDA, ACT
CONSULTANT, DATA ANALYTICS INSIGHT
Keith Barber is a Partner with Verracy responsible for Data Analytics Insight, where he specializes in data analytics training, data analytics program implementations, and advancing data analytics programs.
Mr. Barber has extensive experience helping clients solve complex data issues using various software tools. His professional expertise includes data analytics, IT audit, fraud detection, automated control monitoring, the use of Business Intelligence to support strategic decision making, and personnel/project management. During his tenure with the Big 4, Keith delivered a number of audit data analytics projects in support of financial audit, tax engagements, business risk and IT engagements.
As a Corporate Audit Manager of Data Analytics for a financial services company, Keith built a world class data analytics program encompassing real-time risk analysis scorecards, sophisticated continuous auditing and monitoring, automated action item tracking and automated a significant amount of the SOX testing. Additionally, Keith has trained and developed hundreds of data analysts through training courses he teaches and within the organizations he has led data teams. Over the course of his career, Keith’s technical expertise and seasoned judgment were key to satisfying client needs, delivering the right level of customization to ensure that clients received the highest value for their investment. Using data analytics Keith identified and quantified evidence of a $5 million fraud. The evidence provided the board and management with concrete evidence of the fraud and facilitated recovery of the funds.
Additionally, Keith has trained and developed hundreds of data analysts through training courses he writes and teaches. He has organically developed several data analytics from the ground up through teaching and training employees within prior organizations.
Mr. Barber received his BS in Computer Science from Madonna University. He is a Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA), ACL Certified Data Analyst (ACDA) and an ACL Certified Trainer. He maintains memberships in the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA), ISACA and The Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE).
Kira Ector, CSOE, CICA
Consultant
Kira Ector, CSOE, CICA
Consultant, International Risk Management & Auditing
Kira Ector has over 15 years’ experience in internal audit, including managing Sarbanes Oxley (SOX) 404 compliance projects in various industries including banking, financial services, oil and gas, IT products and services, medical device manufacturing, and Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG).
Most recently, Kira was the Director of Internal Audit for a Better for You (BFY) global snack food company in Austin, TX where she was recruited to establish the internal audit department post IPO. Prior to this, she worked as an audit manager for various global companies managing the audit and SOX compliance function, managed audit teams, planned and conducted audits using a risk-based audit approach, provided process improvements throughout the organization to improve overall efficiencies and enhance internal controls.
Kira’s strengths are in auditing diverse industries with strong attention to detail as well as working well across all levels of responsibility. Kira also has strong research and problem-solving skills, excels in report writing, presentation, and time management skills.
Kira received an MBA from the American InterContinental University London while living in the UK. Kira is a Certified Internal Controls Auditor (CICA) and a Certified Sarbanes Oxley Expert (CSOE) and is a member of the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) and the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE).
Carolyn Ferguson, CPA
Consultant
Carolyn Ferguson, CPA
CONSULTANT, RISK MANAGEMENT AND AUDITING
Carolyn is currently a tax, accounting, risk management, and auditing consultant with SurePath Wealth Management. Previously, she has served in the Chief Audit Role for several companies such as TG/Trellis, Temple-Inland, and Quaker State Oil. She has also served in various other auditing and accounting positions with several nationally recognized organizations including PepsiCo, American Airlines and Ernst and Young. Carolyn is a Certified Public Accountant and received her Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting, summa cum laude, from Texas A&M University. She has served on Board committees of the Institute of Internal Auditors and is an active speaker and Lecturer on audit and process management and control topics for several Internal Audit associations and for The University of Texas. Carolyn is a supporter of the Austin Museum of Art, St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, Texas State Troopers Association, American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, the ASPCA and Cocker Spaniel Rescue.
Gordon Duff
Consultant
Gordon Duff
Consultant, Internal Audit
Gordon is an Internal Audit professional with over 20 years of domestic and international expertise in Audit, Finance, and Accounting in the Oil and Gas, Mining, Building Materials, and Forest Products industries.
Before joining Verracy in 2019, Gordon was involved in various audit consulting projects in the oil and gas, mining and banking industries.
Mr. Duff has extensive operational and SOX audit experience in the mining industry and spent five years on a $2.0 billion greenfield mining project in Indonesia with oversight responsibility for the audit function where multiple fraudulent activities were identified.
Mr. Duff also spent eleven years focused primarily on operational audits for an E&P Oil and Gas company with operations focused in Texas and Alberta where multiple operational improvements were recommended and implemented.
Mr. Duff attended Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec, Canada graduating with the equivalent of BS in Accounting. Mr. Duff also studied towards an MBA at the University of Denver and has previously been a member of the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) and the Council of Petroleum Accountants Society (COPAS).
Connelly Jaqua
Social Media Coordinator
Connelly Jaqua
SOCIAL MEDIA COORDINATOR
Connelly Jaqua is the Social Media Coordinator at Verracy, responsible for designing and scheduling social media posts to promote the company’s many educational opportunities, events, and industry insights.
Connelly is currently majoring in Industrial Design with a minor in Sustainability. She attends the New Jersey Institute of Technology as a Deans Scholar.
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