(North Canton, OH – Feb.10, 2009) – David Welch, the first person protected under the Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) whistleblowers provision that protects employees who question their employer's financial irregularities, will speak at Stark State College Tuesday, Feb. 17 at 7 p.m. in the Silk Auditorium.

Welch was fired twice in 2002 as the chief financial officer of the Bank of Floyd in Virginia, and twice was reinstated. As a result of the fallout, Welch has become a passionate advocate for SOX reforms. 

His 30-minute presentation will focus on recognizing patterns of irregularities, questioning centralized control of management, and discussing how SOX reforms impact the accounting industry. The 30-minute presentation will be followed by a question and answer period.

Sponsored by the Stark State Chapter of the Institute of Management Accountants, the program is free and open to the public.