REFERENCES
Tammy Kirkland, Executive Director of the Alabama Mortgage Professionals Association
In September, Mr. Cox spoke at our annual convention. His speech was especially educational and pertinent to red flags as well as ethical issues that our members needed to be made aware of. The content came from Mr. Cox’s personal experience which made the information all the more interesting and educated everyone on the dangers of fraud.
The consequences of Mr. Cox’s behavior brought the criminal aspect of the fraud to a higher level of reality and reiterated the importance of conducting business with integrity and honesty.
I have no reservation about recommending Mr. Cox as a speaker.
Sincerely,
Tammy Kirkland
Executive Director
Timothy P. Hadley, Ph.D., CPA, CFF, CFE, professor at Fordham University
I am a leader of Fraud Risk Management Services at KPMG LLP. For the past twelve years I have been a member of the accounting faculty at Fordham University, where, among other courses, I teach Forensic Accounting and Business Risks in a Global Digital Economy.
Numerous times Matthew Cox has graciously agreed to talk with my students about his story; and I can say that I have had few guest speakers who delivered such a powerful message about the importance of judgment, skepticism, and business risk. Matthew gave his presentation with a strong sense of remorse and contrition in an understated manner that at first subtly hides the power of his message. As his talk continued, it began to dawn upon my students that the story was very serious and tragic. It was a story of someone who lost his moral compass and would pay a heavy price for it. But also, a story of a man who, after much introspection, again found his compass.
After Matthew’s lectures, my students always commented upon the value of hearing his story and thanked me for allowing him to talk to the class. His message is powerful and I believe having Matthew speak in venues where young professionals can learn about the consequences of their decisions and where more experienced professionals may understand how to better help in preventing and detecting misconduct is invaluable.
Best regards,
Timothy P. Hedley, Ph.D., CPA, CFF, CFE
Walter A. Pavlo, Jr., contributing professor at New York University School of Law and author of Stolen Without a Gun
My name is Walt Pavlo and I am a writer with Forbes magazine and contributing professor at NYU School of Law. I write on criminal justice issues and white-collar crimes.
During multiple events, Mr. Cox has shared his story with students. His honesty and candid about his mistakes, while also pointing out how quality control procedures can be by-passed within financial institutions.
I highly recommend Mr. Cox as a speaker. His story is more than just a cautionary tale, it helps companies perform at higher levels to prevent fraud.
Sincerely,
Walter A. Pavlo, Jr.
Tad Wentzell, CEO Home Access Financial
I am the CEO of an independent mortgage bank with branches across Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina. As a leader of our company, it is my obligation to prevent fraud from borrowers and staff. Part of our fraud prevention program is annual training.
I reached out to Mr. Cox in January 2022. I knew his story would get the staff’s attention. However, I was concerned that the sensationalism of Mr. Cox’s story may glorify his journey. After the hour and a half lecture was over, it was clear that I had nothing to be worried about. Not only did Mr. Cox have tears in his eyes when describing not being able to see his son grow up, his mother grow old, and missing all of those meaningful moments we take for granted, but a good portion of my staff was in tears as well.
Mr. Cox’s speech was powerful and impactful. Without a doubt he made an impact on my staff. I highly recommend him.
Thank you,
Tad Wentzell