About

Daniel Leonard, from Raleigh, North Carolina, graduated in May of 2019 with a degree in accounting. During his time at UNCP, Daniel served as the president of the Accounting Students Association and worked hard to ensure that the association was successful. Daniel was proud to have worked as an auditor at a local firm during college and to have married his wonderful wife, Megan Leonard! For Daniel, being a member of the honors college was rewarding because it gave him access to excellent faculty and staff who gave him advice about school and life. He was thankful to have met and built a relationship with Gordon Byrd through the years and is thankful for all his advice and help.

For his senior project, Daniel constructed a research thesis that discussed how to reduce the risk of fraud in the workplace. His thesis outlined how creating an ethical, controlled environment in the workplace can be helpful and pay off in the long run. His faculty advisor for his project was Dr. Jane Baird, an auditing professor for the accounting department. Daniel said, “My thesis is essentially a model that I created as key points in creating an ethical environment and the effects of those points on the fraud triangle.”

After graduation, Daniel sat for the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) exam and then returned to school to obtain a master’s degree. Daniel advises honors students by saying, “Find a major that you fall in love with and work as hard as you can to understand everything the undergraduate program has to tell you in that field. It certainly will pay off in the long run.” His greatest memory at UNCP was meeting his now wife, Megan, during her freshman year. Daniel said, “We have enjoyed almost nine months married now and have loved every minute of it!” Daniel made memories in the honors college that he will carry with him forever.

Senior Project

Mentor: Jane Baird

Preventing Fraud in the Workplace through the Creation of an Ethical Environment