2024 - 2026 Board Officers and Directors

Katherine Robinson, President

Katherine has spent her career using her experience and three professional certifications to aid and educate those with boots on the ground...

in the risk management and anti-fraud professions by providing insights into the practical application of industry theory. By arming other professionals with valuable insights, she believes they will be able to make smarter, faster, and wiser choices sooner and aid their customers and communities more effectively.

She has worked in the banking risk and compliance industry for almost ten years and in the anti-fraud industry for over 15 years. She previously worked as a Forensic Accountant and Fraud Examiner for the FBI, then for the State of Washington as a Regulator over state-chartered credit unions, and now directly for banks and credit unions in their 2nd Line of Defense. She specializes in gearing up new risk management and compliance programs and expanding their integrated Governance, Risk Management and Compliance capabilities. She holds licenses as a Certified GRC Professional, Certified Fraud Examiner and Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist.

She is on the Board with the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners Pacific Northwest Chapter, is a leading participant in the ACFE mentorship program, and a public speaker for the ACFE and Risk Management Association. She also does network consulting and coaching with other bank and credit union teams to help them gear up their GRC functions, which ultimately bring together the second- and third-line teams to work cooperatively together from centralized systems. Most recently, she and her team accepted the 2023 RIMS Global ERM Award of Distinction on behalf of a bank for work they had done to improve and expand its ERM practices and operations.

Catherine Hom, Vice President

Catherine Hom is a dedicated Certified Fraud Examiner currently working at Washington State’s Department of Revenue. Her expertise lies...

in uncovering and reviewing AI-generated documents to accurately establish property ownership. With a proven track record of resolving complex fraud cases, including identity theft, she has demonstrated her capability to tackle even the most challenging situations.

Prior to her current role, she served as a Collections Examiner and Certified Fraud Investigator for the Employment Security Department. Her ten years of experience in the private sector she held a significant role as a regional training manager at one of the top finance companies, where she focused on investigating internal fraud and developing effective strategies to combat it.

As a results-driven investigator, she is committed to ongoing professional development, staying abreast of the latest training programs and emerging fraud cases. Furthermore, it is an honor for her to serve as the Vice President of the Pacific Northwest Chapter of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE), where she contributes to the advancement of the profession.

Beyond her professional work, she is passionate about volunteering and actively supports nonprofit organizations. This commitment to community service will continue as she embarks on the next exciting chapter of her career, underscoring her dedication to making a positive impact both in her field and in society.

Victoria Kitts, Treasurer

Victoria is a senior manager in the audit and assurance department at Clark Nuber...

a regional CPA and consulting firm, focusing on a variety of not-for-profit organizations. The CFE certification helps Victoria assist her clients with strengthening their internal controls, and watching for signs of fraudulent activity during their annual financial statement audits.

Alina Gridley, Secretary

James Siwek, Training Dir

Jim spent nine years in the US Army initially in the Military Police Corps and later was accepted in the Criminal Investigations Division.

The investigations Jim conducted with Army CID involved violent crimes, to include homicides, sexual assaults, burglaries, and drug and gang related offenses. He served in Berlin, Germany; Turkey; White Sands, NM; Fort Riley, KS; and Savannah, GA. Specialty assignments include the Special Reaction Team (SRT) Leader, and Drug Suppression Team Chief.

Thereafter, Jim became a Special Agent with the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Inspector General (HUD-OIG) for over 20 years. As an agent with HUD-OIG he was assigned to the Chicago, IL District Office, and then as the Assistant Special Agent in Charge (ASAC) in Seattle, WA. Here Jim investigated fugitive felon and white collar fraud, to include housing assistance fraud, block grant, and community development fraud, focusing on embezzlement and public corruption. Jim has also investigated fraud concerning HUD’s Multi-family program, and mortgage fraud. The mortgage fraud investigations involved loan origination fraud, appraisal fraud, mortgage rescue fraud, Reverse Mortgage fraud, and bankruptcy fraud. These investigations have led to the prosecution of loan originators, underwriters, attorneys, appraisers, realtors, “investors” and loan brokers.

As the ASAC in Seattle, Jim was responsible for the oversight of investigations being conducted in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, South Dakota and Alaska. Jim then went on to teach the Criminal Justice program at Puget Sound Skills Center, where he taught high school juniors and seniors about the Criminal Justice System.

Jim currently works for Peraton, where he conducts health care fraud investigations. His education includes a Master’s Degree in Organizational Leadership. He is a Certified Firearms Instructor and a Certified Fraud Examiner. He is a member of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners and the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association.

Kari Overson

Kari is the principal private investigator and certified fraud examiner of her own firm, Overson Investigative Group LLC (OIG).

She has over 26 years' experience as a federal agent conducting complex white collar investigations involving bank and loan fraud, SBA Program Fraud, bankruptcy fraud, contract fraud, money laundering, mortgage fraud, and real estate fraud. In private practice, her focus has been on these same specialties and conducting financial analyses for divorce cases, due diligence, and elder financial exploitation cases. Contact: kari@oignw.com

Gordan Craig

Gordan is a teacher of auditing, forensic accounting, and related subjects. He teaches students the ethical awareness and auditing skills they need,

awareness and auditing skills they need, including use of data analytics tools, to be successful as new members of the accounting profession. He applies his experience as an internal audit professional to the classroom. This experience included verifying that Army business processes work effectively to enhance military readiness, care for Soldiers and their families, use funds appropriately, and meet legal and regulatory requirements. He is currently teaches at the University of Washington Tacoma. He is a Certified Public Accountant, Certified Internal Auditor, Certified Fraud Examiner and Certified Information Systems Auditor.

Angela Jones

Angela is the principle private investigator at her firm, Athena Investigations.

From 1995-2004, Angela was employed in law enforcement, working at various agencies. She started as a Reserve Police Officer and moved into a role as a full-time commissioned Deputy. During her tenure in law enforcement, she garnered invaluable insights into systemic challenges within the field, particularly concerning mental health, substance abuse, racial disparities, and socioeconomic inequalities. Notably, her experience within correctional facilities heightened her awareness of these issues. This awareness informed her subsequent roles within the Sheriff’s Office, where she undertook specialized assignments aimed at serving marginalized populations. She has dedicated herself to advocating for victims of sexual assault, hate crimes, and domestic violence.

Leveraging her fervor for advocacy, astute comprehension of human behavior, and proficiency in pattern recognition, she transitioned into the domain of Financial Crimes and Fraud. Notably, her tenure at Amazon from 2017 to 2021 saw her ascend through the ranks, achieving two promotions and culminating in her role as Compliance Program Analyst. Within this capacity, she served as Subject Matter Expert (SME) for organized financial cybercrime.

She is a Certified Fraud Examiner, Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist through ACAMS, a Certified Cryptocurrency Investigation by Blockchain Intelligence Group, a Commissioned Washington State Notary, and Principal Private Investigator at her own firm, Athena Investigations.

Wendy Gillihan

Wendy is the principal consultant of her firm, Veracity Verity, LLC, which she founded in 2009.

She has over 25 years of experience working with a wide variety of industries to solve complex challenges and mitigate risk. Her specialties include fraud prevention and internal controls, small business investigations, HR investigations, payroll and benefit efficiency and compliance audits, ADP technology implementation, organizational restructuring, employee investigations, and offboarding support. As a community leader, she serves on the Washington State Department of Revenue Business Advisory Council and previously served as Chair of the City of Seattle Labor Standards Advisory Commission and the Women's Commission, guiding rulemaking and policy discussions with stakeholders and giving feedback on audit policy and community outreach. She served on the board of trustees and policy leadership group for the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce. She has taught workshops for the Small Business Administration - Seattle Office, Women's Entrepreneurial Training Network, New Beginnings, and the Washington Small Business Fair.

Priya Sall

Priya currently serves as the Interim Executive Director of Internal Audit at Western Washington University and has been with the university since 2022.

Priya’s past professional experience includes over six years at the Washington State Auditor’s Office where she conducted external audits of local and state governments in Washington and served as the fraud specialist for Team Bellingham. Priya is a Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE), and her professional affiliations include the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE), the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA), and the Association of College & University Auditors (ACUA), for which she has held various volunteer positions.

"ACFE Pacific Northwest Chapter" is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. Bellevue, WA