Jim Wesberry Announces

His Un-Retirement

Presently preparing to start a new international consulting assignment, Jim Wesberry is going back to work full-time on the other side of the planet (see picture below).

Jim retired in Cumbaya, Quito, Ecuador in 2006 after heading the USAID anti-corruption project, “Yes! We Can! (Sí Se Puede!), Jim Wesberry previously served in Mexico City as Director of USAID’s first Mexico Anti-Corruption Project “ATLATL.”  Wesberry until retirement was widely recognized as a premier expert on corruption and accountability in Latin America based on nearly 40 years experience since going to Peru with the Alliance for Progress in 1967. Previously he served for four years as Director of USAID’s Hemisphere-wide Americas’ Accountability/Anti-Corruption Project (AAA Project). 

Wesberry earlier served four years as Principal Adviser on Accounting and Auditing for Latin America and the Caribbean at the World Bank where he was in charge of project audit quality, advised regarding anti-corruption and national government financial management systems in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) and served on the Bank’s first anti-corruption task force. Before that he held a similar four-year post as Senior Financial Management Adviser for the LAC Region at USAID where he was responsible for the first phase of the AAA Project and the initiation of USAID’s anti-corruption efforts.  

Wesberry’s modus operandi in fighting corruption was developed based on his experience since 1988 when USAID first addressed the problem and is characterized by intensive use of technology and mass communication in establishing and maintaining a massive interest in fighting corruption.  He has been responsible for four Hemispheric Teleconferences, two Anti-Corruption Summits, four widely known websites, four newsletters distributed electronically and in printed format, and four weekly corruption news summaries distributed electronically.  He used teleconferencing in Mexico and Ecuador to provide seminars and training courses to large groups of participants simultaneously.  The use of technology to reach massive numbers of persons greatly reduces the cost of training and, where properly applied, loses nothing in the area of discipline and evaluation of results.  In Mexico Wesberry was responsible for video courses offered to over 6,000 State auditors in the 32 Mexican States using Mexico’s Television Educativa’s state-of-the-art video studios and satellite channels. In Ecuador he headed programs that provided training for 21,720 persons using both live in-person traditional facilities and live video transmitted presentations in Ecuador’s 22 largest cities.

A Certified Public Accountant and Certified Fraud Examiner, Wesberry, worked for two of Atlanta's leading accounting firms before opening his own practice as a CPA in 1959. He began his anti-corruption efforts in his home state of Georgia where he performed investigatory audits of several counties resulting in charges of corruption against local officials and served as Special Investigator in the Criminal Division of the State Law Department of Georgia investigating corruption in state government. Later he was elected three times to the Georgia State Senate where he championed legislation in the areas of accountability, ethical conduct and fair representation. He was principal plaintiff in the landmark 1964 US Supreme Court case, Wesberry v. Sanders (395 US 1) that ordered the reapportionment of the US House of Representatives in accordance with the constitutional “Great Compromise” of 1789.

Wesberry also served as Chief Auditor of the Organization of American States and held senior posts at Pricewaterhouse Coopers and the U.S. General Accounting Office. He served in Peru and Ecuador for 11 years as adviser to six of the two nations’ Comptrollers General and to the Latin American organization of national auditing agencies. He has worked or provided training in every Latin American country. Wesberry holds a Masters Degree in Public Administration from The American University and is also a Certified Internal Auditor, Certified Financial Services Auditor and Certified Government Financial Manager.  He has been decorated on three occasions and, among others, has received the following significant awards:

·         USAID Outstanding Career Achievement Award - 1993 for "invaluable and lifetime contributions to the improvement of financial management systems and the fight against corruption in Latin America” (second highest USAID employee award).

·          Most Meritorius Accountant of the

    Americas Award (Contador Benemerito de las Americas), 2003 from the Interamerican Accounting Association for “his indisputable professional merits, his ethical values and the interest, enthusiasm and imponderable labor, placed at the service of the Accountancy Profession.”

·          Bradford Cadmus Memorial Award - 1989, highest honor of the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA), "To honor individuals making the greatest contribution to the advancement of the internal auditing profession."

Wesberry lives with his wife of 34 years, Lea Castañeda originally from Peru, at Quinta Quivilla a one acre natural paradise outside Quito a few miles south of the Equator at an elevation of 7,700 feet in the Andes mountains.  The Wesberry’s raise 80% of their vegetables, 50% of their fruits and have about 50 chickens plus two each of peacocks, rabbits, guineas, pheasants, and Persian cats, not to mention eight Chihuahuas from their days in Mexico.                     

May, 2007

     Jim Wesberry's Trajectory of Leadership

·         Page, US House of Representatives

o   Overseer of Pages

o   President Student Council, Capitol Page school

o   Completed high school in 3 years

·         Completed university at night while working earning BBA degree in 3 years (age 20) and passed CPA exam (age 21)

·         Worked for two of Atlanta’s leading CPA firms ganing specialized experience in public sector audits

o   Supervised Quadrennial Executive Audit of the State of Maine

o   Audit of Jackson County, Georgia revealed corruption among almost all county officials

o   Acting Controller of Hillcrest Poultry Industries, Lewiston, Maine  while installing pioneering IBM unit record system for accounting

·         Lieutenant Coronel, Georgia Governor’s Staff

·         Practiced in own CPA firm in Atlanta, Georgia (beginning at age 24 for 10 years)

o   5 offices in Georgia

o   29 employees at peak

o   Listed in Who’s Who in Commerce & Industry

o   Prepared first comprehensive budget for DeKalb County, Georgia As County Auditor recommended and monitored pioneering IBM 360 computerized accounting system

o   Audit of Bleckley County, Georgia resulted in criminal indictment of County Commissioner

o   Annual Reports for Georgia’s two largest counties won highest national award for financial reporting.

·         Designed & built ultra modern home featured in Atlanta Journal Magazine and Better Homes & Gardens as one of 100 best in US

·         Special Investigator, Criminal Division, State Law Department of Georgia -  investigated corruption in state government.  Discovered bribes to Governor’s brother who was indicted. Governor later was defeated.

·         State Governmental Affairs Chair, Georgia Junior Chamber of Commerce

o   Chaired State governmental Affairs Seminar in Atlanta & Federal Governmental Affairs Seminar in Washington

o   Outstanding State Chairman Award , Georgia Jaycees

·         Member Board of Directors of Goodwill Industries, Warren Memorial Boys Club, Morningside-Lenox Association, Georgia Mental Health Association, Atlanta Junior Chamber of Commerce, United Negro College Fund, Active Voters and others.

·         Chair, Atlanta Jaycee Religious Activities Committee

·         Treasurer, 1961 Jaycee National Convention

·         Treasurer, 5^th District Georgia Jaycees

·         Colonel, Georgia Jaycee Rebel Corps

·         Listed in Outstanding Young Men of America

·         Ran unsuccessfully for Atlanta City Council ( age 26)

·         Elected to Fulton County Democratic Executive Committee (age 27)

·    Elected Georgia State Senator 3 times from Atlanta (age 28)

o   Chair of largest delegation in Senate

o   Chair, Institutions & Mental Health Committee

o   Author, first Code of Ethics for State employees

o   Co-Author Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority Law

o   Listed in Who’s Who in American Politics

·    Named One of Georgia’s Five Outstanding Young Men of 1963

·    Featured in book Young Men Can Change the World

·     National Vice President, National Treasurer, & National Governmental Affairs Chair, US Junior Chamber of Commerce (US Jaycees)

o   Outstanding National Chairman Award (twice)

o   Founded National Jaycee Governmental Affairs Leadership Conference

o   Started and Edited new Jaycee GO newsletter, then later magazine (Governmental Obligation)

o   Presented Testimony before Committees of the US Congress

o   Chair, US Jaycee Finance Committee

o   Trustee Jaycee War Memorial Fund, Jaycee Mental Health & Retardation Fund, Jaycee Religious Activities Fund

·    Principal Plaintiff in Wesberry v Sanders (376US1) landmark Supreme Court case that reapportioned US House of Representatives restoring the Great Compromise of 1789 that lead to the adoption of the US Constitution

·         Lifetime Senator in Junior Chamber International

·         Mason, York & Scottish Rite, Royal Order of Scotland

·         Prelate, DeKalb Commandery, Knights Templar

·         Shriner, Secretary of Yaarab Temple Provosr Guard

·         Featured by a chapter in book LEGENDS: Georgians who lived  Impossible Dreams

·    Resigned as State Senator to go to Peru with President Kennedy’s Alliance for Progress (age 33)

·         Honoris Causa  LLD degree Atlanta Law School

·     Advisor to 3 Comptrollers General of Peru and 3 of Ecuador and to the Latin American Institute of Auditing Sciences in both countries

o   Decorated by Peruvian Government  with Order of Merit for Distinguished Service (age 37)

o   Co-Author, United Nations’ Auditing Manual for Developing Countries

o   Author, Latin American Manual of Professional Auditing in the Public Sector (Spanish)

·         Founder & President Lima International Junior Chamber of Commerce

·         Honorary member of the Lima, Peru Junior Chamber of Commerce

·         Honorary Member of the Peruvian Junior Chamber International Senate

·          Listed in Who's Who in the World

·         Co-Founder & Director, Quito Chapter, Institute of   Internal Auditors

·          Lifetime Member of Board of Directors, Quito, Ecuador Chapter, IIA

·         Vice President for Latin America, Institute of Internal Auditors

·    Vice President Administration & Finance, Computer Technology/South, Inc.

·    Director of Systems, Standards and Procedures of Days Inns of America, Inc., then world’s 6^th largest lodging chain

·    Chief Auditor, Organization of American States

·        Honorary member of the Lima, Peru College of Public Accountants

·         Listed in Who's Who in America

·    Co-Founder and Second President of the International Consortium on Governmental Financial Management

o   Founded Washington International Financial Management Forum

o   Co-Founder and Program Chair of Miami International Financial Management Conference

·         President, Washington Chapter, Institute of Internal Auditors (led to becoming 3^rd largest in US)

o   IIA Outstanding Contributor Award for article in The Internal Auditor

o   Washington Chapter IIA Distinguished Service Award

·         Chair International Committee, Association of Government Accountants (twice)

o   Association of Government Accountant's Authors' Award (twice)

·    Director for Latin America, Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA)

o   Founder and Editor first IIA Spanish Newsletter Pistas de Auditoria

·   Advisor to Comptroller General of the United States

o   Senior Advisor on International Audit Institutions and Training, US General Accounting Office

·    Director of International Operations, Americas Region, Price Waterhouse

·         Honorary member of the Lima, Peru Junior Chamber of Commerce

·         Honorary member of Quito, Ecuador  College of Public Accountants and Ecuadorian Federation of Accountants

·          Bradford Cadmus Memorial Award, highest honor of the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA), "To honor individuals making the greatest contribution to the advancement of the internal auditing profession."

·    Senior Financial Management Advisor, US Agency for International Development

o   USAID Outstanding Career Achievement Award for "invaluable and lifetime contributions to the improvement of financial management systems and the fight against corruption in Latin America (Second highest USAID award)

·         President and CEO, The Institute of Public Administration of New York

·        Principal Adviser on Accounting & Auditing for Latin America & the Caribbean (LAC), The World Bank

o   Served on the Bank’s Corruption Action Plan Working Group that developed the first strategies and plans to combat corruption worldwide.  

o   Represented the Bank in Donor Consultative Group on Improving Financial Management in the LAC Region

o   Represented LAC on the Bank's Task Force on Financial Reporting and Auditing.

o   Represented the Bank's LAC Region on Senior Advisers' Group  

o   Member Task Force on Financial Reporting and Auditing

o   Chaired Professional Education Committee of the Bank's Association of Professional Accountants.

o   Designated Bank’s lead adviser on anti-corruption in the LAC Region

·         Chair AICPA Delegation to the Interamerican Accounting Association (6 years)

·         Director of USAID-financed America’s Accountability/Anti-Corruption Project (AAA Project)

o   Initiated Spanish & English RESPONDANET Anti-Corruption Websites (www.respondanet.com)

o   Initiated and Organized RESPONDACON Hemispheric Anti-Corruption Teleconferences and two International Anti-Corruption Summits

·         Member Executive Committee & Chair Public Sector Committee Interamerican Accounting Association

o    Most Meritorius Accountant of the Americas Award (Contador Benemerito de las Americas), 2003 from the Interamerican Accounting Association for “his indisputable professional merits, his ethical values and the interest, enthusiasm and imponderable labor, placed at the service of the Accountancy Profession.” (highest Hemispheric accountancy recognition)

·         Decorated by the Office of the Comptroller General of Venezuela - 1998 with Order of Merit “Gumerisindo Torres”  “for  valuable contributions to government auditing.”

·         Decorated by the Office of the Comptroller General of Peru – 1999 with Order of Merit “Gran Auditor”

·         Director of USAID-financed Project ATLATL/Mexico Anti-Corruption Project, Mexico City

·         Director of USAID-financed Project Si Se Puede!/Ecuador Anti-Corruption Project, Quito, Ecuador

>         Semi-Retired, Quito, Ecuador - Speaking, Writing, Consulting

NOW:

>>       Chief of Party USAID-financed Philippines Integrity Project,  Manila, Republic of the Philippines