UGAA 2026 Fall Conference

Speaker Bio and Presentation Description

Elizabeth McDowell, CPA, CIA, has over 20 years of audit experience and is the founder of Audit Forward, an innovative internal audit consulting and training firm. Elizabeth is passionate about advancing and advocating for the internal audit profession and was recognized as one of the 2023 Internal Audit Beacons by Richard Chambers. Elizabeth makes auditing and training fun (no, really!) with the help of her mascot, Audie the Internal Otteror. In addition to training and consulting, Elizabeth is also an adjunct professor at Front Range Community College and MSU-Denver and serves as the chair of the Audit and Risk Committee at SWAP Internal Audit Services.

Elizabeth's most recent industry experience was at Achieve, where she was Sr. Director, Audit Strategy; prior to that, she held internal audit leadership roles at Elevations Credit Union, Fidelity Investments, and Xcel Energy after first starting her career at Ernst & Young.

Audit Smarter, Not Harder: Agile Audit for All! - 2 CPEs

Learn the basics of agile auditing and transform your audit shop into an agile, trusted, and collaborative group that Audits Smarter, Not Harder!

In this session, participants will learn:

• The basics of agile methodology and agile internal audit.

• How to prepare agile artifacts and documents, including the planning canvas and audit report.

• How to more effectively partner with management and audit clients.

The People Puzzle: Body Language (In-Person + Digital!) and Building Trust - 2 CPEs

Auditing is as much about people as it is about procedures. This interactive session helps auditors read in-person and digital communication cues, strengthen relationships, and build trust through clearer, more intentional communication.

In this session, participants will learn to:

• Recognize key in-person body language cues.

• Interpret common digital body language signals.

• Apply behaviors that build trust with audit clients.