NASBA Center For Public Trust 
Ethics Matters – October 2011
Each year, the NASBA Center for the Public Trust honors individuals who demonstrate ethics in action, best practices, leadership and corporate citizenship. The annual Being a Difference Awards recognizes those individuals who practice high standards of social responsibility and ethical leadership.
We received more nominations this year than we have in any other year thus far. The Being a Difference Awards subcommittee carefully reviewed all the nominations before making their final decision. We are proud to announce this year’s Being a Difference Award honorees.
Malissia Clinton serves as the Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary of The Aerospace Corporation in El Segundo, California. Ms. Clinton is a proponent of ethics education at all levels across the company and has developed educational processes including on boarding new Board members. According to Dr. Wanda M. Austin, President and CEO, “Ms. Clinton walks the talk of ethical principals in both her personal conduct and in the standards she sets for the organization.”
Kathleen Edmond is the Chief Ethics Officer for the entire Best Buy global enterprise based in Richfield, Minnesota. Ms. Edmond is known for her head-on approach to dealing with ethical dilemmas both on a personal level and at the corporate level. Ms. Edmond has a blog in which she posts issues that arise within her company and asks questions of what others have done in similar situations. Patrick Hagen, HR Communications Manager says of Ms. Edmond, “Kathleen’s ongoing effort to bring transparency to the discipline of business ethics is truly revolutionary…she is blazing a trail that few of her peers have had the courage to follow.”
Stephen Epstein, CPA is an ethics educator for the Michigan Association of Certified Public Accountants in West Bloomfield, Michigan. Peggy A. Dzierzawski, President and CEO of Michigan Association of CPAs told us that Mr. Epstein’s “sustained dedication to the highest professional standards, his passion for ethics, his commitment to the CPA profession and his lasting legacy for the future of the profession make him an outstanding candidate for the Being a Difference Award.” Mr. Epstein has a history of developing education and personally educating CPA professionals even after retiring as a partner with PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Thomas A. Hill is CEO and Chairman of the Board of Kimray, Inc. and Founder and President of Character First! located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Mr. Hill is renowned locally for his staff-centered leadership and is a well known public speaker on character and ethics in business. Shannon Warren of OK Ethics states, “Mr. Hill has dedicated his life to helping other business leaders realize the importance of promoting integrity in the workplace.” Through Character First!, Mr. Hill developed a curriculum for training families, schools, businesses and other organizations interested in building good character. This program is now available in 27 languages and used world-wide.
Robbie Narcisse is Vice President of Global Ethics and Business Practices at Pitney Bowes, Inc, in Stamford, Connecticut. Ms. Narcisse educates, counsels, coaches and trains business leaders, managers and employees of the company. She keeps her finger on the company’s pulse to asses risk and communicates potential issues and works toward solutions. Johnna Torsone of Pitney Bowes explains that, “In her role, Ms. Narcisse provides guidance and engenders trust and confidence as she helps her various constituencies do the right thing for employees, shareholders, customers and communities on a daily basis.”
Over the next few months, the NASBA CPT will present these dedicated individuals with a reception and award in their honor. These receptions are tailored to each guest of honor to create an event that is special to the recipients and their guests.
Look for future reports for highlights of the individual award ceremonies.