Athens, Ga. – Matthew Whitley, who is currently director of performance management and auditing for the Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners, will head east in a few weeks to take on a new role as director of internal auditing at the University of Georgia. Whitley’s appointment is effective Oct. 1.
Whitley will replace previous Internal Auditing Division director Dale Wetzelberger, who retired at the end of June.
“I sincerely appreciate the work of the search committee and its chair, Dr. Hugh Ruppersburg,” said UGA President Michael F. Adams. “A strong internal auditing division is critical to the appropriate stewardship of resources at UGA, and I believe Matt Whitley will bring sound experience and dedication to the position.”
The UGA Internal Auditing Division’s primary mission is to provide independent, objective assurance and consulting services designed to add value and improve the university’s financial and operational activities and compliance environment. Whitley will bring 20 years of auditing experience in the public and private sectors-which includes work with two Fortune 100 companies-to his new position.
“I just love the academic environment,” Whitley said. “The academic setting is very exciting to me. I’ve done private sector work, and I’ve been in the government sector for a few years, and I thought this would be the perfect next step for me and my career path.”
Whitley started his career at International Trucks in accounting and later had the opportunity to work for the Coca-Cola Company on a contract basis. At the beverage manufacturer, he first discovered his skills in auditing.
“I received this short contract to do work for Coca-Cola, and it turned into a fulltime career,” he said. “I’ve enjoyed doing it ever since.”
After the contract position, he worked for the company for 12 years, first as an internal control analyst, then as a supervisor and director in internal audit and procedures and director of finance for Coca-Cola’s North America Operations. He finished his time there as a consultant on the Sarbanes-Oxley compliance act, auditing and governance.
In 2004, Whitley moved to MCI, a communications services company, as senior internal audit manager for its Atlanta office, and then to the Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners, where he has worked for the past seven years.
Whitley holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in finance, both from Georgia State University. He is a certified internal auditor and a member of the Institute of Internal Auditors and the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners.