When David Cannon, an assistant professor in Grand Valley State University's Seidman College of Business, took a certification test for accounting professionals, he earned the highest score in North America.
Cannon earned the highest score among the 2,815 test-takers on the Information Systems Audit and Control Association's Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA) exam. That exam is for certification that is the global standard for information systems audit, security and control.
"I got my certificate in September, so when I received the call months later, I was in total shock," said Cannon.
As a result of his achievement, Cannon is attending an awards ceremony in Las Vegas in April, and he will be recognized in the ISACA publications.
"Your achievement is even more remarkable given the record number of candidates and high caliber of those who sat for the 2004 exam," wrote Terry Trsar, the ISACA's chief professional development officer in a letter to Cannon.
The exam is directly related to the areas Cannon teaches -- accounting information systems and internal auditing.
Cannon received his Ph.D. in accounting from Kent State University and earned an undergraduate degree in accounting from the University of the State of New York, and an M.S. in taxation from the State University of New York at Albany. His research areas include accounting information systems and methodological issues in accounting research.
