b'ALUMNI & FRIENDSI love the Midwest, but for me, I wanted to experi- of Accountancy, hatched the idea for a lecture seriesIts all about finding and applying the right balance ence things on a bigger stage and really challengefocused on fraud examination, forensic investiga- of technology and people skills, Dawdy said. and push myself, he said. You cant match the pace,tions, and related regulatory matters. A year later, theAt this stage in his career, Dawdy relishes the oppor-pulse, energy, diversity, excitement and opportunitiesDawdy Speaker Series was born, featuring an impres- tunity to meet the diverse needs of his clients. that a place like NYC offers. sive roster of speakers over the years. Lecturers haveHowever, with 75 employees at Gryphon, he findsNo matter how Embracing strengths included Kenneth Feinberg, the claims administratorimmense satisfaction in witnessing the achievements for victims of Sept. 11, the Virginia Tech shootingslong youve been When he first arrived at the Trulaske College of Busi- of his emerging colleagues. Seeing them thrive and and BPs Gulf oil spill; white-collar criminologistadvance in their careers has become one of his mostsurfing or how ness, Dawdy wasnt sure what his focus would be.William Black; H. David Kotz, inspector general of Eventually, he settled on accounting, reasoning itsrewarding experiences. good you are, you the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission; and the language of business and would provide a solidTom Hardin, a financial analyst turned FBI informantHopefully, I played a role in that, he said. can always learn foundation.known as Tipper X during the 2008 and 2009Dawdy readily admits that his work-life balance is aand get better, I certainly didnt think I wanted to be an accountantinsider trading investigations. work in progress. As an entrepreneur and businessjust like life and forever, but I thought it was the best preparation,The lecture series is a way to introduce students toowner, hes on almost every day all the time. Whilebusiness.he said. It turned out to be a good choice for me. the topic and show them that fraud examination ishe might not be constantly churning out spread-Over the years, Dawdy has worked at IBM, J.P. Morganone way they can use their accounting skills, Dawdysheets, hes always available to colleagues, employeesJay Dawdyand Lehman Brothers. In 2000, he joined Gryphon,said. I really wanted to open the students eyes toand clients. Its the nature of his role, but hes found where he has conducted a wide range of financial andthe opportunities that exist. other outlets for respite. SMALL TOWN ROOTS, fraud investigations and has worked extensively onHe also reminds students that landing their dream job due diligence inquiries, complex litigation supportstraight out of college isnt as important as breaking cases, asset investigations and other multi-juris- into the workforce and getting experience. A broad BIG CITY DREAMS dictional engagements. He regularly contributesvision is all that is necessary to get started. to panels and seminars and has been featured onWhen youre young, you think the first job is where television and radio, as well as in print, discussing ayoure going to work forever or that you have to have variety of investigative topics.your career all mapped out, Dawdy said. Chances Among the most important lessons hes learned so farare you arent going to end up where you started. Jay Dawdy, B.S. Acc. 89, blazes hisin his career is that when he leans into his strengthsThere are going to be a lot of twists and turns along and manages to the strengths of others, everyonethe way. In the beginning, its about getting out there own trail in forensic accounting.becomes more productive and happier, including and charting a path. It is good to have a gameplan, BY SARA DIEDRICHhimself.but that will change over time, and the long term will While searching for internship opportunities duringExperience has taught me that you are never goingtake care of itself.his junior year at the Robert J. Trulaske, Sr. College ofto make people do something they arent cut out toArunachalam, now associate dean for partnerships Business, Jay Dawdy, B.S. Acc. 89, stumbled acrossdo, he said. You might be able to elevate them inand engagement at the Trulaske College of Business, an intriguing application for a post with the Federalthose areas, but you are better off embracing thesaid Dawdys contributions to the college have been Bureau of Investigation. His heart raced with excite- areas where they are strong and build on those. Theimmeasurable. ment. same is true for me.Jay has been an incredible alumnus, so supportiveI think we all need those recreational activities, that Wow! This is cool, he thought. Maybe Ill give itDawdy said that at one point in his career, he foundand filled with energy and exciting ideas, he said.when we do them, were not thinking of anything else a shot. himself spending too much time on efforts thatWorking with him to establish the Dawdy Speaker our mind is totally focused on the activity at hand, werent working.Series and to enhance our fraud examination andhe said. Were just in the moment and captivated by Dawdy, the son of entrepreneurial parents, had neverI was just frustrated, creating negative energy andforensic accounting curriculum has been a tremen- what were doing and not thinking about deadlines, ventured far from his Mid-Missouri home, where hisnot moving the ball, he said. Today I ask, Wheredously fulfilling experience. I cannot think of a betterproblems, business or personal challenges.parents owned and operated an equipment rentalpartner than Jay for academe-industry collaboration!About 15 years ago, Dawdy discovered surfing, an business. Growing up, he had always helped with theare my strengths and where can I move the ball most family business, but the young accounting studentefficiently and effectively?Under his leadership, Gryphon Strategies has alsoactivity that has become his favorite getaway and a felt a pull to see more of the world. An internship withOpening eyesreached incredible new heights. We are incrediblypowerful metaphor for his life. the FBI in Washington, D.C., seemed like the perfectproud of him at the School of Accountancy, TrulaskeNo matter how long youve been surfing or how opportunity to spread his wings.As his career advanced, Dawdy frequently reflectedand Mizzou. good you are, you can always learn and get better, on how his FBI internship had opened his eyes to theRiding the wave just like life and business, he said. Sometimes the Not only did Dawdy land the internship, but the bigvast array of job opportunities he had never imaginedwaves are cranking and youre in the groove and its city experience became a pivotal moment in his life,as an accountant. The experience had expanded hisDawdy said among the biggest issue facing forensicawesome, while other times the waves arent greatpointing him down a pathway he was meant travel.horizons, and he wondered how he could do the sameinvestigations today is managing the use of tech- or youre just not in synchand youre missing them Today, Dawdy has embraced his entrepreneurial rootsfor other accounting students with an itch to explorenology. While advancements in artificial intelligence,right and left. But there is always another wave and and big city spirit as president and CEO of Gryphonsomething different.machine learning and data analytics have simplifiedanother opportunity comingyou just need to wait Strategies, a leader in the investigations and businessIn 2008, Dawdy returned to the Trulaske College ofthe search for information, they have simultaneouslyfor your wave. Like life, you wait for the right wave intelligence fields. His office is in New York, but heBusiness as a professor for a day. During his visit, hemade the task of identifying the most accurate andand then paddle like a madman to catch it and make often travels to the companys other locations in Losand Vairam Arunachalam, then chair of the Schoolreliable data a daunting endeavor. it the best you possibly can.Angeles, London and Miami. 34 | TRULASKE COLLEGE OF BUSINESS TRULASKE MAGAZINE 2024| 35'