FLT Profile: Doug Horr, Chief Audit Executive

Doug Horr, Chief Audit Executive, joined UFA and the Finance Leadership Team (FLT) in April 2023. He is responsible for delivering an independent and professional objective assurance and advisory service to the University's Board of Governors, the President, and senior management to strengthen and mitigate risks for the university. Doug provides vision, leadership, and direction for Audit and Advisory Services (AAS) and ensures a visible program of quality service. Doug has a long history of AAS at UFA with more than 35 years of experience, including 25 years in higher education. 

Tell us about your first job.
My first job was as a bank auditor/fraud investigator with one of the nation’s largest banks. It was both really interesting and fun, as every day was different and often you were trying to piece together a puzzle. On one of my first assignments, our team was waiting for a bank to open, and the local law enforcement had been alerted to our presence and came flying into the parking lot with sirens on, telling us to get out of our cars with our hands in plain sight. They thought we were there to rob the bank. Who said auditing was boring?

Have you been mentored or do you mentor, and what is the experience like? 
The answer to both is YES. I was fortunate in my career to have a couple of people in my profession who really understood the work we do as auditors and the political tapestry that can be higher education leadership. I think anyone in a leadership position is in a mentor role whether they realize it or not. It’s whether the individual embraces that role, and really serves the needs of the people that report to them. I would like to think I have had a positive impact on those that I’ve worked with and seen grow in our profession. I know it makes me feel great to watch those who I have worked with succeed. Our professional association also has a mentor/mentee program which I have been involved in. 

Did you have a career fork in the road?  
I did. In 1988, while I was a bank fraud auditor, our bank was going through our third merger in four years and our office got a new boss. He was a former partner at a CPA firm and told us how things were going to change (many more hours, no more pay) and I had to decide if I was going to stay where I had been promoted very quickly, but in a very uncertain environment. I decided to leave and took my first job at Rutgers in Internal Audit, and higher education is where I’ve been for 35 years. 

How do you unplug?  
Our home in Nashville sits on the side of a small mountain/very large hill. Our back deck faces west and when I need to unplug, I open a bottle of cabernet with my wife and watch the sunset…nothing better.

What is your guilty pleasure? 
Frosted brown sugar-cinnamon pop-tarts…they must be toasted. I can eat them a box at a time, which I haven’t done in a while, maybe overdue?

What is your favorite book? 
The American Presidency: An Intellectual History by Forrest McDonald.  I love American history, especially anything pertaining to the presidents. McDonald is a well-known historian, and he does a great job talking about not only how the presidency was formed, but how it has managed to last.