Eric Groen

Eric is a Managing Director with over 20 years of experience in compliance, internal/external audit, and risk management. Eric's focus is primarily in the higher education industry, with specific experience in Internal Audit, Accreditation, Title IV compliance and risk management. Eric works with both large and small institutions of higher learning to evaluate and analyze compliance programs, prioritize risks, and develop future state recommendations. Eric is the North America leader of the Higher Education industry practice within Protiviti and has presented on various topics including compliance, culture and internal audit at the Association of College and University Auditors (ACUA). Prior to joining Protiviti, Eric was in external audit for a Big Four firm. He is a Certified Public Accountant, a Certified Internal Auditor, a member of The Institute of Internal Auditors, and QAR certified. Eric is the current President of the Phoenix Chapter of the IIA.

Major Projects

• Internal Audit: A member of several outsourced and co-sourced internal audit teams, works with clients' internal audit departments to provide the value-added risk management capabilities needed to support their business strategies and continuously improve operational performance.
• Compliance Function Development: Works with clients to assess their current compliance structure and develop a University-wide compliance function.
• Financial Aid Risk and Compliance: A member of large and small compliance implementation and compliance audit teams focused on Title IV Financial Aid as well as other types of regulatory compliance objectives related to the Department of Education.
• Accreditation Consulting and Project Management: Works with clients to prepare and respond to accreditation inquiries and enforcement actions from regional accreditation bodies. Work both on proactive projects to write Self Studies and prepare for site visits, and reactive projects resulting from specific events that may affect accreditation status.
• Legal Support and Investigations: Works with clients' legal departments to support their legal strategies, leverage internal and external counsel resources and provide project management to investigations and documentation discovery projects.

Areas of Expertise​

• Internal Audit
• Compliance
• Title IV Financial Aid
• Accreditation
• Investigation Support

Industry Expertise

• Higher Education
• Consumer Products

Education

• Creighton University
• B.S.B.A – Accounting and Finance

Professional Memberships and Certifications

• CPA
• CIA
• QAR certified