Buffalo, NY - The Canisius University Accounting Program announced today that Mike Levy, chief executive officer and managing principal of Cherry Hill Advisory, has joined the advisory board for the department’s AUDIT Lab. Levy will serve as principal advisor for the lab’s Internal Audit Initiative.
Levy brings more than two decades of experience in internal audit, cyber risk, and enterprise risk management. Prior to founding Cherry Hill Advisory, he was a chief audit executive and worked within Deloitte’s Risk Advisory Practice. Levy has held leadership roles within the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA), he served as chair of the IIA’s North American Board of Directors and is a sought- after speaker at global conferences on internal audit and risk.
“Mike’s membership on the advisory board strengthens our connection to the profession as we work to expand collaboration with the Internal Audit Foundation and pursue recognition under the IIA’s Internal Audit Academic Alliance program,” said Ian Redpath, JD, chair of the Canisius Accounting Department.
“Our objective is to advance internal audit through credible research, technology insight and practitioner execution,” added Levy. “By combining academic rigor with industry leadership, we are building something that has not previously been structured in this way.”
About the AUDIT Lab
The Accounting Department launched the AUDIT Lab - Accounting, Upstream Disciplines and Industry Technology - in January 2026 through a partnership with the Aletheia Research Institution. The lab bridges classroom learning with applied research to prepare students to address emerging issues in the accounting profession and adjacent industries. Students investigate policy questions, market behaviors, industry challenges, and produce practitioner-focused research briefings and data-driven reports for chief audit executives, audit committees, boards and risk leaders.
“The AUDIT Lab brings a level of collaboration rarely seen in accounting programs,” said Clark Banach ‘04, MBA ‘10, PhD, professor of management at Canisius University and program director for the Aletheia Research Institution. “By integrating academic research with real-world advisory insight, it provides students with the opportunity to engage in rigorous work around issues shaping the future of the profession - and to do so alongside faculty, alumni and practitioners.”
The inaugural student cohort is currently examining four areas at the forefront of the accounting and internal audit professions:
Artificial Intelligence and Internal Audit Technology — Analysis of AI adoption, governance, oversight frameworks and ethical risk considerations associated with automation and large language models.
Internal Audit Process Advancement — Research-driven insight into audit methodology modernization, risk assessment enhancement, continuous monitoring and technology-enabled audit workflows.
Internal Audit and Risk Technology Innovation — Evaluation of technology, transforming internal audit and risk planning, execution and reporting.
Talent Pipeline and Organizational Strategy — Strengthening the internal audit profession by aligning academic programming, research initiatives and leadership development pathways to support long-term workforce sustainability.
Students publish their findings in these areas through op-eds, working papers and publications, elevating the visibility of student scholarship at Canisius and giving graduates a professional edge in the marketplace. Their first paper, titled “The State of AI Adoption in Audit, Accounting and Upstream Disciplines,” was published in March and examines AI’s current role in auditing with particular attention to emerging risks related to physical and infrastructural vulnerabilities and employment and workforce disruptions.
Alumni, industry leaders and organizations interested in supporting the Canisius University AUDIT Lab or presenting real-world business problems for students to address should contact Ian Redpath at @email or at 716-888-2868.
Cherry Hill Advisory is a global risk advisory firm serving internal audit and risk leaders across every industry. The firm helps organizations strengthen audit quality, address emerging risk, and meet rising expectations from audit committees, regulators, and stakeholders. Cherry Hill Advisory works with organizations on external quality assessments, internal audit co-sourcing, training, fraud risk and emerging strategic risk advisory like cyber and AI.
The Canisius University Accounting Department is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). The program is consistently ranked among the nation’s best undergraduate accounting programs by U.S. News & World Report with job placement for accounting majors at or near 100%. Students benefit from close faculty mentorship and the support of the Council on Accountancy, a dedicated network of accounting and financial professionals who provide scholarship, mentoring and career placement assistance.
Canisius was founded in 1870 in Buffalo, NY, and is one of 27 Jesuit colleges and universities in the U.S. Consistently ranked among the top institutions in the Northeast, Canisius offers undergraduate, graduate and pre-professional programs distinguished by close student-faculty collaboration, mentoring and an emphasis on ethical, purpose-driven leadership.
