Top Execs Honored at Annual Accounting Society Banquet

BUFFALO, NY – Donald R. Fishback, CPA, vice president and chief financial officer of Moog Inc., will be honored as the Outstanding Accountant in Western New York at the 56th annual Canisius University Accounting Society Banquet on Wednesday, April 25 atSalvatore’s Italian Gardens. Cocktails are at 5:30 p.m., dinner will be served at 6:30 p.m. 

The Canisius University Accounting Society will also recognize Joseph P. Dunleavy MBA ’92, partner with PriceWaterhouseCoopers LLP, during the organization’s annual dinner. Dunleavy will receive the Dr. Joseph R. Coppola ’40 Award, which recognizes the exceptional achievements of a Canisius University accounting alumnus.

Marv Levy will serve as keynote speaker. A member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Levy led the Buffalo Bills to a historic four consecutive Super Bowl appearances. 

Fishback has nearly 35 years of accounting experience. He joined Moog in 1981 after starting his career with Deloitte in 1978, where he earned his CPA. Fishback was hired in the internal audit division at Moog and quickly rose through the ranks. He became divisional controller for the Missile Systems Division, then corporate controller and principal accounting officer in 1985. In 2010, Fishback was named vice president and chief financial officer. He is responsible for management of Moog’s business relationships with commercial banks and investment bankers, rating agencies and investors. 

Active in the local community, Fishback serves on a variety of not-for-profit boards including the Aurora Ice Association (a group in East Aurora that built an ice sports pavilion in the village) and Nardin Academy. He also served as chairman for the Canisius University Council on Accountancy. 

A 1992 graduate of Canisius University, Dunleavy specializes in Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) financial reporting and registration matters and US Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) technical accounting issues. In his role as partner for PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (PwC), he leads the firm’s Energy Sector Capital Markets and Accounting Advisory Services Practice in Houston, TX. Dunleavy previously worked in the SEC Services Group of PwC’s national office.

During his career, Dunleavy spent four and a half years working in Moscow, Russia. He assisted various Russian oil and gas companies with converting their financial statements into GAAP and international accounting standards in order to assist these companies with accessing international credit markets. 

Dunleavy is the author of numerous articles on financial reporting, is a contributing author to the Petroleum Accounting Principles, Procedures & Issues textbook and is a frequent lecturer on accounting and financial reporting issues. 

Levy served as head coach for the NFL’s Buffalo Bills from 1986-1997. He is the most successful coach in Buffalo Bills history with a 112-70 record (123-78 including post-season play). Levy and the Bills are the only team in NFL history to go to four straight Super Bowls (1991-1994). He built a powerhouse franchise that attracted fans and accolades to the Bills, behind the likes of Jim Kelly, Thurman Thomas, Andre Reed and Bruce Smith. In August of 2001, Levy was rewarded for his efforts when he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. 

Prior to his tenure with the Bills, Levy coached at the college level for seven years, and served as the kicking coach for Philadelphia Eagles, and was the special teams coach for the Los Angeles Rams and Washington Redskins. A well-known motivational coach and motivational speaker, Levy holds a master’s degree in English history from Harvard University. 

Tickets for the event are limited. For more information, call the Canisius University Department of Accounting at (716) 888-2870. 

Canisius University is one of 28 Catholic, Jesuit colleges in the nation and the premier private college in Western New York. Canisius prepares leaders - intelligent, caring, faithful individuals able to pursue and promote excellence in their professions, their communities and their service to humanity.