The Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE) recognizes exceptional individuals each year for their contributions to the fight against fraud and their commitment to educating the next generation of anti-fraud professionals. Established in 2002, the Educator of the Year Award is presented to an ACFE member who has made outstanding contributions to anti-fraud education within their college or university. 

Lynda H. Schwartz, a professor of practice and director of the Forensic Accounting and Data Analytics Curriculum at the University of Massachusetts Amherst’s Isenberg School of Management, is the recipient of the 2026 Educator of the Year Award.