Steven M. Harding, CPA

Steven M Harding has more than twenty-five years of risk management experience in financial services and is a nationally recognized expert on risk controls over public pension funds. Mr. Harding is heavily involved with Operational Reviews

Prior to joining IFS in 1999, Mr. Harding was Assistant Director of Internal Audit in the Office of the NYS Comptroller. He was responsible for financial, compliance and operational audits of the New York State and Local Employees Retirement System and the $100 billion New York Common Retirement Fund.

From 1991 to 1994, Mr. Harding was founding President of the Association of Public Pension Fund Auditors, Inc. APPFA includes audit directors from the largest public pension funds in the U.S. and Canada.

Mr. Harding worked for more than six years in public accounting with Coopers & Lybrand and with a regional firm. At both firms, he audited securities broker-dealers. He also worked in the securities industry as internal auditor for First Albany, a publicly held broker-dealer. He earned the Series 7 and 63 licenses and was Chairman of the New York State Society of CPAs Stockbrokerage Committee.

From 1987 to 1999, Mr. Harding was an adjunct professor of graduate accounting at the University at Albany. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, and the Institute of Internal Auditors. Mr. Harding is the author of "Auditing External Real Estate Advisers: 101 Best Practices. Mr. Harding is a member of the Board of the Foundation for Fiduciary Studies.