Compliance at the Crossroads: SCCE's 25th Forum Tackles AI and Enforcement

MINNEAPOLIS, MN – August 20, 2026 – As the Society of Corporate Compliance and Ethics (SCCE) prepares to convene its 25th Annual Compliance & Ethics Institute (CEI) this September in Orlando, the milestone feels less like a celebration and more like a critical war council. For a quarter-century, this event has served as a bellwether for the profession. Today, it stands at the intersection of unprecedented technological disruption and a renewed zeal for regulatory enforcement, forcing compliance professionals to redefine their roles as strategists, technologists, and ethicists.

The agenda for the flagship event, which runs from September 27–30, is a stark reflection of the modern risk landscape. While the press release highlights its long-standing focus on people and networking, the true urgency lies in the session tracks dedicated to Technology & Innovation, Data Privacy & Security, and Investigations. The core challenge for the thousands of practitioners attending is no longer just interpreting rules, but anticipating how artificial intelligence, cybercrime, and shifting geopolitical realities will rewrite them.

The AI Governance Imperative

Perhaps the most significant undercurrent at this year's institute is the corporate world's breakneck adoption of artificial intelligence. While organizations are rapidly deploying AI tools, research reveals a staggering governance deficit. One recent analysis found that while over 83% of organizations use AI, only about a quarter have implemented a strong governance framework, creating what experts call a significant “adoption vs. governance gap.” This is the hidden cost of progress that compliance teams are now being forced to calculate.

The CEI's agenda directly confronts this chasm. Sessions are poised to move beyond theoretical ethics and into the operational mechanics of AI governance. This includes establishing transparent audit trails for algorithmic decisions, mitigating inherent biases in machine learning models, and navigating the increasingly complex web of global data privacy laws, which are becoming inextricably linked with AI regulation. With data protection laws now active in over 140 countries, and many being strengthened this year, the compliance function is becoming the central nervous system for managing AI's legal and ethical risks on a global scale.

“Organizations are realizing that ‘move fast and break things’ is a catastrophic strategy when it comes to compliance,” noted one risk management consultant who plans to attend. “The challenge is building the guardrails as the car is already speeding down the highway. This conference is where the architects and mechanics meet to figure out how.”

Direct from the Source: Decoding Enforcement Priorities

Providing actionable intelligence has always been a core tenet of the CEI, but this year's lineup of keynote speakers signals a particularly high-stakes environment. The presence of top officials from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) transforms the event from an academic exercise into a direct briefing from the frontlines of federal enforcement.

Jason Cromartie, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's Cincinnati Field Office, will deliver a critical “FBI Update.” With a background in enterprise-wide compliance, cyber risk mitigation, and international counter-crime operations, Cromartie’s perspective is uniquely valuable. He has publicly advocated for proactive engagement between corporations and law enforcement, a message that resonates deeply as cyber-attacks and sophisticated financial fraud schemes converge. His session is expected to offer attendees a clearer picture of the FBI’s priorities and how they can better prepare for and respond to incidents.

Equally significant is the session on “Cybercrime, Law Enforcement, and the Compliance Professional” led by Josh Goldfoot, a Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the DOJ's Criminal Division. As an official overseeing the Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS), Goldfoot is a central figure in the nation's fight against digital threats. His presence comes as the DOJ sharpens its focus on corporate misconduct, recently establishing a new National Fraud Enforcement Division and leveraging data analytics to pursue cases. For attendees, Goldfoot’s insights represent a rare opportunity to understand how enforcement agencies are thinking about AI-driven fraud, intellectual property theft, and the legal liabilities that follow.

Beyond the Rulebook: A Quarter-Century of Human Connection

Despite the intense focus on technology and enforcement, the SCCE emphasizes that the enduring foundation of compliance is human. The press release highlights a theme of “people at the core,” underscoring that regulations and technologies are in constant flux, but the need for ethical leadership and professional trust is constant. After 25 years, the institute’s reputation is built as much on its “hallway conversations” as its formal sessions.

This human element is crucial. As one long-time CEI attendee explained, “The rules give you the ‘what,’ but the network gives you the ‘how.’ Talking to a peer who just navigated a complex investigation or implemented a new reporting system is more valuable than any textbook.”

This focus on culture and leadership is further reflected in general sessions featuring Piergiorgio Pepe, CEO of Quantum Ethics, on “Ethical Leadership in a Negotiable World,” and performance strategist Jennifer Watson. It’s an acknowledgment that a robust compliance program cannot be automated; it must be cultivated through strong leadership, psychological safety, and a culture where reporting concerns is encouraged. With tips from whistleblowers still accounting for nearly half of all fraud detections, fostering that human-centric culture remains one of the most effective risk mitigation tools available.

As the SCCE marks this silver anniversary, the Compliance & Ethics Institute serves as a microcosm of the profession it supports: forward-looking yet grounded in principle, technologically ambitious yet deeply human. The professionals gathering in Orlando are tasked not only with protecting their organizations from risk but with shaping the ethical framework for an increasingly complex and automated world.