RSCO Feature: AML Club

Christina Judy, Staff writer

Are you interested in solving large crime schemes? Then the Anti-Money Laundering Club (AML) might be the place for you!
The Anti-Money Laundering Club helps prepare students to work in specific fields such as risk management and other related fields.
President of the club, Josey Moorhead talked about her involvement, “I got interested in the AML club after taking the Foundations of Anti-Money Laundering course at Mercyhurst. Also, Dr. Leslie Guelcher continued my interest by offering other AML courses throughout my time at Mercyhurst.”
Leslie Guelcher, Ph.D., is the advisor for the club. She had an impressive career prior to coming to teach at Mercyhurst. She was part of the AML team at a leading bank in the country. “I never thought that I would have ended up doing that as my everyday job, but I absolutely fell in love with it.”
Guelcher is currently teaching a Foundations of AML course in which students are learning about the most common ways that money is laundered throughout the world. The class is also split up into groups and assigned a country that they have to analyze the money laundering capabilities of the country.
AML used to be a minor that was offered to students, but Guelcher and another professor split those courses and the other professor left. Guelcher said she wished they still offered the minor option but just cannot teach all the courses herself.
Just a couple of weeks ago, the club hosted an event where a Mercyhurst Alumni, Marina Boyle came to speak about her career in AML. The club had pizza as an incentive for more people to come and support Boyle.
Moorhead said, “My favorite part about the club is being able to spread knowledge about AML and explore the various career paths it can provide.” Money laundering has been around for thousands of years but has just adapted forms as the years have gone on. It is important to constantly be on the lookout for how the field is evolving.
Money laundering regulations really only started in the 1970s so it is still relatively new and prevention strategies are ever evolving.
Keep an eye out for other events hosted by this club as they host events pretty regularly throughout the semester.
The executive board consists of Moorhead, Rumeysa Tzurner, Orkhan Badirov, Brett Wilson and Scott Stewart. Most of the board is graduating after this semester, so if anyone is interested in keeping this amazing club alive they should reach out to Moorhead about their interest.