The Auburn Spirit is contagious

Shawn and Denise Gilbert’s connection to Auburn University began when their daughter, Caitlin, started her undergraduate studies here in August 2020. Despite not being Auburn alumni, they quickly developed an affinity for the Auburn Family.

“Auburn did an incredible job not only providing Caitlin with the technical knowledge she needed to succeed as an accountant, but with the interpersonal skills and confidence to find a meaningful career and launch into the professional world,” Shawn said.

Caitlin graduated from the Harbert College of Business with her undergraduate degree in accounting in 2024 and completed her Master of Accountancy degree in the spring of 2025. And although she is no longer an Auburn student, her time on The Plains made a lasting impression on her parents, inspiring them to help provide the unique Auburn experience for other students in the future.

“The outstanding faculty, staff and administration at the Harbert College and our daughter’s overall student experience at Auburn is what has inspired us to give back,” he said. “I guess you could say that the Auburn Spirit is contagious.”

Talent and ties

After completing their studies at Northeast Louisiana University (Denise) and Baylor University and Centenary College (Shawn), they both began their careers as Certified Public Accountants (CPAs) with Denise spending most of her career leading corporate accounting organizations and Shawn with the international accounting firm, KPMG.

Fast forward 35 years—Shawn now serves as KPMG’s national partner in charge of risk management for its audit practice where he leads a multi-faceted team that helps ensure auditor independence for the firm and its professionals and that the firm delivers high-quality client audits while building the trust of KPMG’s stakeholders. As a national partner with KPMG, Shawn is highly regarded in his field, and he is dedicated to giving back and helping the next generation of Harbert students succeed.

Shawn currently serves as the lead Auburn partner for KPMG, stating, “the high caliber and character of Harbert College students, not to mention the faculty and staff that prepare them, results in Auburn students being highly sought after.  I highly value KPMG’s relationship with the School of Accountancy faculty and staff and our interest in ensuring that students are aware of all the career opportunities that KPMG and the industry have to offer.”

Time and treasure

In addition to serving as the lead Auburn recruiting partner for KPMG, Shawn is taking on an exciting new adventure this fall—adjunct professor for Harbert College.

“I'm hoping to bring some of the technical knowledge and real-life experience that I have acquired into the classroom,” he said.  “I hope to be an empathetic faculty member who dedicates my time and shows my students that I care. I believe students are much more likely to succeed when they have mentors and teachers that pour into them.”

As members of the Harbert College Shareholders’ Society, the Gilberts support the foundation upon which the college maintains its level of excellence, attracts and retains the best faculty, and offers high-impact learning opportunities. More specifically, gifts from the Gilberts and other donors to the Harbert Excellence Fund enable the college to enhance the student experience and ensure graduates are job ready and career minded.

Like so many other members of the Auburn Family, student scholarship initiatives are another passion point for Shawn and Denise. They hope that The Gilbert Family Endowed Scholarship will have a positive impact on the recipients and that with this financial support, the students can enjoy their time at Auburn and focus on preparing for their future career without incurring excessive financial burden.

The Gilberts said, “the most rewarding part of giving back to Auburn is found in the relationships that we have built along the way and seeing the next generation of business leaders be successful and accomplish all the goals that they have set for themselves.”

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Learn more about ways to engage with the Harbert College of Business.