FAEC 2017 Annual Conference

Patent and Trademark Office, Madison South Auditorium
600 Dulany St. Alexandria, VA (King Street Metro-Yellow line)

September 25-26, 2017 (8:00am - 4:00pm)
September 26, 2017 (8:30am - 4:00pm)

General Information

Fields of Study: Auditing (Governmental), Accounting (Governmental), Management Services, Information Technology, Business Law

Learning Objectives: Participants will learn about various requirements, best practices, and approaches specific to performing financial and performance audits and evaluations and associated activities in the Inspector General community.

Program Description: The annual conference provides a unique opportunity for members of the Inspector General community to discuss various topics of mutual interest related to the field of auditing. Senior members of the IG community as well as seasoned experts will share their experiences, expertise, and insight into conducting successful audits and audit related activities in the Federal Government.

Program Level: Beginner

Prerequisites: None

Advanced Preparation Requirements: None

Evaluation Forms

If you are participating in the Annual Conference remotely, you must complete the evaluation form For the Day which you are attending. Thank you for your understanding. If you are participating in-person you will receive your survey and CPE certificate the day of the event.

Evaluation Form- September 25th
Evaluation Form- September 26th

Registration

Virtual Registration Deadline - September 21, 2017.

Physical Attendee Registration Virtual Attendee Registration

Speaker Bios

Tom Howard

Tom Howard was appointed Inspector General on February 4, 2014 after having served as Deputy Inspector General since April 26, 2010. Mr. Howard came to Amtrak with 36 years of experience in the federal accountability community, including 8 years as Deputy Inspector General at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), where he assisted the Inspector General (IG) in leading the office’s diverse audit and investigative programs. While at NASA, he also served as the Acting Inspector General for 7 months.

From 1998 to 2002, Mr. Howard served as Deputy Assistant Inspector General for Maritime and Surface Safety Issues at the Department of Transportation. As a senior executive, he provided leadership for the office’s audit oversight of all Coast Guard and Maritime Administration activities, motor carrier and vehicle safety programs, and multibillion-dollar highway and transit infrastructure projects.

Prior to joining the IG community, Mr. Howard had a 24-year career with the Government Accountability Office (GAO); his last position was Assistant Director for National Security and International Affairs Audits. He spent 16 years in GAO’s headquarters in Washington, D.C., and 8 years in its overseas offices in Frankfurt, Germany, and Honolulu, Hawaii. Throughout his career, he was involved in the oversight of numerous federal programs and a variety of issues, including program management, procurement, information technology, and international affairs.

Originally from Carbondale, Pennsylvania, Mr. Howard has a B.S. degree in accounting from the University of Scranton. He completed the Federal Executive Institute’s Leadership for a Democratic Society Program and the National Defense University’s National Security Management Seminar. His commitment to oversight has been recognized with a United States Presidential Rank Award for Career Senior Executives, GAO’s Meritorious Service Award, and the Frank C. Conahan Leadership Award.

Allison C. Lerner

Allison C. Lerner assumed the duties as Inspector General of the National Science Foundation (NSF) in April 2009, reporting to the National Science Board and the Congress. As head of the Office of Inspector General she recommends policies for promoting economy, efficiency and effectiveness of NSF programs and operations. She leads efforts to prevent and detect fraud, waste, and abuse; improve the integrity of NSF programs and operations; and investigate allegations of misconduct in science.

Ms. Lerner was appointed in November 2005 as Counsel to the Inspector General at the Department of Commerce, a position through which she acted as the IG's principal legal advisor and managed the office's staff attorneys and provision of legal services.

Ms. Lerner began her federal career in 1991, joining the Office of Inspector General at Commerce as assistant counsel, and has been a member of the senior executive service since 2005. During her tenure at Commerce she served as special assistant to the IG, Deputy Assistant Inspector General for Auditing, and Acting Assistant Inspector General for Auditing. Prior to joining the federal government, she was an associate at a law firm in San Antonio, Texas.

In June of 2011, Ms. Lerner was designated by President Obama as a member of the Government Accountability and Transparency Board. She currently serves as the Vice Chair of the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency and co-chairs the Council's Working Groups on Suspension and Debarment and Research Misconduct.

Ms. Lerner has been honored by the President's Council on Integrity and Efficiency (PCIE) with three awards for excellence: in 2001, for her work reviewing the Department of Commerce's management of 5,000 intra-agency and special agreements worth over $1 billion; in 2002, for her assistance in a complex investigation of false claims submitted under a financial award from the National Institute of Standards and Technology; and in 2005, for her review of a controversial study that recommended significant structural changes to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Office of Finance and Administrative Services.

Ms. Lerner received her law degree from the University of Texas School of Law and a B.A. in liberal arts from the University of Texas. She is admitted to the bar in both Texas and the District of Columbia.

Paul K. Martin

Paul K. Martin was confirmed by the United States Senate as NASA Inspector General on Nov. 20, 2009.

Prior to his NASA appointment, Martin served as the Deputy Inspector General at the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the Inspector General (OIG). In that capacity, he assisted the Inspector General in managing the audit, inspection and investigative activities of the office's 425 employees. From 2001 to 2003, he served as Counselor to the Inspector General, and from 1998 to 2001 he served as Special Counsel to the Inspector General.

Before joining the Department of Justice OIG, Martin spent 13 years at the U.S. Sentencing Commission in a variety of positions, including 6 years as the Commission's Deputy Staff Director. Martin was one of the Sentencing Commission's first employees when the agency was created in 1985, and helped develop the first set of federal sentencing guidelines.

Martin began his professional career as a reporter with The Greenville News, a daily newspaper in Greenville, S.C. He holds a B.A. in Journalism from The Pennsylvania State University and a Juris Doctor from The Georgetown University Law Center.

Martin is married to Rebekah Liu, an attorney working in Washington, D.C. A native of Pittsburgh, Pa., he and his wife have three daughters.
 

Tammy L. Whitcomb

Tammy L. Whitcomb was appointed as the Acting Inspector General for the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General in February 2016. Ms. Whitcomb has served as the Deputy Inspector General since November 2011. In years prior, Tammy served as the Assistant Inspector General for Audit. Tammy came to the Postal Service in November 2005 as an Audit Director. 

Tammy started her government career at the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Inspection Service, and transitioned with them as a part of the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA), established in early 1999. During her career at TIGTA, she was an Audit Manager in Dallas, TX for several years before coming to Washington D.C. as the Director of the Office of Management and Policy. 

Tammy holds a Bachelor's Degree in Accounting and Business Administration from W. J. Bryan College in Dayton, Tennessee and is a Certified Public Accountant, a Certified Internal Auditor, and a Certified Information Systems Auditor.

Sue Murrin

Sue Murrin serves as Deputy Inspector General (DIG) for Evaluation and Inspections at the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS OIG). Ms. Murrin leads the HHS OIG Office of Evaluation and Inspections (OEI), a nationwide office of approximately 150 staff who perform evaluations of HHS programs from a national perspective. As OEI DIG, Ms. Murrin also oversees the $251 million Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU) grant program. Ms. Murrin also serves as Chair of the Inspections and Evaluations (I&E) Roundtable of the Council of Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE). As Chair, she spearheaded efforts to support the professionalism of the I&E function across the OIG community by establishing OIG to OIG peer reviews. Ms. Murrin has spent the vast majority of her nearly 30-year Federal career in the Inspectors General (IG) community working on government-wide IG issues. She has served as Assistant IG for Management at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) OIG and as Director for Audit Planning, Training, and Technical Support for the Department of Transportation OIG. Prior to that, she worked on OIG and internal control issues as a Policy Analyst in the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Ms. Murrin furthered her knowledge of HHS with two stints on the operational side of the agency: She has served as Associate Director for Management/Executive Officer of the National Institute of Mental Health and, early in her career, was Special Assistant to the HHS Assistant Secretary for Human Development Services. Ms. Murrin has received numerous awards during her career. She is one of the first recipients of the President’s Council on Integrity and Efficiency/Executive Council on Integrity and Efficiency Individual Achievement Award. Ms. Murrin is a graduate of the University of Michigan.

James E. Springs

James E. Springs was appointed as the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)  Inspector General effective March 23, 2015. Mr. Springs has 29 years of government experience working in the Inspector General community.  He joined  NARA  in 1997 and has previously served as the Acting Inspector General, Assistant Inspector General for Audits and Investigations.  

He began his career in government service in 1988 as an entry-level auditor after working 10 years in the Banking industry.  He worked at the Government Publishing Office and the Small Business Administration before joining NARA. 

Mr. Springs graduated Magna Cum Laude from Saint Augustine's University in North Carolina where he received his Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting.

Beth León

Ms. León joined the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE) Training Institute in June 2011 as the first Director of the Audit, Inspection, and Evaluation Academy. She manages all aspects of the development, implementation, and administration of training and professional development efforts for both the audit, and inspection and evaluation communities within CIGIE. In doing so she collaborates closely with internal and external CIGIE colleagues and stakeholders to support a wide range of community learning activities and programs.

She began her federal government career in 1988 with the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) reviewing a wide range of programs at the Departments of Defense and State. She managed the execution of numerous audits that addressed drug trafficking, arms control, nonproliferation, the Cooperative Threat Reduction Program, and Chemical Weapons Convention implementation issues. She also served as an active member of GAO’s Adjunct Faculty, primarily teaching new auditors. While detailed to GAO’s Learning Center she managed a variety of training programs and implemented a training curriculum for all new GAO hires. She then permanently joined the Learning Center and served as the Director of Adjunct Faculty and Strategic Learning Programs. She worked with the Chief Learning Officer and Learning Center colleagues to coordinate, design, and deliver learning programs for all GAO staff. She also recruited, trained, and coordinated the activities of some 300 GAO Adjunct Faculty members involved in the design and delivery of Learning Center curricula.  For her service to GAO, she received various recognitions including Customer Service, Meritorious Service, and Managing Director’s awards.

Prior to her GAO career, she interned in the offices of the late Senator John Heinz and retired Congressman Bill Goodling, both of Pennsylvania.

Ms. León received her Master’s Degree in Public and International Affairs, and Bachelors’ Degrees in Political Science and History from the University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 

Michael E. Horowitz

Michael E. Horowitz was confirmed as Inspector General for the Department of Justice (DOJ) by the U.S. Senate on March 29, 2012, and sworn in as the fourth confirmed Inspector General on April 16, 2012. Since 2015, he has simultaneously served as the Chair of the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE).

As Inspector General, Mr. Horowitz oversees a nationwide workforce of more than 450 special agents, auditors, inspectors, attorneys, and support staff whose mission is to detect and deter waste, fraud, abuse, and misconduct in DOJ programs and personnel, and to promote economy and efficiency in Department operations.

Prior to serving as Inspector General, Mr. Horowitz worked as a partner at Cadwalader, Wickersham, & Taft LLP, where he focused his practice on white collar defense, internal investigations, and regulatory compliance. He also was a board member of the Ethics Resource Center and the Society for Corporate Compliance and Ethics. From 2003 to 2009, Mr. Horowitz served as a Presidentially-appointed and Senate-confirmed Commissioner on the U.S. Sentencing Commission.

Mr. Horowitz previously worked for DOJ in the Criminal Division at Main Justice from 1999 to 2002, first as Deputy Assistant Attorney General and then as Chief of Staff. Prior to joining the Criminal Division, he was an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York from 1991 to 1999. From 1997 to 1999, Mr. Horowitz was the Chief of the Public Corruption Unit, and from 1995 to 1997, he was a Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division. In 1995, he was awarded the Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service for his work on a complex police corruption investigation.

Before joining the DOJ, Mr. Horowitz was an associate at Debevoise & Plimpton and clerked for Judge John G. Davies of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.

Mr. Horowitz earned his Juris Doctor, magna cum laude, from Harvard Law School and his Bachelor of Arts, summa cum laude, from Brandeis University.

Mark Hayes

Mark Hayes is currently the Deputy Assistant Inspector General for Audit, U.S. Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General.  During the past sixteen years, Mark has served in a variety of positions within the Audit Division and was appointed to his current position in August 2015.

Mark served 22 years in the United States Marine Corps where he held numerous management and leadership positions.  After retiring from his distinguished military career, Mark joined KPMG LLP in 1998.  Then, in 2001 Mark was hired as an Auditor in the OIG’s Financial Statement Audit Office (FSAO), later promoted to Assistant Director, and then in 2007 named Director of FSAO before serving as Acting DAIGA since May 2015.  Additionally, since 2013 Mark served as Chair of CIGIE’s Subcommittee on Financial Statement Audits and its associated Financial Statement Audit Network.

Mark has a Masters of Accountancy degree from the George Washington University.  He is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE).

Bobbie Jean Bartz

 

Bobbie Jean has worked at the Department of Justice, Office of the Inspector General, Financial Statement Audit Office (FSAO) for nine years, and in the Federal audit community for 14 years.  She is responsible for the audits of the DOJ financial statements, and other financial-related engagements.  In addition, she has been a collaborator on several of CIGIE’s Federal Audit Executive Council’s (FAEC) working groups, such as the Digital Accountability and Transparency (DATA) Act and Financial Audit Manual workgroups.  Bobbie Jean graduated summa cum laude from the University of Maryland University College with a bachelor’s degree in Accounting.  She is a Certified Public Accountant in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and a Certified Fraud Examiner. 

Anne Sit-Williams

Ms. Sit-Williams is an Assistant Director at the Government Accountability Office (GAO). She is part of the Financial Management and Assurance group at GAO and has worked on several financial statements audits including the audits of the Troubled Asset Relief Program, the Federal Housing Finance Agency, and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. She has also assisted in the update of the Financial Audit Manual (FAM). Prior to joining GAO in June 2009, Anne was an audit manager at a public accounting firm. She graduated from University of Maryland, College Park with a bachelor’s degree in Accounting and is a Certified Public Accountant in the State of Maryland.

 Larry Malenich

Mr. Malenich has been a Director in GAO’s Financial Management and Assurance team since 2012. He joined GAO in 1991 and has experience in leading both financial and performance audits across a broad range of federal and private sector entities and programs. As a  Director in FMA, he leads the Consolidated Audit of the Federal Government, as well as leading several  other financial audits including the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. He led GAO’s first ever financial audit of the federal government’s debt presented in the U.S. Treasury’s Schedule of Federal Debt, as well as large, complex financial audits of the Internal Revenue Service, and Securities and Exchange Commission. Further, from 2004 until 2008, Larry served as a Congressional Advisor in GAO’s Congressional Relations Office, with liaison responsibility for several congressional committees, including the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations, Budget, and Veterans Affairs, as well as the House Committee on Homeland Security. Prior to coming to GAO, Larry worked in the private sector for an independent public accounting firm where he managed a diverse client base of manufacturers, wholesalers, and oil and gas companies.

Larry has received numerous awards throughout his career including the GAO Meritorious Service Award for his contribution for financial management at the Departments of Treasury and Justice, and the GAO Continuous Improvement Award for his involvement in GAO’s peer review process. He received a bachelor’s of science degree in accounting from Saint Francis College, in Loretto, Pennsylvania, and is a Certified Public Accountant.

James E. Springs

James E. Springs was appointed as the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)  Inspector General effective March 23, 2015. Mr. Springs has 29 years of government experience working in the Inspector General community.  He joined  NARA  in 1997 and has previously served as the Acting Inspector General, Assistant Inspector General for Audits and Investigations.  

He began his career in government service in 1988 as an entry-level auditor after working 10 years in the Banking industry.  He worked at the Government Publishing Office and the Small Business Administration before joining NARA. 

Mr. Springs graduated Magna Cum Laude from Saint Augustine's University in North Carolina where he received his Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting.

Laurence Brewer

Mr. Brewer leads records management throughout the Federal Government with an emphasis on electronic records. He provides overall direction and guidance for Federal agencies on all aspects of records and information management. This includes overseeing the scheduling and appraisal of Federal records, the development and delivery of records management training, the issuance of records management regulations and guidance, and evaluating the effectiveness of records management programs in Federal agencies. 

Prior to his current appointment, Mr. Brewer held a number of positions in NARA’s records management program, including management positions working directly with Federal agencies to improve records management government-wide. Most recently, he directed the National Records Management Program, coordinating the activities of headquarters and field records management staff in support of NARA’s overall strategic plan.

Prior to joining NARA in 1999, Mr. Brewer was a records management consultant responsible for managing records management programs at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Virginia Department of Transportation.  He has more than 25 years of experience in records and information management and earned his Certified Records Manager (CRM) designation in 1998. Mr. Brewer is also a senior fellow of the Partnership for Public Service’s Excellence in Government Program, which focuses on developing the leadership skills of senior government employees. He holds an M.A. in Political Science from the University of Georgia, and a B.A. in Government from the College of William and Mary.

Donald Rosen

Donald Rosen is the Director of Records Management Oversight and Reporting at the National Archives and Records Administration. In this position, he leads multiple teams in providing records management oversight to federal agencies. Prior to this position he served as the the Director of Policy, Analysis and Enforcement within the same office where he was responsible for the development of ERM policies and guidance including the Managing Government Record Directive. In addition, Don served as NARA’s representative to the International Organization for Standardization’s (ISO) Committee TC 46/SC11 (Archives and Records Management) where he works collaboratively with other countries in developing records management standards. Prior to joining NARA in 2008, Don spent 15 years in the private sector working with both Federal and commercial clients on a variety of records and information management engagements. He holds a Masters degree in Technology Management from the University of Maryland and Bachelors degree from George Mason University.

Chris Mihm

Chris Mihm is the Managing Director for Strategic Issues at the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO).  He leads GAO’s work on government-wide governance, strategy, and transformation issues. Strategic Issues addresses such topics as performance management and collaboration, human capital management, intergovernmental issues, federal budgeting, regulatory policy, and federal tax policy and administration.

Chris is an elected member of the United Nations Independent Audit Advisory Committee, where he advises the General Assembly on the effectiveness of the internal audit and other oversight functions and UN risk management, internal control and other issues. He chaired the Committee from 2013-2016 and is the Vice Chair in 2017.  His term ends at the end of 2017.

Chris is the Deputy Chair of the Audit and Compliance Committee of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA).

He is a fellow and former Board Chair of the National Academy of Public Administration and an adjunct lecturer in public administration at the University Of Maryland Graduate School Of Public Policy.

Dan Kaneshiro

Dan Kaneshiro is a Policy Analyst with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Office of Federal Financial Management (OFFM), where he is the lead analyst for OFFM’s work on Enterprise Risk Management, Internal Controls, Audit and Inspectors General Issues. Additional responsibilities include Antideficiency Act Violations, Government Charge Cards, and Federal Debt Collection. 

Prior to OMB, Dan served 10 years with the U.S. Government Accountability Office, where he planned, designed and implemented key sections of performance audits, special studies and investigations of alleged fraud, waste and abuse.  Prior to GAO, Dan held positions with the State of Hawaii Department of Public Safety and with the Hawaii Judiciary. 

Dan received both his undergraduate degree in Psychology with a Certificate in Criminal Justice, and a Masters of Public Affairs from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.  He also received a Juris Doctor from the Catholic University of America located in Washington, D.C. 

Chuck Ward

As an Assistant Inspector General for Audit Operations and Special Reviews, Mr. Ward is responsible for the range of work impacting the Department of Transportation, OIG audit production, policies, practices, and processes, as well as conduct of reviews using OIG and outside technical experts and selected assessments that are organizationally and programmatically cross-cutting in nature.

Mr. Ward has over 35 years of combined Federal Service with the DOT OIG, GAO and the United States Navy.  With DOT OIG, Mr. Ward has served in Washington, D.C. headquarters as well as in the Seattle Regional Office since 2002.  Prior to joining OIG, Mr. Ward spent 15 years with GAO in Washington, D.C.  During his OIG and GAO career he led dozens of performance audits of federally funding acquisition and grant programs to identify ways to improve the economy, efficiency, and effectiveness of program management and made numerous recommendations for improving program outcomes.  The work of Mr. Ward’s team has resulted in identifying hundreds of millions of dollars of funds put to better use in DOD, DOT, and FAA programs.  Since appointed to the Senior Executive Service in 2015, Mr. Ward also served as the Assistant Inspector General for aviation audits where he oversaw OIG aviation reviews with an emphasis on airport grant funding, FAA acquisition and procurement, and aviation safety and program management.

Mr. Ward has Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Government and Politics from the University of Maryland at College Park, which he attended after service in the U.S. Navy.

Terrence J. Letko

Terry Letko is a Senior Acquisition Advisor in the Department of Transportation (DOT) OIG’s Office of the Assistant Inspector General for Acquisition and Procurement Audits.  He is one of four program directors responsible for managing procurement and contract audit teams and assists teams performing acquisition audits.  Terry has been with the DOT OIG since 1999. Before becoming involved with contract and acquisition management audits, Terry previously directed financial management audits at DOT entities and audits of the Highway Trust Fund financial statements and directed or managed audits of the Federal Aviation Administration’s Cost Accounting System implementation.  Prior to joining the DOT-OIG Terry spent 20 years as a contract auditor at either the DOD-OIG, where he was a project manager in the Office of Audit Policy and Oversight, or the Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA) where he performed various duties, including supervisory auditor, at the Fairfax Branch Office.  Terry started his Federal auditing career in 1979 in Minnesota.  Terry began his Government career with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s State Treasurer’s Office and is a former teacher at the Saint Nicholas School, Minersville, Pennsylvania. He graduated from Bloomsburg State College (PA) with BS degrees in Elementary Education and Business Administration, Accounting and is a CPA licensed in Virginia. Terry resides in Southern Maryland with his wife Cory and son Daniel.

Wendolyn Payne

Ms. Payne manages the research staff supporting Board deliberations.  Prior to joing the staff of the Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board (FASAB) in 1991, Ms. Payne worked in the utility field.  Her experience includes consumer advocacy and coporate financial planning.  She served as an auditor and expert witness for the Public Staff of the North Carolina Utilities Commission.  She represented the Navy’s interests in utility rate cases throughout the country while employed by the Naval Facilities Engineering Command.  With Potomac Electric Power Company, Ms. Payne was responsible for long-term financial forecasting, cash planning, and bond rating agency presentations.  Ms. Payne graduated with distinction from the University of Virginia with a Bachelor’s of Science degree in commerce.  She received a master’s degree in public administration from George Mason University.  She is a Certified Public Accountant licensed in the state of North Carolina and a Certified Government Financial Manager.  She is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Association of Government Accountants.

Travis J. Farris

Travis Farris is Counsel to the Inspector General at the Small Business Administration (SBA OIG). In this capacity, he regularly assists with the development of criminal, suspension, debarment, False Claims Act, and Program Fraud Civil Remedies Act (PFCRA) cases related to SBA programs. He regularly delivers training, including the annual Small Business Procurement Integrity Seminars, regarding SBA programs

and Federal remedies in support of the SBA OIG mission. Mr. Farris is also an adjunct instructor with the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency Training Institute. Prior to his current position, Mr. Farris served as an Assistant Counsel with the SBA OIG from 2009 until 2014. Before working with the SBA OIG, he was an attorney in the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Office of Program Enforcement from 2000 until 2009. In that office he litigated suspension, debarment, PFCRA and civil money penalty matters in addition to assisting with civil remedies for program integrity violations.

Mr. Farris has also been involved with the Interagency Suspension and Debarment Committee (ISDC) since September 2000. His work with the ISDC has included committee work on the 2003 Nonprocurement Common Rule, conversion of the Nonprocurement Common Rule into OMB Guidelines, several annual reports and, most recently, an assessment of consolidating the procurement and nonprocurement suspension and debarment rules.

A native of Burke, Virginia, he received his B.A. in History and English from James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia, and his J.D. from the College of William and Mary, Marshall‐Wythe School of Law in Williamsburg, Virginia.

Adam Kaplan

Adam Kaplan serves as Assistant Counsel to the Inspector General at the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA OIG).   In this capacity, Adam assists United States Attorneys’ Offices, the Department of Justice’s Civil Frauds Section, and federal agents in investigating small business contracting fraud brought under the False Claims Act.   Mr. Kaplan advises on all levels of case development from strategizing on and executing investigative steps, to presenting the government’s case to defendants, to coordinating parallel enforcement actions such as suspension/debarment.  Mr. Kaplan played a key role in obtaining the government’s largest ever False Claims Act recovery involving SBA contracting fraud (U.S. ex. rel. Shadic v. UFC Aerospace (S.D.NY. 2015), earning him an Award for Excellence from the Council of Inspectors General for Integrity and Efficiency.    Mr. Kaplan regularly delivers training on small business contracting fraud investigations to United States Attorneys’ Offices and officials from other law enforcement agencies.

Mr. Kaplan also advises on internal personnel law matters, including representing the agency before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Merit Systems Protection Board, and Office of Special Counsel.  Since 2013, he has chaired the Council of Counsels to the Inspector General’s (CCIG) Employment Law Working Group.   Additionally, he frequently provides counsel on whistleblower protection matters and serves as the office liaison for Freedom of Information Act requests.

Prior to his current position, Mr. Kaplan was an associate with the law firm of Ober Kaler (now Baker Donelson).   A native of Washington DC, he received his B.A. in English & Government/Politics, as well as J.D., from the University of Maryland.

Morgan Reynolds

Morgan Reynolds is an information technology auditor for the U.S. Department of the Interior Office of Inspector General.  She has over 11 years of experience conducting Federal audits, with 7 focused on cybersecurity.  While at Interior, she has performed reviews of the Department’s security practices, including an evaluation that found security weaknesses at a core data center that could expose sensitive data to cyber-attack.  She also evaluated the Department’s adoption of cloud computing and management and security of their mobile computing technologies.

Prior to Interior, Morgan was an information technology auditor at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Office of Inspector General.  She performed audits of NASA’s incident detection and handling capabilities and the security practices on a key NASA mission network. In addition, Morgan’s evaluations of NASA’s practices for securing its nearly 1,500 public websites from cyber-attacks and NASA’s adoption of cloud computing technologies both became the basis for two government-wide reviews on these topics.

Morgan began her audit career at the Big Four public accounting firm, KPMG. She has a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with Accounting Concentration from Monmouth University in West Long Branch, New Jersey.

Christopher Horvath

Christopher Horvath is an Information Technology Auditor for the U.S. Department of Interior, Office of the Inspector General.   He is a solutions-oriented, information technology risk management professional with over eleven years of experience supporting publicly and privately held companies, and public sector organizations.  He has extensive risk management experience leading teams to plan, perform and analyze audits of information technology and business process controls.  He is a CISA certified security professional who has designed and implemented security solutions and internal controls for multiple organizations across several industries.   His current focus is on applying threat hunting techniques to identify sophisticated cyber threats while performing information technology audits. 

Presenter Slides