GAO - Key Persons
Areas of Expertise:
Congressional budget process
Job Titles:
- Managing Director of the Forensic Audits and Investigative Service Team
Areas of Expertise:
Foreign affairs management and budget issues
Job Titles:
- Managing Director of the Defense Capabilities and Management Team
Job Titles:
- Managing Director, Public Affairs
Job Titles:
- Managing Director of the Financial Management and Assurance Team
Job Titles:
- Managing Director of the Contracting and National Security Acquisitions Team
Job Titles:
- Education Director Named Finalist for Service to America Medal
Job Titles:
- General of the United States and Head
Gene L. Dodaro became the eighth Comptroller General of the United States and head of the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) on December 22, 2010, when he was confirmed by the United States Senate. He was nominated by President Obama in September of 2010 from a list of candidates selected by a bipartisan, bicameral congressional commission. He had been serving as Acting Comptroller General since March of 2008.
Mr. Dodaro has testified before Congress dozens of times on important national issues, including the nation's response to the coronavirus pandemic, the federal government's long term fiscal outlook, efforts to reduce and eliminate overlap and duplication across the federal government and GAO's "High Risk List" that focuses on specific challenges-from reducing improper payments under Medicare and Medicaid to improving the Pentagon's business practices. In addition, Mr. Dodaro continues to develop GAO's efforts to meet the needs of Congress in such areas as science, technology and cybersecurity.
As Comptroller General, Mr. Dodaro helps oversee the development and issuance of hundreds of reports and testimonies each year to various committees and individual Members of Congress. These and other GAO products have led to hearings and legislation, billions of dollars in taxpayer savings, and improvements to a wide range of government programs and services.
In a GAO career dating back more than 50 years, Mr. Dodaro has held a number of key executive posts. For 9 years, Mr. Dodaro served as the Chief Operating Officer, the number two leadership position at the agency, assisting the Comptroller General in providing direction and vision for GAO's diverse, multidisciplinary workforce. Mr. Dodaro led the development of GAO's strategic plans for serving Congress and improving government in the 21st Century. He also played a key role in guiding the agency's efforts to highlight current and emerging issues that warrant attention from policymakers.
In leading GAO, Mr. Dodaro works with the Congress and the administration on major management reform initiatives, including the Digital Accountability and Transparency Act of 2014, the Federal IT Acquisitions Reform Act of 2014, the Fraud Reduction and Data Analytics Act of 2015; and the 1994 Government Management Reform Act, which expanded the Chief Financial Officers Act. Mr. Dodaro also has extensive experience working with state and local government officials.
Until 1999, Mr. Dodaro headed GAO's Accounting and Information Management Division, the agency's largest unit, which specialized in financial management, computer technology, and budget issues. While there, he directed the first-ever audit of the comprehensive financial statements covering all federal departments and agencies. Mr. Dodaro also helped conceive GAO's strategy for strengthening computer security across government and led the updating of standards for internal controls in the federal government.
Mr. Dodaro, who holds a bachelor's degree in accounting from Lycoming College in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, is a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration and a member of the Association of Government Accountants. Mr. Dodaro has received recognition from numerous outside organizations throughout his career, including the National Public Service Award from the American Society for Public Administration and the National Academy of Public Administration, the Roger W. Jones Award from American University; the Braden Award from the Department of Accountancy at Case Western Reserve University; The Katharine B. Gebbie Lifetime Achievement Award from the Arthur S. Flemming Commission and George Washington University; the Congressional Leadership Award from the Association for Federal Information Resources Management; the Distinguished Federal Leadership Award from the Association of Government Accountants; Administrator of the Year Award from the Romney Institute, BYU Marriott School of Business, and the John Glenn Excellence in Public Service Award from the Ohio State University
Mr. Dodaro is married to the former Joan McCabe and has three adult children.
Job Titles:
- Managing Associate General Counsel
Job Titles:
- Director in GAO 's Forensic Audits
- Director, Forensic Audits and Investigative Service
Seto Bagdoyan is a Director in GAO's Forensic Audits and Investigative Service team. He oversees audits to identify fraud, waste, and abuse. He also oversees the integrity of internal controls in various program areas, including health care, tax-debtors with security clearances, Hurricane Sandy disaster assistance, and concurrent military disability benefits.
Seto joined GAO in June 1987 in the in the Los Angeles Regional Office before transferring to Washington, D.C., in summer 1994. Previously, Seto was a legislative advisor in GAO's Office of Congressional Relations where he covered the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. In his private-sector career, Seto held a number of senior positions in consultancies, most recently focusing on political risk and homeland security.