2023 Association of Inspectors General Annual Training Conference | Association of Inspectors General on Glue Up

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Save the dateOctober 4 - 6, 2023 (EDT) Add to Calendar

Venue Location

The New Yorker Hotel

481 Eighth Ave
New York

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Organizer

Organizer: Association of Inspectors General

Contact Person: Michael Castrilli

Email: programsupport@inspectorsgeneral.org

Event Summary

2023 AIG Annual Training Conference - Innovation & The Future of Oversight

The Association of Inspectors General (AIG) is proud to present the 2023 Annual Training Conference in New York City from October 4th - 6th, 2023. The Conference will be held at The New Yorker Hotel located at 481 8th Avenue, New York, NY. Early check-in will begin on Tuesday, October 3rd from 2 pm to 7 pm (ET).

As the inspector general community emerges along with the rest of the world from the Covid-19 pandemic, innovation will play an increasingly critical role in driving the future of government oversight, transparency, and accountability. The AIG serves to promote the advancement of professionalism, accountability and integrity within the IG community.

The conference will provide you with the opportunity to learn from exceptional speakers and equally important is the opportunity to connect, face-to-face, with old friends and to make new ones within the IG community!

The 2023 AIG Training Conference will include dynamic plenary programming and engaging breakout sessions.

We look forward to seeing you in New York!

AIG Member

This rate is available for the following AIG membership types: National; National Group; National + Chapter; National + Chapter Group; Charter; Life; Chapter

Early bird discount ends on August 18, 2023, the rate increases to $850.00.

Member Price $850

Non-Member

This rate is available for non-members and includes a complimentary National membership valid thru June 30, 2024.

Early Bird discount ends on August 18, 2023 and the rate increases to $975.00.

$975

Agency/Group Ticket

If your Agency/Group is registering more than three attendees, you qualify for this discounted rate. For questions or if you require group invoicing, please contact programsupport@inspectorsgeneral.org.

$800

John Jay College Ticket

This ticket option is available to John Jay College students with a valid student ID. You must register using your John Jay College e-mail.

$400

Daily Rate - October 4, 2023

This ticket option is for daily admission to the Conference for October 4, 2023.

$400

Daily Rate - October 5, 2023

This ticket option is for daily admission to the Conference for October 5, 2023.

$400

Daily Rate - October 6, 2023

This ticket option is for daily admission to the Conference for October 6, 2023.

$400

Download Agenda

Click here to download a copy of the Attendees!

Click here to download the latest Agenda!

Click here to download the Know Before You Go

CPE Evals

Wednesday, October 4, 2023

Grand Ballroom

9 AM: Why Independent Oversight is Vital

10 AM: Public Service Ethics: More Than The Minimum

11 AM Emerging Financial Crime Threats and Trends

1 PM: The Need for an Inspector General in the Federal Judiciary…

2 PM: Don't Mess with Texas - Holding Contractors Accountable

3 PM: Detecting, Reporting and Preventing Criminal Antitrust Violations

4 PM: Parallel Investigations…

Sutton Place Suite

11 AM: Innovation in Oversight - Upholding the Credibility of the Intelligence Services

2 PM: OIG Outreach: Communication Out and Information In (Part 1)

3 PM: OIG Outreach: Communication Out and Information In (Part 2)

4 PM: Monitoring International Aid

Herald Square Suite

11 AM: Combatting Fraud, Waste, Abuse, and Corruption with AI

2 PM: Data Analytics Success Story: Early Intervention Fraud

3 PM: Leveraging DEIA to Advance Organizational Goals

4 PM: Lessons in Oversight & Analytics in the Department of the Air Force

For the rest of the conference evaluations from Thursday and Friday, go to https://aig.cnf.io/

Click on the session, then click, Evaluate Now

CLE Evals

For those seeking Continuing Legal Education (CLE) credits, we have created a website with in-depth course materials for all presentations that are eligible for CLE credits. Click here to obtain all CLE materials.

CLE Materials: 2023 AIG Conference CLE Course Materials – The Association of Inspectors General

The CLE Board also requires a specific evaluation to be completed for each presentation. You can use the above page to evaluate the sessions or the links below.

CLE Session Evaluation - Only for those seeking CLE Credit

CLE 1: Public Service Ethics: More Than The Minimum

CLE 2: Combatting Fraud, Waste, Abuse, and Corruption with Artificial Intelligence

CLE 3: OIG Outreach: Communication Out and Information In (Part 1)

CLE 4: Data Analytics Success Story: Early Intervention Fraud

CLE 5: Detecting, Reporting and Preventing Criminal Antitrust Violations

CLE 6: Parallel Investigations Maximizing Multiple Investigations

CLE 7: Impact through Integration: Toward an Interdisciplinary Approach to Oversight

CLE 8: Legal Issues for Oversight Agencies

CLE 9: SSA OIG's Interdisciplinary Approach to the Government Imposter Scam Problem

CLE 10: New York MTA Procurement Corruption Case Study

CLE 11: The Investigation and Defense of Public Corruption Offenses

CLE 12: The Challenge of Accountability: Reforming the IG System

Speakers

Sly Atayee

Nonprofit Investigations and Federal Grant Compliance at BDO USA

Sly Atayee

Nonprofit Investigations and Federal Grant Compliance at BDO USA

Sly Atayee is focused on assisting NGO clients with various aspects of forensic investigations and federal funding compliance. Sly has led numerous forensic analyses for NGO organizations, including field work domestically in the US, and internationally in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. Sly regularly supports NGO clients with forensic investigations, federal grants administration, financial process redesign, internal control assessments, federal compliance gap assessments, complex cost recovery calculations, policy and procedure development and support, and more. Sly has experience supporting in litigation matters, substantiating costs through the collection of supporting documentation, and performing data analytics in order to calculate and quantify losses and damages.

Brian Austin

Assistant Deputy Chief Investigator at NY Dept of Corrections & Community Supervision Ofc of Special Investigations

Brian Austin

Assistant Deputy Chief Investigator at NY Dept of Corrections & Community Supervision Ofc of Special Investigations

Brian Austin is an Assistant Deputy Chief Investigator has been conducting investigations for the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision for 16 years and is currently assigned to their Office of Special Investigations (OSI), Sex Crimes Division. He regularly instructs agency facility-based staff and OSI members in crime scene processing and digital evidence collection methods and analysis. Mr. Austin is a Cellebrite Certified Physical Analyst and a graduate of the National Computer Forensics Institute’s Mobile Device Examiner and Advanced Mobile Device Examiner certification courses and is currently a member of the U.S. Secret Service, Computer Fraud Task Force.

Robert Baggett

Special Agent-in-Charge, Investigations Liaison and Special Operations Division at USDA OIG

Bart Bevers

Inspector General at City of Dallas, Texas OIG

Bart Bevers

Inspector General at City of Dallas, Texas OIG

Bart started in the fraud industry in 1988 working for the FSLIC/FDIC as an asset manager and account officer during the savings & loan crisis. After law school he spent 10 years as an assistant district attorney in Smith and Dallas Counties specializing in fraud and white-collar crime cases. He has tried over 400 contested trials. He was appointed by Governor Rick Perry to run the HHSC-Inspector General’s Office in Austin, where he worked 8 for years. Bart then spent 10 years as a criminal defense attorney in Dallas practicing in state and federal courts. Currently Bart is the Inspector General for the City of Dallas. His certifications include: Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE); Certified Fraud Specialist (CFS); Certified Public Manager (CPM); Certified Inspector General (CIG).

Bart has been married to his best friend for 28 years and they have two children.

Preet Bharara

Partner, former US Attorney for the Southern District of New York at WilmerHale

Preet Bharara

Partner, former US Attorney for the Southern District of New York at WilmerHale

Preet Bharara served as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York from 2009 to 2017. Bharara oversaw the investigation and litigation of all criminal and civil cases and supervised an office of over 200 Assistant U.S. Attorneys, who handled cases involving terrorism, narcotics and arms trafficking, financial and healthcare fraud, cybercrime, public corruption, organized crime, and civil rights violations. The New York Times dubbed Bharara one of “the nation’s most aggressive and outspoken prosecutors.” In 2012, TIME Magazine included Bharara on its list of 100 most influential people in the world. In 2017, Bharara joined the NYU School of Law faculty as a Distinguished Scholar in Residence. He is the co-founder of CAFE Studios and the host of CAFE and the Vox Media Podcast Network’s Stay Tuned with Preet, a podcast focused on issues of justice and fairness. In 2022, he joined the law firm WilmerHale as a partner, focusing on strategic counseling, crisis management, and investigations. Bharara graduated magna cum laude from Harvard College and from Columbia Law School, where he was a member of the law review. He is the author of a top five New York Times bestselling book, “Doing Justice: A Prosecutor’s Thoughts on Crime, Punishment, and the Rule of Law,” and a children’s picture book, “Justice Is…: A Guide for Young Truth Seekers.” Bharara’s book was recently optioned by Paramount Television Studios in a deal to develop an original series with actor Robert Deniro to star in the leading role. Bharara will be an executive producer on the project.

Brigitte Bishop

Inspector General at Office of the inspector general city of Montreal

Brigitte Bishop

Inspector General at Office of the inspector general city of Montreal

Member of the Québec Bar since 1989, Ms. Brigitte Bishop holds a law degree from the University of Ottawa and a postgraduate degree (DESS) in financial crime from the University of Sherbrooke.

Ms. Bishop served as a crown prosecutor for more than 30 years. She worked in several teams specialized in criminal prosecution, in particular fighting against criminal organizations such as the Hells Angels. Ms. Bishop specialized in proceeds of crime matters and won many asset forfeiture cases, her latest being the 5 Hells Angels’ club houses located in the province of Québec. She also acted as legal counsel to the Director of the Québec Provincial Police.

Ms. Bishop has appeared before all the courts of criminal jurisdiction, including the Supreme Court of Canada. She took part in various round tables for the development of municipal, provincial, and federal bills, and testified before multiple parliamentary commissions. She also participated in the negotiation and then creation of memoranda of understanding between several ministries and governmental organizations.

Ms. Bishop held the position of First Deputy Inspector General from April 2017 to June 2018, then acted as Inspector General by interim. She was appointed unanimously as Inspector General of Ville de Montréal by the members of City Council on December 17, 2018.

In 2018, she earned the designation of Certified Inspector General (CIG) from the Association of Inspectors General and is an active member of the Association’s board of director since her election in 2020.

Andrew Brunsden

Deputy Commissioner for Legal Affairs & General Counsel at NYC Department of Investigation

Andrew Brunsden

Deputy Commissioner for Legal Affairs & General Counsel at NYC Department of Investigation

Andrew Brunsden is General Counsel and Deputy Commissioner of Legal Affairs at the New York City Department of Investigation. He has extensive experience in the law of government, oversight, and investigations with a focus on public integrity, ethics, and operational matters. Before his current role, Mr. Brunsden was Special Counsel to the DOI Commissioner and Inspector General. He joined DOI in 2013 as the first Inspector General for the City Board of Elections and later served as Inspector General for several investigative units that provide oversight of various City agencies. In these roles, he supervised public corruption investigations, developed new investigative units and initiatives, and advised executives and staff on legal and policy matters. Mr. Brunsden has helped lead a number of significant DOI investigations that resulted in criminal prosecutions or public reports of findings and recommendations, including reports on the NYPD response to the George Floyd protests, the City’s program to upgrade 911 call-taking technology, and the Board of Elections.

Prior to joining DOI, Mr. Brunsden practiced criminal, regulatory, and civil litigation and investigations at the law firm Morvillo Abramowitz Grand Iason & Anello P.C. He previously served as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Rosemary S. Pooler of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and to the Honorable Dean D. Pregerson of the United States District Court for the Central District of California. He graduated with a J.D. from UCLA School of Law, a Masters in Philosophy and Anthropology from the University of St. Andrews, and a B.A. in Philosophy and Political Science from the University of Michigan.

Mr. Brunsden is currently an Adjunct Professor of Law at New York Law School, where he teaches courses on public corruption law and advanced legal methods. Mr. Brunsden is admitted to practice law in New York.

Joseph Centorino

Inspector General at FL City of Miami Beach OIG

Joseph Centorino

Inspector General at FL City of Miami Beach OIG

Joseph M. Centorino was appointed as the first Inspector General for the City of Miami Beach and assumed that position on November 1, 2019. The post was created following a citywide referendum in 2018 in which 81% of city voters supported a charter amendment establishing an independent Office of Inspector General to conduct investigations, audits and oversight of City government operations. Mr. Centorino supervises a fulltime staff of five internal auditors, five tax auditors and two investigators, and is a Certified Inspector General and Certified Inspector General Auditor.

Mr. Centorino previously served as the Executive Director/General Counsel of the Miami-Dade Commission on Ethics and Public Trust from 2011 to 2018. In that position he led the agency’s extensive ethics training program and oversaw the provision of ethics opinions for elected officials, public employees, lobbyists, board members and political candidates, as well as the enforcement of the Miami-Dade Ethics Code, which covers all public servants in Miami-Dade County government and all municipalities within the County.

Prior to his County service, he spent twenty-five years as an Assistant State Attorney at the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office under State Attorneys Janet Reno and Katherine Fernandez Rundle. His service in that office included 16 years as the Chief of the Public Corruption Unit, where he supervised, investigated and prosecuted major corruption cases involving elected and appointed public officials and employees.

Mr. Centorino began his professional career in Massachusetts as an aide to U.S. Representative Michael J. Harrington, and worked in private law practice and as an Assistant District Attorney in Essex County. He also served for eight years as an elected city councilman in his hometown of Salem, MA.

Mr. Centorino holds B.A. and M.A. degrees in Political Science from Tufts University, a Juris Doctor from Boston College Law School, and is a member of the Florida Bar as well as the Bars of Massachusetts, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Supreme Court. He has served as an instructor of Professionalism and Ethics at the Florida International University Metropolitan Center, and is a frequent lecturer, speaker and panelist on government corruption and ethics-related topics. He was the recipient of the Lawyers in Leadership Award from the Center for Ethics and Public Service at the University of Miami School of Law in 2011 and has served on the Florida Bar Professional Ethics Committee.

Kitty Kay Chan

Professor of Practice in Applied Analytics and Program Director of the Master of Science in Applied Analytics at Columbia University

Kitty Kay Chan

Professor of Practice in Applied Analytics and Program Director of the Master of Science in Applied Analytics at Columbia University

Dr. Kitty Kay Chan is a Professor of Practice in Applied Analytics and Program Director of the Master of Science in Applied Analytics at Columbia University. Dr. Chan teaches machine learning and is an expert on the integration of technology, data, and algorithmic design. She has built data science divisions for various organizations and advises on data issues including algorithm bias, governance of artificial intelligence (AI), anomaly detection, blockchain applications, security and privacy, and digital traceability systems. Her career spans state and federal government, private consulting, and academia. Dr. Chan has held executive positions related to data science, including as New York State’s inaugural Chief Data Analytics Officer, Chief Economist of the Department of Financial Services, and Deputy Inspector General. She currently serves on various boards including the Advisory Board for the National Technical Information Service.

William Cheung

Deputy Inspector General for Audit at NYC Department of Investigation

William Cheung

Deputy Inspector General for Audit at NYC Department of Investigation

William began his law enforcement career as a Police Officer with the New York City Police Department in 1993. After two years with the police department, William decided to make use of his accounting degree by taking a job with the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI). William was assigned to the New York Field Office. In 2004, William was promoted to Supervisory Special Agent. In August 2009, William was selected to be the IRS-CI Attaché in Hong Kong, where he coordinated all IRS-CI investigative activities in Asia. In June 2015, William returned to the United States as a Program Manager for the Financial Crimes Section in Headquarters, Washington D.C. In February 2017, William was promoted to Assistant Special Agent in Charge for the New York Field Office, a position he held until his retirement on December 31, 2020. Immediately after retirement, William joined the NYC Department of Investigation as the Deputy Inspector General for Audit in Squad 10.

Helen Christodoulou

Trial Attorney at US DOJ Antitrust Division

Helen Christodoulou

Trial Attorney at US DOJ Antitrust Division

Helen Christodoulou is a trial attorney with the United States Department of Justice, Antitrust Division. Since joining 2006, she has led numerous large-scale investigations and prosecutions with a particular focus on bid-rigging, procurement fraud, anti-kickback act and bribery, major fraud, and tax violations. She is a two-time recipient of the Assistant Attorney General’s Award of Distinction for outstanding performance, which is the highest level award presented by the Antitrust Division. Helen is also the co-creator of the Antitrust - Inspector General Working Group, which is a collaboration between Antitrust Division and NYC-area federal, state and local Inspector General offices. The group shares ideas and information related to government procurement and the disruption of the competitive bidding process. Prior to obtaining her law degree from St. John’s University, she was a senior analyst at an economic consulting firm specializing in expert witness testimony in antitrust cases. Helen is admitted to the New York Bar.

Carrie Cohen

Morrison & Foerster

Carrie Cohen

Morrison & Foerster

As a former federal and state prosecutor, Carrie routinely advises and represents corporations, boards, and c-suite executives in sensitive government-facing investigative and regulatory matters. Carrie is an industry leader in the areas of public corruption and state and local government enforcement, and has led trainings on the timing of investigative steps and charges and the defense of a public corruption case for the National Attorneys General Training and Research Institute’s Anticorruption Academy, and she has also served as a contributing author to the National Association of Attorneys General’s Anticorruption Manual, a comprehensive overview of prosecuting public corruption in the United States, where she provided practical guidance on the mechanics of a complex public corruption investigation. Carrie is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School, where she teaches a seminar on Public Corruption and the Law with her co-presenter, Howard Master. While serving as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Carrie investigated and tried public corruption, investment fraud, and securities cases, including obtaining the first convictions of former New York State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver. She also served as Chief of the Public Integrity Unit in the Criminal Division in the New York State Attorney General’s Office and as an Assistant Attorney General in the Civil Rights Bureau, where she received the Louis J. Lefkowitz Memorial Award for outstanding service. Carrie earned a J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School and a B.A. from Cornell University. She is admitted to practice law in New York.

Kimberly Coleman

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) Coordinator at USPS OIG

Kimberly Coleman

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) Coordinator at USPS OIG

Kimberly A. Coleman is the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) Coordinator at the United States Postal Service, Office of Inspector General (OIG). In this role, she works directly with the Chief Diversity Officer, other senior leadership, and the Inclusion, Diversity, Equity & Awareness (IDEA) Council on all aspects of USPS OIG’s DEI initiatives.

As the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Coordinator, Kimberly serves as the day-to-day liaison for all things DEI, works with OIG data to identify issues and opportunities, coordinates and conducts DEI training at the agency, measures and reports on OIG DEI program effectiveness, coordinates with the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE) and across the oversight community on DEI initiatives and ensures engaging, inclusive DEI messaging internally and externally.

Kimberly began her career with the OIG in 2021 as an Analytics Manager in the Research Insights and Solution Center (RISC). During her tenure with RISC, Kimberly used her vast knowledge in data analytics to lead her team(s) in identifying fraud, waste, and abuse related to USPS.

Prior to this role, Kimberly served USPS OIG on the employee led IDEA Council, leading the Data & Training Subcommittee’s activities. Kimberly has been a manager and director in financial analysis & analytics for the past 20+ years at both USPS and USPS OIG. She holds an undergraduate degree in Business Administration from Indiana University and a Master’s in Business Administration from Southern Illinois University, and completed a Diversity, Equity & Inclusion for Public Managers certificate program from Rutgers University.

David Cook

Inspector General at State of Indiana OIG

David Cook

Inspector General at State of Indiana OIG

Prior to being appointed Inspector General for the State of Indiana, David Cook served as the Chair of the Alcohol and Tobacco Commission. He previously served as a judge in the Marion County Superior Court. Judge Cook has served as Chief Public Defender of Marion County, Master Commissioner in the Marion County Circuit Court, and in the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office, along with several years practicing law at various private practices in Indianapolis, Indiana. In addition, Judge Cook served as an Adjunct Professor of Trial Advocacy at Indiana University School of Law and has worked as an Adjunct Professor at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis’ School of Public and Environmental Affairs.

Judge Cook is a former member of the Indiana Public Defender Council Board of Directors and a current member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys and has received multiple recognitions, including the Indianapolis Bar Association President’s Award, the Indianapolis Bar Association Manager’s Award, the Indiana Community Corrections Board of Director’s Award, and the Indiana Public Defender Board of Directors Distinguished Service award. He has also been listed as a top lawyer on the Indianapolis Business Journal Distinguished Lawyer’s list (2007) and eight times as an Indiana Super Lawyer (every year from 2006-2013). Judge Cook is a graduate of Ball State University, where he received his Bachelor’s degree, and Indiana University – Indianapolis School of Law, where he received his Juris Doctorate. He is admitted to practice law in the State of Indiana.

Daniel G. Cort

Inspector General at NY MTA OIG

Daniel G. Cort

Inspector General at NY MTA OIG

Mr. Cort is a respected leader with more than three decades of law enforcement and criminal justice experience. Just prior to joining MTA OIG, he served as the First Deputy Commissioner of the New York City Department of Investigation (DOI), since 2018, where he also served as Acting Commissioner from November 2021 to February 2022.

Inspector General Cort has extensive experience as a prosecutor and in leading criminal investigations. Prior to DOI, he served as Chief of the Public Integrity Bureau at the New York State Attorney General’s Office, leading a team of lawyers, investigators, analysts, and auditors who investigated and prosecuted government corruption, fraud, and abuse of authority, across New York State. During his time at the Attorney General’s Office, the Public Integrity Bureau’s prosecutions led to the convictions of several judges, a member of the State Assembly, and numerous other public servants.

Before his tenure at the Attorney General’s Office, Inspector General Cort worked in the New York County District Attorney’s Office for nineteen years as an Assistant District Attorney, including as Chief of the Public Integrity Unit. While at the D.A.’s Office, he tried numerous cases in State Supreme Court, including the successful prosecution of a Deputy Commissioner of the New York City Department of Buildings on corruption charges. He secured the conviction of a New York City councilmember on campaign finance-related crimes, was lead prosecutor in a multi-year investigation that resulted in the felony convictions and disbarments of fourteen lawyers and tried a reckless manslaughter case stemming from the death and serious injuries of construction workers. He also served as Deputy Bureau Chief and Acting Bureau Chief of the Rackets Bureau and as a Senior Investigative Counsel.

Inspector General Cort began his career in 1988 as a litigation associate at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison in New York, and served as Assistant Counsel at the New York State Commission of Investigation from 1991 to 1994. From 1994 to 1995, he worked as a Nominations Counsel at the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary.

He received his law degree from the Georgetown University Law Center and is a cum laude graduate of Drew University.

Mike Coss

Director of Analytics Development and Delivery at USPS OIG

Mike Coss

Director of Analytics Development and Delivery at USPS OIG

Mike Coss is the USPS OIG Director of Analytics Development and Delivery. He holds degrees from Vernon College and Midwestern State University where he graduated Summa Cum Laude. Mike started his journey with UPS and later transitioned to the Postal Service where he has 25 years’ experience, including 15 years with the USPS OIG. With the Postal Service, he held craft, union, and management positions covering both mail processing, business mail, and delivery functions. In 2007, Mike transitioned to the USPS OIG Office of Audit performing audits covering areas such as workers’ compensation, security, facilities, and Inspection Service programs. As an auditor, Mike contributed to the development of the USPS OIG’s audit risk models and was responsible for the risk and impact analysis of large and disparate data covering various program areas.

In 2013, Mike joined the OIG’s Chief Data Office where he has overseen and led a variety of audit and investigative analytics projects covering mail operations, delivery, facilities, mail theft, narcotics, and health care, financial, and contract fraud. Mike also serves as an adjunct instructor for CIGIE and has presented at numerous conferences regarding different applications for and benefits of using advanced analytic techniques. Mike is a strong advocate for the application of advanced analytics to promote data driven decisions and to change how investigators and auditors do their work by providing efficiencies and insights from data.

Isabel Cumming

Inspector General at MD Baltimore City OIG

Isabel Cumming

Inspector General at MD Baltimore City OIG

Isabel Mercedes Cumming is the Inspector General of Baltimore City, she is the first woman and Latina to ever be named to the post in January of 2018. The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) has flourished under her leadership having quadrupled the number of hotline complaints, achieving independence for the office and successfully growing the office from six to eighteen employees. The OIG has taken over both the Ethics and the Whistleblower functions in Baltimore City. The OIG has had numerous high-profile cases and the OIG was able to achieve over fifteen million dollars of documented savings or waste for the citizens of Baltimore under her tenure. In 2019, she was elected to the Board of Directors of the Association of Inspector Generals and currently serves as the First Vice President and Chair of the Finance Committee.

For six years prior, she was the Assistant Inspector General of Investigations for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority system overseeing 200 reports of investigation and a team of fourteen. Previously she was the Chief of the Economic Crimes/Special Prosecutions Unit of the Prince George’s County State’s Attorney’s Office for over seven years. She started one of the first mortgage fraud units in the nation. Prior she was with the Economic Crimes Unit of Baltimore City for over four years handling hundreds of white-collar crime cases including identity theft, embezzlement and arson. For over six years she was an Assistant State Prosecutor with the Maryland State Prosecutor's Office handling high profile cases of elected officials throughout Maryland.

Ms. Cumming began her legal career at the United States Attorney’s Office as a law clerk where she specialized in investigating white-collar crimes. Prior she was the Director of Internal Audit for American National Bank in Baltimore for over seven years. She began her career with KPMG Peat Marwick in Baltimore as an auditor in 1984.

Ms. Cumming was named the Certified Fraud Fighter of the Year in 2006 and the first Top Fraud Fighter in Maryland in 2004 by the ACFE. She was named a Top 100 Women in Maryland three times by the Daily Record She traveled to Amman, Jordan where she taught White Collar Prosecution to fifty judges and lawyers for the Rule of Law program. She is a both a Certified Inspector General and Certified Fraud Examiner. She previously taught Principles of Fraud Examination at the University of Baltimore and served on the Dean’s Advisory Committee for the Law School for over a decade. She earned an undergraduate degree in accounting from James Madison University, a master’s degree in Business Administration and a Juris Doctorate (law) degree with honors from the University of Baltimore. She is married with four sons, one spoiled rescue cat and lives in Baltimore City.

Clinton Daggan

Senior Counsel at New York City Health + Hospitals OIG

Jamila Davis

Special Agent at US Dept of Housing & Urban Development OIG

Jamila Davis

Special Agent at US Dept of Housing & Urban Development OIG

Jamila Davis has been an Assistant Special Agent in Charge for the Small Business Association Office of the Inspector General (SBA-OIG) since July 2023. Prior to that, she had been a Special Agent with the U.S Department of Housing & Urban Development Office of Inspector General (HUD-OIG) since 2009. Her expertise is in the civil and criminal investigation of embezzlement, procurement fraud, mortgage fraud, wire fraud and public corruption. She has been recognized as the United States Attorney’s Office, Middle District of Florida Law Enforcement Officer of the Year Award and the Award of Excellence in a Civil Fraud Investigation from the Council of Inspector General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE) for an investigation which led to a $33M recovery from a Reverse Mortgage Servicer (2017). She received a CIGIE Award for outreach and training efforts in the U.S Virgin Islands advance of the awarding of Disaster Recovery Grants post Hurricanes Irma and Maria (2018). She is an Instructor and Facilitator for CIGIE’s IG Academy, a Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE), Certified Financial Crime Investigator (CFCI), Certified Economic Crime Forensic Examiner (CECFE) and a Certified Inspector General Investigator (CIGI).

Ken Dieffenbach

Deputy Assistant IG for Investigations at U.S. Department of Energy

Imtiaz Fazel

Inspector-General of Intelligence at Republic of South Africa

Imtiaz Fazel

Inspector-General of Intelligence at Republic of South Africa

Mr Imtiaz Fazel was appointed as the Inspector-General of Intelligence by the President of the Republic of South Africa from 1 November 2022.

Mr Fazel is a former Chief Operating Officer, at the level of Deputy Director General, in the Office of the Inspector General of Intelligence and a former Deputy Director General in the Office of the Director General of the State Security Agency.

From 2015 to 2020, he served as Deputy Director General: Governance, Risk and Compliance in the Department of Public Works, following which he served as Acting Director General in the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure.

Mr Fazel has obtained a Master's Degree in Security Studies from the University of Pretoria and holds a Bachelor of Accounting Science Degree from the University of South Africa. He holds a Post-Graduate Diploma in Accounting from the University of the Western Cape and is a member of the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants, among other achievements.

Daniel Feldman

Professor at NY John Jay College of Criminal Justice/ CUNY

Glenn Fine

Nonresident Fellow – Governance Studies at The Brookings Institution. Former Inspector General for the Department of Justice from 2000 to 2011 in the Clinton, Bush, and Obama Administrations.

Glenn Fine

Nonresident Fellow – Governance Studies at The Brookings Institution. Former Inspector General for the Department of Justice from 2000 to 2011 in the Clinton, Bush, and Obama Administrations.

Glenn Fine is a nonresident fellow in the Governance Studies program at The Brookings Institution. Fine served as the Inspector General for the Department of Justice from 2000 to 2011 in the Clinton, Bush, and Obama Administrations. As the Inspector General, he supervised and issued reports of investigations and audits on many high-profile issues facing the Department of Justice.

After practicing law at a firm, Fine returned to government, and in January 2016 he became the Acting Inspector General for the Department of Defense. In this role, he led the largest inspector general’s office with more than 1700 staff in 50 offices around the country and the world, for over four years.

Fine has testified more than 50 times before Congressional committees and has written articles on the role of inspectors general, federal investigations, and management in federal agencies. He has received numerous honors for his inspector general work, including being named the Lawyer of the Year by the National Law Journal.

Fine graduated from Harvard College, where he majored in economics. He was the co-captain of the Harvard basketball team and was selected in the 10th round of the 1979 NBA draft by the San Antonio Spurs. Instead of trying out for the Spurs, he attended Oxford University on a Rhodes Scholarship.

Fine earned a law degree from Harvard Law School. After law school, he worked as an Assistant United States Attorney in Washington D.C. Fine is currently an adjunct professor at Georgetown Law School.

William Fletcher

Inspector General at IL Chicago Public School OIG

William Fletcher

Inspector General at IL Chicago Public School OIG

Will Fletcher is the Inspector General for the Board of Education and President of the Association of Inspectors General. Will returned to CPS OIG after previously serving as its deputy inspector general. Prior to his current appointment, Will was the Inspector General of the Chicago Park District for five years and an Assistant Inspector General at the City of Chicago Office of Inspector General.

Previously, Will served as an Assistant Attorney General in the Office of the Illinois Attorney General’s Special Litigation Bureau and General Counsel for the Chicago Police Department’s Office of Professional Standards (now the Civilian Office of Police Accountability), a civilian investigative unit that reviewed allegations of police misconduct, including excessive force and police-involved shootings. Will has also practiced law as a litigation attorney at Jenner & Block and served as a judicial clerk to the Hon. Blanche M. Manning in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

From 2016 to 2020, Will was president of the Illinois Chapter of the Association of Inspectors General. He is an AIG National Board Member and Instructor at AIG’s national Certified Inspector General and Certified Inspector General – Investigator Institutes.

Will graduated from Northwestern University (B.S.) and Columbia Law School (J.D.)

Sally Flores

Assistant Deputy Chief at NYS DOCCS Office of Special Investigations

Sally Flores

Assistant Deputy Chief at NYS DOCCS Office of Special Investigations

Sally Flores currently serves as an Assistant Deputy Chief in the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, Office of Special Investigations (OSI), Narcotics Investigations Division (NID). In that role, she is responsible for the K9 unit and their day-to-day operations. Sally also oversees the Department’s drug testing program.

Sally also served in the OSI Narcotics Division, as an Investigator, later promoting to Senior Investigator for the Capital Region. As an Investigator and Senior Investigator, she worked multiple levels of investigation, which included undercover work and major cases.

As an Assistant Deputy Chief, she assisted in the development and implementation of the department’s drug testing initiative by redesigning the way dangerous contraband was processed for subsequent administrative, and criminal, proceedings.

Additionally, Sally serves as a member of the Department’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee.

Before joining the Office of Special Investigations, Sally was a Correction Officer, where among her various security related duties, she served as accreditation manager at the facility level. Sally is also a certified general topics instructor and served as an Instructor at the NYSDOCCS Albany Training Academy where she trained incoming recruits.

Chris Gaffney

Special Agent in Charge at US Dept of Housing and Urban Developmennt

Chris Gaffney

Special Agent in Charge at US Dept of Housing and Urban Developmennt

Mr. Christopher Gaffney is a Special Agent in Charge with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Office of Inspector General (OIG). In this role, Chris supervises the Office of Data Analytics in the Office of Investigation, which he established in 2022.
Prior to joining the OIG community as a Special Agent, Chris served in the U.S. Marine Corps as a Captain, Judge Advocate where he performed his duties as a prosecutor. Chris has over twenty-two years of combined Federal service in law enforcement as a Civil Servant and Marine Veteran.
Chris’ awards include three Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE) Awards for Investigative Excellence and the Joint Service Commendation Medal for service while deployed as a Magistrate with the Multi-National Force-Iraq. In addition to his professional accomplishments, Chris is a sought-after health and wellness coach where he concentrates his focus on support and outreach to the veteran community.

Luis M. Garcia

Chief Finance and Administrative Officer at Natural Resource Governance Institute

Luis M. Garcia

Chief Finance and Administrative Officer at Natural Resource Governance Institute

Luis M Garcia is the Chief Finance and Administrative Officer for Natural Resource Governance Institute. Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI)’s mission is to secure a future where countries rich in oil, gas, and minerals achieve sustainable, inclusive development - one where people receive lasting benefits from extractives, and the negative impacts associated with the sector are minimized.

Luis started his career in finance as a treasurer and accountant for two regional associations in Spain. After working as a financial advisor at Bilbao Vizcaya Bank, he transitioned to the not-for-profit sector where he has been working for more than 20 years. At Action Against Hunger, he served as the financial and administrative director in Haiti, from 1997 to 1999. He then led financial oversight of all Madrid- managed missions worldwide as the field operation finance director, a position he held until the end of 2005. In 2006, Luis joined Action Against Hunger USA as director of grant compliance and field financial controller, based in New York. In 2012, Luis became Action Against Hunger USA’s chief financial officer. In total, he dedicated more than 20 years to serving those who suffer from hunger or lack access to clean water.

Luis is a native of Bilbao, Spain. He earned degrees in economics from universities in Bilbao and Lille, France. He has also taken doctoral courses in international economy and development from the Basque Country University in Spain. He speaks five languages fluently.

Martin Gleeson

Deputy General Counsel at T & M USA, LLC

Martin Gleeson

Deputy General Counsel at T & M USA, LLC

Martin G. Gleeson, Esq. joined T&M USA, LLC in February 2020 as a Senior Investigative Consultant, and now serves as Deputy General Counsel and Managing Director. Mr. Gleeson has over 30 years of experience as an attorney and advisor for law enforcement agencies at state and local levels. Since joining T&M, Mr. Gleeson has served as project manager on a large-scale corporate regulatory independent monitoring matter on behalf of the New York State Liquor Authority, and as a Special Deputy to the Chief Deputy Attorney General for Criminal Justice for an investigation conducted on behalf of the Office of the New York State Attorney General. Additionally, Mr. Gleeson has conducted multiple workplace investigations, including violations of internal anti-violence policies and other misconduct. He currently serves as senior investigator on T&M’s outside investigator contract with the Albany, New York Community Police Review Board.

Prior to joining T&M, Mr. Gleeson held legal counsel positions in: the New York City Police Department (NYPD) where he served as advisor to investigative units, including the Internal Affairs Bureau; the White Plains Department of Public Safety where he provided legal guidance to the Office of Professional Standards; the Westchester County Department of Law where he defended internal agency disciplinary determinations; the New York City Business Integrity Commission where he served as an investigative attorney; and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey where he coordinated disciplinary proceedings, liaised with union leadership and provided guidance to internal investigators in the Office of the Inspector General. He has also served as an associate attorney at Sokoloff Stern LLP defending law enforcement officers and police agencies in lawsuits brought against them in federal and state trial courts for alleged civil rights violations, excessive force and false arrest.

Mr. Gleeson obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree from Baruch College, and a Juris Doctor degree from New York Law School. He is admitted to practice law in the State of New York, as well as the U.S. District Courts for the Eastern and Southern Districts of New York, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, and the U.S. Supreme Court.

The Honorable Mark Lee Greenblatt

Inspector General at US Dept of Interior

The Honorable Mark Lee Greenblatt

Inspector General at US Dept of Interior

The Honorable Mark Lee Greenblatt began his tenure as the Inspector General for the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) on August 26, 2019, after being confirmed by the U.S. Senate. As the Inspector General, Mr. Greenblatt leads a nationwide workforce of investigators, auditors, evaluators, attorneys, and support staff. Their mission is to provide independent oversight to promote accountability, integrity, economy, efficiency, and effectiveness within the DOI. Mr.
Greenblatt is the senior official responsible for providing oversight of the programs and operations of the DOI, which has more than 70,000 employees and a range of diverse programs, including roughly $10 billion in grants and contracts, $20 billion in natural resource revenues, Federal
trust responsibilities to 574 federally recognized Indian Tribes and Alaska Native villages, stewardship of 20 percent of the Nation’s lands, and management of lands, subsurface rights, and offshore areas that produce approximately 17 percent of the Nation’s energy.

In December 2022, Mr. Greenblatt was elected by the membership of the 74 Federal inspectors general to serve as the Chair of the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE). Mr. Greenblatt’s 2-year term as Chair began on January 1, 2023. In this role, he leads the Inspector General community’s mission to combat fraud, waste, and mismanagement. From January 2021 to December 2022, Mr. Greenblatt served as the CIGIE Vice Chair.

Mr. Greenblatt has been in the Federal oversight community since 2003 as part of the legislative and executive branches. Before becoming the DOI Inspector General, he served as the executive director of CIGIE. He previously held leadership roles at the U.S. Department of Commerce Office of Inspector General (OIG) and the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. Mr. Greenblatt also served as an investigative counsel at the U.S. Department of Justice OIG. Over the course of his Federal career, he has received several awards, including a CIGIE award for excellence, U.S. Department of Commerce gold medal and bronze medals, and a U.S. Department of Justice OIG distinguished service award.

Mr. Greenblatt served as a Federal law clerk, was a litigator at two large, international law firms, and is a published author.

Mr. Greenblatt graduated from Columbia University School of Law, where he was a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar, and earned his undergraduate degree from Duke University. He also completed the Senior Managers in Government Fellowship at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.

Ryan Harris

Chief, Public Integrity Section at US Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of New York

Ryan Harris

Chief, Public Integrity Section at US Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of New York

Mr. Harris is the Chief of the Public Integrity Section at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York (USAO-EDNY), a position he has held since June 2022. From April 2021 to June 2022, Mr. Harris was the Deputy Chief of the Public Integrity Section at the USAO-EDNY. Mr. Harris has served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney at the USAO-EDNY since December 2014. From 2013 to 2014, Mr. Harris clerked for the Honorable Catharina Haynes of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. From 2012 to 2013, Mr. Harris clerked for the Honorable Victor Marrero of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. From 2011 to 2012, Mr. Harris was a litigation associate with the law firm Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP. Mr. Harris graduated from Harvard Law School with a Juris Doctorate in 2010 and from Duke University magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science in 2007. He is licensed to practice law in the State of New York, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.

Major Heppe

Deputy Chief of the Inspections Division at Air Force Inspection Agency

Major Heppe

Deputy Chief of the Inspections Division at Air Force Inspection Agency

Maj Heppe is the Deputy Chief of the Inspections Division, Air Force Inspection Agency. With a team of 9 inspectors, he is responsible for the conduct of inspections on the Air Force’s 9 Major Commands, 3 Direct Reporting Units, and 19 Field Operating Agencies as well as supporting Secretary of the Air Force or staff Directed Inspections of high-impact, high-visibility programs that are of significant interest to the department. Having helped develop a new inspection process for headquarters organizations within the Department of the Air Force, he is now helping lead the process’s implementation within his portfolio of responsibility.
Maj Heppe is currently serving on Active Duty, receiving his commission into the U.S. Air Force in 2008, and transferring to the U.S. Space Force in 2021. He holds a Master of Science degree in Aeronautical Engineering from the Air Force Institute of Technology and a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Susan Herrera

Senior Data Project Manager at US Dept of Housing and Urban Developmennt

Susan Herrera

Senior Data Project Manager at US Dept of Housing and Urban Developmennt

Susan Herrera is currently a Senior Data Project Manager at HUD OIG, Office of Investigations (OI) Data Analytics. Susan began her federal career in 2010 as a Criminal Research Specialist/Investigative Analyst at HUD OIG. She performed high-level investigative research and analysis; and provided valuable intel for many high-profile cases. She worked on several agency initiatives and assisted with cases in all of HUD’s major program areas and FHA loan programs. Additionally, Susan has identified effective patterns of fraud to proactively develop regional cases. Susan’s previous experience includes information technology, budget and accounting, project management, and contracting. Susan double majored at Metropolitan State College of Denver with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Behavioral Science and Criminal Justice/Criminology and a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting. She also holds an MBA from Regis University in Denver, Colorado. She is currently working on her Google Data Analytics Certification and plans to pursue a certification in business data analytics and business analysis, as well as become a Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE).

Jaime Hickey-Mendoza

Assistant District Attorney at Manhattan District Attorney's Office

Jaime Hickey-Mendoza

Assistant District Attorney at Manhattan District Attorney's Office

Jaime Hickey-Mendoza has served as an Assistant District Attorney at the New York County District Attorney’s Office since September 2007. As a member of the Trial Division from September 2007 to May 2014, ADA Hickey-Mendoza prosecuted a wide variety of violent felony offenses. Since May 2014, ADA Hickey-Mendoza has specialized in the investigation and prosecution of white-collar offenses as a member of the Financial Frauds Bureau, Major Economic Crimes Bureau, and Rackets Bureau of the Investigation Division. Since October 2018, as a member of the Rackets Bureau, ADA Hickey-Mendoza has focused on offenses involving the construction industry and governmental instrumentalities. ADA Hickey-Mendoza received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Vassar College in May 2003, and his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in May 2007. ADA Hickey-Mendoza is admitted to practice law in New York State.

Gregory Hill

Executive Director of Association of Inspectors General

Gregory Hill

Executive Director of Association of Inspectors General

https://www.inspectorsgeneral.org

Mr. Hill has served as the executive director and deputy executive director at Arizona State University College of Law’s Indian Legal Program and Stetson University College of Law’s National Clearinghouse of Science, Technology and Law, respectively. As the Chief Assistant Regional Counsel of Florida’s Office of Criminal Conflict and Civil Regional Counsel, First DCA, he oversaw the daily operations of 16 regional offices and more than 130 attorneys and staff with an annual budget of $11 million. He has previously served as a contract auditor (legal compliance) for the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs auditing forensic science grants. His 25 years of legal practice has focused on criminal justice, including death penalty litigation in Florida. In what he describes as his “prior life” Greg served as a City of Tampa police officer for nearly ten years.

Greg earned his Juris Doctorate from SUNY at Buffalo School of Law and his Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Criminology, from Saint Leo University.

Robert Hladik

Senior Special Agent at US Dept of Housing and Urban Developmennt

Robert Hladik

Senior Special Agent at US Dept of Housing and Urban Developmennt

Rob began his career with U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Office of Inspector General (OIG), in 1998 as an Auditor assigned to Washington, DC. From 1999 to 2001, he was assigned to the Washington, DC Housing Fraud Initiative as a forensic auditor working on criminal investigations. In 2001, he transitioned to the Special Agent (SA) position and transferred to the Richmond Field Office in 2002. Rob has conducted numerous investigations in all of HUD's primary program areas. He is currently a Senior Special Agent assigned to HUD OIG’s Office of Data Analytics. During his career, he has received two Inspector General Group Awards and several Public Service Awards from the U.S. Attorney's Office. Rob has a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Management from Christopher Newport University and has been a Certified Public Accountant since 2001.

Cynthia Irizarry

Senior Inspector General at NYC Department of Investigation

Cynthia Irizarry

Senior Inspector General at NYC Department of Investigation

Cynthia Irizarry is currently a Senior Inspector General with the New York City Department of Investigation (DOI). In that role, she oversees the City’s Integrity Monitorship Program and works with outside firms tasked with monitoring large-scale City projects, as well as companies that have had integrity concerns identified and which are under a monitorship agreement in order to be able to continue to do business with the City. While at DOI, her work has focused on investigations involving construction and procurement fraud. Before working at DOI, Cynthia worked at the Office of the Inspector General for the New York City Housing Authority where she was the Director of Procurement Investigations and Integrity. Prior to entering the Inspector General community she worked as an analyst at both the Apopka Police Department and the New York State Office of the Attorney General. She holds a Law Degree from the Benjamin Cardozo School of Law and has both a Master’s degree from Northeastern University and a Bachelor’s degree from Florida State University in Criminal Justice. She is admitted in both New York and New Jersey.

Felix Jimenez

Inspector General at FL Miami Dade County OIG

Felix Jimenez

Inspector General at FL Miami Dade County OIG

Felix Jimenez is the Inspector General for the Miami-Dade County Office of the Inspector General. He has been with the OIG since February 2009. He oversees the multi-disciplinary efforts of investigators, auditors, attorneys, and contract oversight specialists.

Mr. Jimenez is a 28-year veteran of the Miami-Dade Police Department, where he served 10 years supervising homicide investigations and was later tasked with developing the department’s Public Corruption Investigations Unit. He has taught at law enforcement agencies throughout the United States, including the South Florida Metropolitan Police Institute and at the FBI Academy, in the areas of Public Corruption Investigation and Violent Crime Investigation.

As a supervisor in the Homicide Bureau, Mr. Jimenez participated in over 500 death investigations and was directly involved in several high-profile investigations. He also led the department’s Centac-26 squad investigating homicides involving organized drug trafficking organizations.
While in the Public Corruption Unit, Mr. Jimenez supervised investigations involving government employees, law enforcement officers, contractors, and elected officials. He later directed a task force consisting of federal, state and local law enforcement agents resulting in numerous state and federal prosecutions.

Mr. Jimenez received his Bachelor of Public Administration degree from Barry University in Miami Shores, Florida. He received his certification from the Association of Inspectors General as a Certified Inspector General Investigator in 2011, as a Certified Inspector General in 2015, and as a Certified Inspector General Evaluator in 2018. He currently serves on the AIG’s board of directors.

Adam Kaplan

Acting General Counsel at USAID OIG

Adam Kaplan

Acting General Counsel at USAID OIG

Mr. Kaplan currently serves as Acting General Counsel for OIG’s General Counsel/External Affairs Division. In this capacity, Mr. Kaplan leads a team of attorneys that provides legal, strategic, and policy support to the IG, senior leadership, and OIG’s Investigations, Audit, and Management offices. He also oversees OIG’s external affairs initiatives, including engagement with Congress, the media, aid organizations, United Nations (UN) agencies, and the public.

Prior to this assignment, Mr. Kaplan served as Deputy General Counsel for Investigations. In that role, Mr. Kaplan led a team of attorneys supporting OIG's Office of Investigations, providing legal and strategic advice and representation for criminal, civil, and administrative enforcement matters, while also advising on policy matters.

Mr. Kaplan currently serves as OIG’s liaison to USAID’s Action Alliance to Prevent Sexual Misconduct (AAPSM) and is a frequent speaker on fraud, accountability, and Preventing Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) within the international aid sector. He has presented on these issues at various forums, including Humentum, Advocates for International Development (UK), INDEP, the Center for International Private Enterprise, and the NGO Legal Counsels Forum. Mr. Kaplan serves as the key point of contact for OIG in negotiating information sharing agreements with bilateral donors and UN agencies. On behalf of OIG, Mr. Kaplan also serves in an observer capacity on USAID’s Anti-Corruption Task Force and is a member of the UK-led Donor Safeguarding Investigations Group.

Prior to joining USAID OIG, Mr. Kaplan served as Assistant Counsel to the Inspector General at the U.S. Small Business Administration where he provided legal support to agents and U.S. Attorneys' Offices on small business procurement fraud cases. Before entering government, 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. and J.D. from the University of Maryland.

Robin Kempf

Assistant Professor at CO University of Colorado Colorado Springs

Robin Kempf

Assistant Professor at CO University of Colorado Colorado Springs

Robin J. Kempf is an Assistant Professor in the UCCS College of Public Service. She received a Ph.D. in Public Administration and a JD from the University of Kansas and a BA in American Studies from Brandeis University. Prior to joining academia, she spent over 10 years working for the state of Kansas as an attorney in a variety of contexts, including Kansas Supreme Court clerk, Kansas Legislative Auditor, and Associate Counsel for the Kansas Board of Regents. Her last position with the state was as Inspector General for the Kansas Medicaid program. This experience led her to return to school to study public administration, and especially how government takes steps to remain accountable to the citizens. She has published articles in the Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, American Review of Public Administration, Policy and Society, and International Journal of Public Administration. In addition, she has had a book published by the University Press of Kansas, entitled The Power of Accountability: Offices of Inspector General on the State and Local Levels (2020).

Tina Kim

Deputy Comptroller for State Government Accountability at Office of the NYS Comptroller

Tina Kim

Deputy Comptroller for State Government Accountability at Office of the NYS Comptroller

Tina Kim, CPA, CFF, CITP, CGMA, CISA, CFE, CIA, CGAP, CRMA is the Deputy Comptroller for State Government Accountability (SGA) for the New York State Office of the Comptroller and previously served as the Office of the New York City Comptroller's Deputy Comptroller for Audit. Ms. Kim is a former board member of the Institute of Internal Auditor's (IIA) Research Foundation and chair of the IIA’s Information Technology Services Committee. She is the 2018 recipient of the National Intergovernmental Audit Forum’s David M. Walker Excellence in Government Performance and Accountability Award for her contributions to improve government performance and accountability through their leadership in transforming government organizations and is the 2021 recipient of the Association of Government Accountant’s Frank Greathouse Distinguished Leadership Award for her sustained outstanding leadership and notable contributions to financial management

In 2020, SGA, the organization she leads, was awarded the Citizens Budget Commission’s Public Sector Innovation award for its work on Smart Audit a data-driven program that invests in people, data, and technology to produce high-impact audits that save taxpayer dollars, improve government operations, and strengthen the finances of New York City and State. In 2022, Ms. Kim was named by the Public Sector Network as a Global Public Sector Innovator for her work in spearheading the Smart Audit program. Ms. Kim is the co-author of numerous articles and other publications on technology and public sector auditing.

Dr. Larry Kom

Lucy Lang

Inspector General at New York State Inspector General

Lucy Lang

Inspector General at New York State Inspector General

New York State Inspector General Lucy Lang is a lifelong New Yorker, attorney, and educator. Prior to her appointment as New York State’s 11th Inspector General in October 2021, Lang served as Director of the Institute for Innovation in Prosecution (IIP), a national criminal justice reform think tank. She also served as an Assistant District Attorney in Manhattan, where she investigated and prosecuted violent crimes including homicides, gun violence, and domestic abuse, as well as Special Counsel for Policy and Projects. Lang brings her longstanding commitment to justice to bear in the Office’s investigations into corruption, waste, fraud, abuse, and misconduct in state government as well as deep experience designing and implementing practices that promote institutional integrity, transparency, and accountability.

While at the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office and in collaboration with Columbia University’s Center for Justice, IG Lang created Inside Criminal Justice, a first-of-its-kind college class for incarcerated students and prosecutors to study criminal justice together and develop policy proposals to better the system for all involved. This is a national model being replicated by other District Attorney’s offices and correctional facilities across the country. Lang has been widely recognized for her work, including receiving the Elizabeth Hurlock Beckman Award from the American Psychological Association in 2020 as an educator who inspires her students in prison to make a difference in their communities.

Inspector General Lang is currently Vice Chair of the American Bar Association Criminal Justice Section, a member of the Council on Criminal Justice, and a Term Member of the Council on Foreign Relations. She has been published in The New York Times, The Atlantic, the New York Daily News, and many others. Lang is the author of March On!, a children's book about the 1915 Women's March for Suffrage in New York City which encourages the next generation of courageous and thoughtful leaders.

Inspector General Lang is a graduate of Swarthmore College and Columbia Law School, where she was the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Gender and Law and has served as a Lecturer-in-Law.

She was appointed to and served on the New York State Bar Association Task Forces on Racial Injustice and Police Reform in 2020-21, and on Racism, Social Equity, and the Law in 2021-22.

James Liander

Senior Investigator at T & M USA, LLC

James Liander

Senior Investigator at T & M USA, LLC

James M. Liander, Esq. served with distinction as an Assistant District Attorney in the Queens County District Attorney’s Office for 35 years. Notably, Mr. Liander served in the Integrity Bureau later named Public Corruption Bureau from 1990 to 2021 and was promoted to Bureau Chief in 2000. As Bureau Chief, Mr. Liander was responsible for investigating and prosecuting crimes committed by public servants and other public officials, working with the New York City Police Department’s Internal Affairs Bureau, the State Grievance Committees of the Appellate Division, the New York City Department of Investigation, and a host of other agencies on state and federal levels to safeguard the public from corruption. During his tenure with the Corruption Bureau, Mr. Liander diligently prosecuted numerous cases involving misconduct by public servants, including but not limited to, the use of excessive force by police officers.

Before serving as an ADA, Mr. Liander spent seven years working for the Social Security Administration. This was followed by five years as a Special Agent with the Health and Human Services Inspector General’s Office investigating employee fraud and significant Medicare fraud.

Mr. Liander graduated from the University of Dayton with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English in April 1973. His legal education was at New York Law School (Class of 1985) with a Juris Doctor cum laude degree. He was admitted to practice law in New York on March 19, 1986 and is currently in good standing.

Patra Liu

Deputy Inspector General/General Counsel at FL Miami Dade County OIG

Patra Liu

Deputy Inspector General/General Counsel at FL Miami Dade County OIG

As Deputy Inspector General and General Counsel, Patra Liu manages the Audit and Contract Oversight Units, and heads the Legal Unit. Ms. Liu has been with the OIG since 2000 and has been serving as its General Counsel since that time, often concurrently with other non-legal managerial roles. Ms. Liu has also held the position of Assistant IG for Audit, Contract Oversight, and Administration (concurrent with the position of Legal Counsel from 2002 to 2014) and was the Miami-Dade County Interim Inspector General from April 2013 to January 2014.

As head of the Legal Unit, she works with a Deputy General Counsel and three experienced Assistant Legal Counsels. Among the Legal Unit’s responsibilities, OIG attorneys review all out-going reports for legal sufficiency and work product integrity; provide OIG Special Agents with legal guidance in the course of their investigations; review OIG subpoenas prior to issuance; monitor proposed legislation that could potentially impact the operations of the OIG or other subject matter of interest to the OIG; draft policies and procedures for the operation of the office; provide training to OIG staff; and take legal action, including enforcing OIG subpoenas and defending the OIG in civil actions.

Ms. Liu also manages the Audit Unit with the assistance of two Audit Supervisors and the Contract Oversight Unit, which consists of a Contract Oversight Supervisor and three Contract Oversight Specialists. With respect to both the Audit Unit and Contract Oversight Unit, her responsibilities include selecting contracts and programs for review; implementing prospective contract oversight priorities; managing audits from initiation to closeout, paying particular attention to the development of the audit program and preparation of the audit report; and preparing memoranda to the Board of County Commissioners regarding proposed contracts for award. Contract oversight involves the real-time, contemporaneous evaluation, inspection, and monitoring of procurement activities and contractor performance, which range from specification development, procurement, negotiations, contract award, contractor performance, proposed change orders, and pay requests.

Before joining the OIG, Ms. Liu was a white-collar fraud prosecutor working in the Economic Crimes Unit of the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office. Directly prior to joining the OIG, she was an Assistant Attorney General in the Florida Medicaid Fraud Control Unit. Ms. Liu received both her Juris Doctor and Bachelor of Arts degrees from the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington. She is a member of the Florida and Washington State Bar Associations. Ms. Liu became a Certified Inspector General in 2003 and earned the designation of Certified Inspector General Auditor in 2009 and Certified Inspector General Inspector/Evaluator in 2022. Ms. Liu is an active member of AIG and has served on its Board of Directors.

Kelly Madigan

Inspector General at MD Baltimore County OIG

Kelly Madigan

Inspector General at MD Baltimore County OIG

Kelly Madigan has served as the Inspector General for the Baltimore County Office of the Inspector General since the inception of the Office in January of 2020. A native of California, Kelly attended the University of Michigan and received her B.A. in History before moving to Maryland and attending the University of Baltimore School of Law where she graduated magna cum laude, was a member of the Heuisler Honor Society and was the recipient of the Law Faculty Award upon graduation.

Kelly was a career prosecutor prior to being appointed Inspector General. She was an Assistant State’s Attorney for Baltimore City for over eleven (11) years trying homicide, complex wire-tap and other general felony cases. After leaving the State’s Attorney’s Office for Baltimore City, Kelly became an Assistant State Prosecutor with the Office of the State Prosecutor trying political corruption cases. Kelly was with the Office of the State Prosecutor for four (4) years where she rose to become both the Deputy State Prosecutor and then Acting State Prosecutor prior to her becoming the first Inspector General for the Office of the Inspector General.

Kelly has achieved the designation of Certified Inspector General (CIG) and has enjoyed creating and growing an Inspector General’s Office from the ground up. In her free time, Kelly enjoys spending time with her husband (Pat) and their three children, Liam (12), Rory (10) and Sean (6).

Shannon Manigault

Inspector General at GA City of Atlanta OIG

Shannon Manigault

Inspector General at GA City of Atlanta OIG

Shannon K. Manigault serves as the Inspector General of the City of Atlanta. As the first in the position, Ms. Manigault has worked to build an office created in response to a municipal corruption scandal. Before starting the City of Atlanta Office of the Inspector General, she served as an Inspector General for the New York City Department of Investigation (DOI). In that role, she was responsible for oversight of New York City’s Fire Department, Department of Sanitation, Taxi & Limousine Commission, Emergency Management, and Conflicts of Interest Board, leading an investigative team as it probed a broad array of criminal misconduct, from bribery and insurance theft to narcotics sales and credit card fraud, and identified and made recommendations to eliminate corruption vulnerabilities. Before joining DOI, she worked for New York City Council, where she served as counsel to the Committee on Contracts and the Committee on Oversight & Investigations. In this position, she drafted and negotiated legislation concerning New York City’s procurement of goods, services, and construction, and coordinated Council oversight of New York City agencies. Prior to the Council, Ms. Manigault was a litigation associate at Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP, where she conducted internal investigations and represented clients in white collar defense and regulatory matters. Before Davis Polk, Ms. Manigault clerked for Honorable John C. Lifland (ret.) in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey. Ms. Manigault received an AB in Sociology from Harvard College and a JD from Harvard Law School. Ms. Manigault is admitted to practice in New York, New Jersey, and Georgia, and is a Certified Inspector General.

Dr. Marie-Helen Maras

John Jay College of Criminal Justice

Dr. Marie-Helen Maras

John Jay College of Criminal Justice

Dr. Marie-Helen (Maria) Maras is a tenured Professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. She is also a faculty member of the graduate program in Digital Forensics and Cybersecurity at John Jay and a faculty member of the PhD program in Criminal Justice at the CUNY Graduate Center. She has a DPhil in Law and an MPhil and Msc in Criminology and Criminal Justice from the University of Oxford. She also has an MA in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from the University of New Haven, and undergraduate degrees in psychology and computer and information science from UMUC. Her academic background and research cover cybersecurity, transnational crime (e.g., cybercrime, smuggling of migrants, and trafficking in persons and drugs), transnational security issues (e.g., war and terrorism), and the legal, political, social, cultural, and economic impact of digital technology. Dr. Maras serves as a subject matter expert and consultant on cybercrime and cyber organized crime for UNODC.

Dr. Maras is the author of numerous peer-reviewed academic journal articles and books, including Cybercriminology (Oxford University Press); Computer Forensics: Cybercriminals, Laws, and Evidence (now in its second edition; Jones and Bartlett); Transnational Security (CRC Press); CRC Press Terrorism Reader (CRC Press); and Counterterrorism (Jones and Bartlett), among other publications. She is currently working on books on Cyberlaw and Cyberliberties, Transnational Crime, and Human Trafficking Today (the latter two books focus on the evolution of these crimes and the facilitation of these crimes by the Internet and digital technology), as well as other projects with Oxford University Press. Prior to her academic post, she served in the U.S. Navy for approximately seven years gaining significant experience in security, international investigations, and law enforcement from her posts as a Navy Law Enforcement Specialist and Command Investigator. During the early stages of her military career, she worked as an Electronics and Calibration Technician.

Duane Martin

Chief, Inspection Plans & Operations at The Air Force Inspection Agency

Duane Martin

Chief, Inspection Plans & Operations at The Air Force Inspection Agency

Mr. Martin is the Chief of Inspection Plans & Operations, Inspections Directorate, Air Force Inspection Agency. With a team of 5 inspectors, he is responsible for the coordination and planning of inspections for the Air Force’s 9 Major Commands, 3 Direct Reporting Units, and 19 Field Operating Agencies as well as supporting Secretary of the Air Force or staff Directed Inspections of high-impact, high-visibility programs that are of significant interest to the department. Having helped develop a new inspection process for headquarters organizations within the Department of the Air Force, he is now developing standardized policy and procedures to support the process’s implementation within his portfolio of responsibility. Additionally, he is responsible for the training and certification of inspectors within the Inspections Directorate.
Mr. Martin joined the Air Force Inspection Agency in October 2009 after serving in the United States Marine Corps. During his time at the Inspection Agency, he has also managed the IT portfolio of software used by the IG community throughout the Department of the Air Force; led annual Air Force wide Inspection Scheduling conferences; and authored various reports to Air Force, Department of Defense and Congressional recipients. He holds a Master of Business Administration in Aviation and Bachelor of Science in Technical Management from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

Howard Master

Partner, Managing Director, and Counsel to the CEO of Nardello & Co

Howard Master

Partner, Managing Director, and Counsel to the CEO of Nardello & Co

Based in the firm’s New York office, Howard is a Partner, Managing Director, and Counsel to the CEO. Howard supports the firm’s global practices, including its work supporting white collar criminal defense, civil litigation and arbitration; its anti-corruption and fraud investigations; and its monitorship and compliance efforts. Howard is a leading authority in public corruption law and has served as a contributing author to the National Association of Attorneys General’s Anticorruption Manual, a comprehensive overview of prosecuting public corruption in the United States, where he provided insights on legislative corruption. He has been an Adjunct Professor at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School with his co-presenter Carrie Cohen since 2016, where they teach an advanced seminar on corruption law. Howard joined Nardello & Co. after an acclaimed career as a leader, investigator, and trial lawyer in federal, state, and local prosecutors’ offices. Previously, Howard served as Special Counsel to the District Attorney at the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office (SCDAO), where he created the SCDAO’s Conviction Integrity Bureau and oversaw all of the SCDAO’s conviction integrity, public corruption, and complex fraud and money laundering cases. Prior to that, Howard served as Senior Enforcement Counsel in the New York State Office of the Attorney General and as a public corruption prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York (SDNY), where he ultimately served as Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division and as the Criminal Health Care Fraud Coordinator. Howard earned a J.D., magna cum laude, from New York University School of Law and a B.A. in Ethics, Politics & Economics from Yale University. He is admitted to practice law in New York and Connecticut.

William McGrogran

Executive Deputy Inspector General Investigations at NY MTA Office of the Inspector General

William McGrogran

Executive Deputy Inspector General Investigations at NY MTA Office of the Inspector General

William (Bill) McGrogan currently serves as the MTA OIG Executive Deputy Inspector General for Investigations and Legal. Prior to joining the Office, he served for 23 years as a Special Agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. In 1996, Mr. McGrogan began his career as a Special Agent investigating Securities Fraud and Money Laundering matters in the FBI’s New York Office. After a Supervisory role at FBI Headquarters in the Organized Crime Section, Mr. McGrogan returned to New York, and in 2008 was assigned to the Westchester Resident Agency, which serves several counties north of New York City. There he was tasked with investigating public corruption and financial crimes. He served as case agent for an investigation that uncovered a $130 million Ponzi scheme, and as co-case agent for a $29 million scheme, in addition to many other high-profile cases.

Additionally, Mr. McGrogan was selected to serve on a Public Corruption Task Force formed between the FBI and the Rockland County District Attorney’s Office. He was instrumental in the investigations and convictions of numerous local public officials and political figures. He was the case agent for an investigation into securities fraud committed by a New York town official in connection with Municipal Bond offerings. The convictions secured in this case in 2017 were cited by the Department of Justice as the first convictions for securities fraud in connection with municipal bonds.

Mr. McGrogan received his BA from State University of New York at Albany.

Darren Miller

Deputy Commissioner / Chief at Office of Special Investigations

Darren Miller

Deputy Commissioner / Chief at Office of Special Investigations

Darren Miller has served as the Deputy Commissioner and Chief of the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision’s Office of Special Investigations (OSI) since February 2020. He first joined OSI in 2015 as the Director of Operations, and he was subsequently promoted to Assistant Commissioner / Assistant Chief.

The pursuit of justice and the promotion of integrity within government have been his passion for over 25 years. He is a graduate of Brown University and Albany Law School. He started his legal career as a criminal defense attorney, and then served as an assistant district attorney for seven years in his home community, Saratoga County. He later investigated and prosecuted public corruption cases as a Senior Counsel in the New York State Attorney General’s Office. He also investigated the waste, fraud, and abuse of New York State resources as a Deputy Inspector General in the New York State Inspector General’s Office. He further has led investigations and monitoring teams on major construction projects for a private sector inspector general firm, Thacher Associates, in New York City.

Under Chief Miller’s leadership, OSI combines thorough, objective investigations with proactive measures like inspections and monitoring initiatives to uphold the Department’s public safety mission with integrity and fairness.

Chief Miller is a Certified Inspector General by the National Association of Inspectors General and is currently President of the Association of Inspectors General New York / New Jersey Chapter. In 2019, he graduated from the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia. He also serves on the Board of Delegates for the New York and Eastern Canada Chapter of the FBI National Academy Associates.

AJ Monaco

Special Agent in Charge, Major Case Unit at US Social Security Administration OIG

AJ Monaco

Special Agent in Charge, Major Case Unit at US Social Security Administration OIG

Anthony J. (“AJ”) Monaco currently serves as the Special Agent in Charge of the Major Case Unit at the Social Security Administration (SSA), Office of the Inspector General (OIG).

AJ leads a unit of agents, attorneys, and analysts, who investigate complex fraud and money laundering cases related to the Social Security Administration, with a particular emphasis on SSA imposter scams, and other investigations of strategic interest to the OIG.

AJ has over 30 years of professional experience in Federal law enforcement, law and military operations, including emphases in sensitive, complex investigations; training and instruction; military, security and protective operations; legal analysis; and policy development and implementation.

AJ has also served as the Special Agent in Charge of the Sensitive Investigations Office, U.S. Department of Agriculture OIG, and as a Senior Special Agent, Deputy Director and Director of whistleblower reprisal, national security, public corruption, and other sensitive investigations at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security OIG.

AJ began his law enforcement career with the U.S. Secret Service in 2004, serving in various investigative and protective capacities as a field agent, and an instructor in the legal training section at the U.S. Secret Service’s training center.

Prior to his law enforcement career, AJ served as a combat engineer officer in the U.S. Marine Corps for almost a decade, serving both in the United States and overseas. AJ holds a Bachelor of Science from the U.S. Naval Academy and a Juris Doctor from the Syracuse University College of Law.

Michael Morris

Inspector General, Squad 3 at NYC Department of Investigation

Michael Morris

Inspector General, Squad 3 at NYC Department of Investigation

Mr. Morris has worked for the New York City Department of Investigation since 2012. He is currently an Inspector General in DOI's Squad 3, where he is primarily responsible for managing investigations of the affordable housing industry. Mike has also worked as an investigator and supervising investigator at DOI, where his casework included an investigation of the theft of over $3 million in meal subsidy money by the executive director of a private school and a series of investigations of the Early Intervention program, the subject of this presentation. Prior to DOI, Mike worked as an outreach specialist and case manager for a homeless services organization, and as an Investigative Analyst for the New York County District Attorney's Office. He received his B.A. in political science, magna cum laude, from Saint Michael’s College.

Tiffany Mulligan

Chief of Staff & Chief Legal Counsel at State of Indiana OIG

Tiffany Mulligan

Chief of Staff & Chief Legal Counsel at State of Indiana OIG

Tiffany Mulligan serves as the Chief of Staff and Chief Legal Counsel for the Indiana Office of Inspector General. She has worked as an attorney, manager, and ethics officer with the State of Indiana in various roles since 2006. She started her legal career as an attorney with the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT), where she served as the agency’s Ethics Officer and the Director of the Economic Opportunity and Prequalification Divisions. In this role, she oversaw INDOT’s Disadvantaged Business Enterprise program, as well as the prequalification and compliance of INDOT’s contractors and consultants. Ms. Mulligan also served as the Associate General Counsel for the Indiana Governor and General Counsel for the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration. Ms. Mulligan graduated magna cum laude with a Juris Doctorate from the Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law in Indianapolis and cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Prior to law school, she served over five years on Capitol Hill as a legislative aide to U.S. Senator Richard Lugar and Congressman Mark Souder. She has worked as an Adjunct Professor at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis’ Law in Liberal Arts program and volunteered for a variety of nonprofit organizations in Central Indiana. She is admitted to practice law in the State of Indiana.

Berivan Demir Neubert

Director of Analytics Operations and Governance at US Postal Service-OIG

Berivan Demir Neubert

Director of Analytics Operations and Governance at US Postal Service-OIG

Berivan Demir Neubert serves as the Director of Analytics Operations and Governance in USPS OIG’s Research and Insights Solution Center based in Arlington, VA. Berivan is a leader in enabling product development and operations teams to accelerate delivery through automation, collaboration, fast feedback loops, and iterative improvement by breaking down silos and fostering a culture of shared responsibility to identify fraud, waste, and abuse in government programs. She drives positive change in public service by building partnerships, applying technological and policy knowledge, and improving data analytics and infrastructure capabilities to meet organizational priorities and customer needs.

Prior to joining USPS OIG, she held leadership roles in HHS OIG for 15 years. Berivan has a Master of Science in Public Health from Emory University and a Master of Arts from Case Western Reserve University.

Christian Nunez

Director of Operations at NYS DOCCS Office of Special Investigations

Christian Nunez

Director of Operations at NYS DOCCS Office of Special Investigations

Christian Nunez currently serves as the Director of Operations at the NYS Department of Corrections and Community Supervision Office of Special Investigations (OSI). In that capacity he is the third level executive within the OSI. He is responsible for oversight of investigations and coordination of major cases across all investigative divisions. Christian is directly responsible for overseeing OSI’s administrative and training staff. Christian serves on the Commissioner’s Diversity Management Advisory Committee (CDMAC). CDMAC advises the Commissioner about the development and implementation of wide-ranging policies that seek to promote fairness, inclusion, and equity throughout the agency.

Prior to his appointment as Director, Christian served as the Deputy Chief for the Sex Crimes Division (SCD). In that role, he was responsible for all operations of the division, and supervised 40 investigative staff that are charged with the prevention, detection and investigation of sexual misconduct and unauthorized relationships involving both staff and incarcerated individuals. Additionally, he was the point person for ensuring that the SCD successfully integrated into its’ practices the federal mandates of the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA), New York State laws and DOCCS policies. Christian also served in the OSI Narcotics Division, as an Investigator, later promoting to Senior Investigator and ultimately Assistant Deputy Chief. He has served as a task force officer for both the United States Marshals Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Before his career in investigations, he was a Correction Officer for 6 years. He has a Degree in Community & Human Services with a concentration in Criminal Justice. He is a certified police crime scene and evidence specialist and received a certification as an Inspectors General Investigator from the National Association of Inspectors General. Throughout his career, he has completed extensive course work in criminal investigations specializing in fugitive, narcotics and sexual misconduct offenses, tactical operations, evidence and fingerprint collection, intelligence analysis and interview & interrogation. Lastly, he has completed extensive coursework in organizational leadership and management.

Julie O'Brien

Senior Project Manager at Port Authority of NY/NJ OIG

Julie O'Brien

Senior Project Manager at Port Authority of NY/NJ OIG

Julie O’Brien is a Senior Project Manager with the Port Authority of NY/NJ Office of Inspector General, with over 10 years of experience managing Integrity Monitoring teams in the detection, deterrence and investigation of fraud, waste and abuse on Port Authority’s major capital projects. She has covered several high-profile, multi-million dollar and billion- dollar construction projects including: multiple World Trade Center Redevelopment projects; LaGuardia Airport Redevelopment of Central Terminal Building; Moynihan Train Hall; Federally Funded Hurricane Sandy Remediation projects
and currently, John F. Kennedy Airport Redevelopment of Terminals 1, 4 & 6. She is responsible for overseeing and directing fraud investigations involving various types of construction fraud as well as environmental, engineering, safety and minority/women business enterprise compliance audits.

Prior to joining the Port Authority, Julie worked as an investigator at a premiere private investigation firm in New York City, where she was first introduced to integrity monitorships and assigned to several major projects and criminal investigations in the New York/New Jersey area.

Julie has a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice from Florida Atlantic University, a Master of Science in Urban Policy from the Hunter College and a Certificate in Terrorism Studies from John Jay College. She currently serves as Treasurer of the Association of Inspectors General (AIG) NY/NJ Chapter, Vice President of the Association of Licensed Detectives of New York State (ALDONYS), and is a Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE), as well as a Certified Inspector General Investigator (CIGI).

Patricia Pate

Director, Provider Oversight, Early Intervention of NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene

Patricia Pate

Director, Provider Oversight, Early Intervention of NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene

Ms. Pate has been with the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene since 2007 and works in the Bureau of Early Intervention, a program with an annual budget of $400M serving children birth-to-three with developmental delays. Ms. Pate leads the Provider Oversight Unit, and is responsible for compliance auditing and fraud detection, deterrence, and investigations for more than 160 contracted agencies and thousands of contracted providers. Before coming to work for the City of New York, Ms. Pate served as the Director of the Department of Social Services in Las Vegas/Clark County, Nevada, and as the Director of the Department of Human Services in Portland/Multnomah County, Oregon. Prior to entering public service, she held management positions in both the private and non-profit sectors. She holds degrees in economics and accounting from Oregon State University and is Certified in Healthcare Compliance by the Compliance Certification Board

Marie Perikles

Deputy General Counsel at FL Miami Dade County OIG

Marie Perikles

Deputy General Counsel at FL Miami Dade County OIG

Marie Perikles is the Deputy General Counsel for the Miami-Dade County Office of the Inspector General (OIG). She has been with the OIG since 2003, first as an Assistant Legal Counsel and in her current position since 2019. She is also the OIG’s designated Public Information Officer. As Deputy General Counsel, she supports the General Counsel and the legal unit’s function and is the lead legal advisor in several operational areas of the office: investigative policies and procedures; criminal justice information and databases; records retention; new employee training; and whistleblower law. Additionally, she has responsibility over public records requests, investigative subpoenas, and legal proceedings including litigation.

Ms. Perikles came to the OIG from the Office of Statewide Prosecution in the Florida Attorney General’s Office. As an Assistant Statewide Prosecutor, she was responsible for handling prosecutions of multi-jurisdictional narcotics and money laundering cases involving multiple defendants. Ms. Perikles worked alongside law enforcement on complex pro-active investigations involving organized fraud schemes and racketeering related crimes. Her legal career started as an Assistant State Attorney at the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office (SAO). At the SAO she held the positions of Assistant Chief of the Career Criminal Robbery Unit and Felony Division Chief, where she handled a large homicide caseload and supervised three division attorneys.

Ms. Perikles’ work with the OIG’s Investigations Unit, including being Specially Designated as an Assistant State Attorney in OIG public corruption investigations, has earned her two awards, in 2016 and 2019, from the South Florida Chapter of the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency.

Ms. Perikles earned both her Bachelor of Arts and Juris Doctor degrees from the University of Miami, and is a member of the Florida Bar. She became a Certified Inspector General with the Association of Inspectors General in 2009.

Joseph Piazza

Assistant Inspector General at NJ Port Authority Of NY & NJ OIG

Joseph Piazza

Assistant Inspector General at NJ Port Authority Of NY & NJ OIG

Joe Piazza is an Assistant Director/Assistant Inspector General with The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Office of Inspector General, with over 18 years of experience in the detection, deterrence and investigation of fraud, waste and abuse. He has been responsible for running the Port Authority’s Fraud Prevention Program for the past 5 years, a primary component of which is the use of Integrity Monitors on major construction projects at Port Authority facilities, including the World Trade Center, LaGuardia Airport, Newark Airport, John F.
Kennedy International Airport, George Washington Bridge, Bayonne Bridge, Goethals Bridge, Lincoln & Holland Tunnels, and the PATH rail system.

Prior to joining the Port Authority, Joe served as the Deputy Director for the City University of New York’s (CUNY) Department of Vendor Integrity & Investigations, managing investigations of criminal, unethical and improper activities of contractors associated with CUNY’s multi-billion-dollar construction program at its 25 campuses throughout the 5 boroughs of NYC. He also previously served as an Inspector General with the NYC Department of Investigation, overseeing fraud and corruption investigations involving NYC’s affordable housing construction programs. Both assignments included oversight of Integrity Monitors.

Joe has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from New York University and a Juris Doctor from Brooklyn Law School. Joe is also a reserve Colonel in the U.S. Air Force, currently serving as the senior Judge Advocate General (JAG) Corps member of the New York Air National Guard.

Dr. Allessandria Polizzi

CEO of Verdant Consulting

Dr. Allessandria Polizzi

CEO of Verdant Consulting

Dr. Allessandria Polizzi (or Dr. Al) is an award-winning and globally recognized thought leader and top-rated speaker on workplace mental health, psychological health and safety, and building resilient organizations. A former HR executive with experience in 20+ industries, she is now the CEO of Verdant Consulting, a top 20 workplace wellness provider of 2020, as well as the ISO global liaison for occupational health and safety. She also serves as an expert on psychological health and safety for professional associations, media, and the National Safety Council. Her entertaining and informative talks inspire audiences while providing practical tactics based on decades of scientific research. Dr. Al weaves together data, stories, audience interaction, self-reflection, and her quirky sense of humor to create memorable and actionable experiences that can transform how we work.

Stefania Pozzi Porter

Inspector General at U.S. AbilityOne Commission

Stefania Pozzi Porter

Inspector General at U.S. AbilityOne Commission

Stefania Pozzi Porter is the Inspector General of the U.S. AbilityOne Commission, in Washington, DC. IG Porter leads the OIG operations of Auditing and Investigations, with oversight of a $4 Billion federal program. The Program encompasses a nation-wide network of 400 government contractors employing people who are blind or have other significant disabilities. Porter is the senior official responsible for carrying out the Inspector General’s mission of promoting Integrity, economies and efficiencies, and detecting and preventing fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement in the U.S. AbilityOne Commission and its Program. The oversight work is especially critical at a time of transformation and modernization for the AbilityOne Program.

Porter is the second permanent IG of the U.S. AbilityOne Commission. The first AbilityOne IG was incepted in 2017 and Porter, in her prior roles there of Counsel and Deputy IG, helped since then build the new oversight office from the ground up. Before joining the AbilityOne, Porter served as Counsel to the Inspector General at the U.S. International Trade Commission OIG, and as the sole investigator for the agency. Porter also served as an investigative attorney in the Office of Investigations, Special Investigations Unit, for the Inspector General at the U.S. Department of Commerce.

IG Porter is a member of the Council of IGs on Integrity and Efficiency, is the ViceChair of the CIGIE Committee on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Access (DEIA), and a is a member of the CIGIE Legislation Committee. Porter has a 15-year tenure with the federal government and holds law degrees Italy and the United States. Porter worked as an attorney in the private sector in Washington, DC, before beginning her career in public service.

Paul Roberts

Assistant Special Agent in Charge at FBI

Paul Roberts

Assistant Special Agent in Charge at FBI

Assistant Special Agent in Charge (ASAC) Paul Roberts currently leads the Complex Financial Crimes Branch in the New York Field Office of the FBI. In this role, he oversees all financial crime investigations in New York City area, to include Corporate Fraud, Securities Fraud, Bank Fraud, Money Laundering, Intellectual Property Rights violations, and other general fraud schemes. ASAC Roberts also has management responsibilities over forensic accountants supporting criminal, cyber, and counterintelligence investigations. Prior to this assignment, ASAC Roberts led a securities fraud squad in the New York Office from 2017 through April 2022. ASAC Roberts was previously an agent on a securities fraud squad from 2008 through 2015, and was involved in several complex financial crime investigations during this period. Among his assignments, ASAC Roberts was a member of the team that investigated the ponzi scheme carried out through Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities. From July 2015 through January 2017, ASAC Roberts was assigned to the Economic Crimes Unit, Financial Crimes Section at FBI Headquarters. In this role, he had program management responsibilities for Corporate Fraud, Securities Fraud, Bank Fraud and Mortgage Fraud investigations across the country.

ASAC Roberts holds a Bachelor’s degree in mathematics and computer science from Boston College. Prior to joining the FBI, he was an actuarial analyst with an employee benefits consulting firm.

Stuart Robinson

Director of Investigations at FL Palm Beach County OIG

Stuart Robinson

Director of Investigations at FL Palm Beach County OIG

Stuart Robinson is the Director of Investigations for the Palm Beach County, Florida Office of Inspector General. He oversees the OIG’s Intake and Investigation programs, and is dedicated to producing valuable, accurate, insightful investigative conclusions based on credible allegations. Prior to joining the Palm Beach County OIG in October of 2017, Mr. Robinson spent 26 years with the Federal Bureau of Investigation as a Special Agent and Supervisory Special Agent, specializing in public corruption, financial crimes, and civil rights matters, and then was the Supervisor of Investigations for the Broward County Office of the Inspector General. Mr. Robinson has Bachelor of Science and Juris Doctorate degrees from Indiana University, and is a Certified Inspector General and Certified Inspector General Investigator.

Julian Santos

Diversity and Inclusion Program Manager at USDA OIG

Julian Santos

Diversity and Inclusion Program Manager at USDA OIG

Julian Santos is the Diversity and Inclusion Program Manager at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of Inspector General (USDA OIG). In this role, he takes charge of overseeing the agency's Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) program and driving various initiatives to foster a more inclusive work environment. With a wealth of experience spanning eight years, Julian has collaborated closely with executives, harnessing his expertise to cultivate robust workplace cultures that embrace diversity and inclusion.

Julian’s professional journey began in the private sector, where he honed his skills while working with renowned organizations such as Disney and Hair Cuttery. He transitioned to the government sector, assuming positions within the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Postal Service, Office of Inspector General. Julian demonstrated an unwavering commitment to weaving DEIA practices and policies into an organization’s operations. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Communications from Florida International University and completed two Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion certificate programs at Cornell University.

Julie Schwartz

Managing Director of the Investigations Division at T & M USA, LLC

Julie Schwartz

Managing Director of the Investigations Division at T & M USA, LLC

Julie L. Schwartz, Esq. is a Managing Director of the Investigations Division at T&M USA, LLC. She has over twenty-five years of investigatory and legal experience. Ms. Schwartz has collaborated with T&M since 2019 as a Senior Investigative Consultant where she supervised numerous complex multi-jurisdictional investigations. Recently, Ms. Schwartz spearheaded an investigation in which the now convicted scam artist ingratiated herself into the life of a west coast celebrity and swindled her and her children out of almost $3,000,000. She also functions as a member of T&M’s monitorship and compliance teams, providing oversight and guidance on industry best practices, business ethics, and proper internal policies and procedures necessary to mitigate risk. Additionally, she serves as project manager of T&M’s outside investigator contract with the Albany, New York Community Police Review Board.

Before joining T&M, Ms. Schwartz was the Senior Director of Investigations and Business Conduct for North America for the Hudson's Bay Company. She supervised internal and external fraud investigations, as well as company-wide compliance for all of the Company's North American entities, including Saks Fifth Avenue, Lord & Taylor, and The Bay stores in Canada. Previously, Ms. Schwartz served as the Deputy Commissioner and Department Advocate for the New York City Police Department for almost a decade. In that role, she oversaw the internal discipline of the department's 50,000+ employees and served as an integral member of the Police Commissioner's leadership team. Julie started her legal career at the Kings County District Attorney's office and rose to the rank of Bureau Chief of the Sex Crimes/Special Victims Division. As a prosecutor, she tried numerous complex and high-profile cases including serial rapists and child sex abuse offenders.

Ms. Schwartz received a Bachelor of Business Administration degree with a concentration in Human Resources from the State University of New York at Oswego and a Juris Doctor degree from Brooklyn Law School. She is admitted to practice law in the States of New York and Florida.

Ned Schwartz (CIG, CFE, CPP)

Deputy Inspector General/General Counsel at Nassau County OIG

Ned Schwartz (CIG, CFE, CPP)

Deputy Inspector General/General Counsel at Nassau County OIG

Ned Schwartz is Deputy Inspector General and General Counsel of the Nassau County Office of the Inspector General. Immediately prior to that position, Ned was a Senior Associate Counsel in the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s Inspector General’s Office. There, as Chief of the OIG’s Procurement Integrity Unit, he headed the investigation described in the case study.

Ned has been a member of the IG community for over 40 years, at four levels of government. In earlier roles, he was a regional Special Agent-in-Charge of the U.S. Department of Transportation OIG, and a Deputy Inspector General for the City of New York. Ned is admitted to the bars of New York and the District of Columbia. He received his JD from New York Law School and has two undergraduate degrees from the John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Ned serves as a Board member and vice president in the AIG’s New York/New Jersey Chapter.

Glenn Sklar

Principal Deputy Inspector General at US Dept of Homeland Security OIG

Glenn Sklar

Principal Deputy Inspector General at US Dept of Homeland Security OIG

Principal Deputy Inspector General Glenn Sklar joined the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) in December 2020. Mr. Sklar brings a wealth of leadership, operational, and strategic experience to the DHS OIG. Most recently, he was the General Manager for the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board, where he was responsible for, among other things, cybersecurity, operations, budget, information technology, human resources, and legislative affairs.
Previously, Mr. Sklar led several large Federal programs, including a five-year tour overseeing more than 10,000 Federal employees at the Social Security Administration (SSA). He also worked previously at the DHS Management Directorate and the SSA OIG. Mr. Sklar has more than fifteen years of experience as a member of the Senior Executive Service and is a recipient of the Presidential Rank Award and the W. Edward Deming Award. He received his J.D. from American University’s Washington College of Law.

Erica Smith

Deputy Inspector General for Audit at LA Jefferson Parish OIG

Erica Smith

Deputy Inspector General for Audit at LA Jefferson Parish OIG

Erica Smith started her career as an auditor with KPMG, LLP in Miami, Florida. She transferred to the New Orleans office in 2008. In 2010, Erica joined the City of New Orleans Office of Inspector General and served as their Deputy Inspector General of Audit from March 2016 to July 2022. During her tenure as Deputy Inspector General, the audit department identified approximately $21 million in savings to the City of New Orleans. In July 2022, Erica joined the Jefferson Parish Office of Inspector General as the Deputy Inspector General of Audit where she oversees audits and evaluations.

Since 2018, Erica Smith has been an instructor for the Association of Inspectors General (AIG) at its Inspector General Institute. Since January 2022, Erica has served on the AIG Board of Directors. She also serves on the AIG Peer Review Committee and has conducted a number of peer reviews for other OIGs. As a member of the Peer Review Committee, Erica is actively involved in creating the AIG peer review training program which includes developing standardized procedures to conduct peer reviews.

Erica Smith is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Certified in Financial Forensics (CFF), a Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE), a Certified Inspector General (CIG), and a Certified Inspector General Auditor (CIGA). She is also an adjunct instructor at the University of New Orleans and University of Holy Cross in New Orleans where teaches Advanced Accounting, Auditing, and various other accounting-related courses. Erica has presented to the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA), the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE), and the Association of Inspectors General on various fraud-related topics.

Erica Smith graduated from the University of Florida with her Master of Accounting in 2005 and Bachelor of Science in Accounting in 2003.

Bradley Snyder

Associate General Counsel at IL City of Chicago Office of Inspector General

Bradley Snyder

Associate General Counsel at IL City of Chicago Office of Inspector General

Bradley Snyder serves as Associate General Counsel for Investigations at the City of Chicago Office of Inspector General. Snyder joined the Office of Inspector General in 2022 as an Assistant Inspector General. Previously, he served as an Assistant Inspector General for the Chicago Public Schools Office of Inspector General, where he supervised a team of staff attorneys providing counsel to and reporting on investigations of misconduct by Chicago Public Schools staff, vendors, and volunteers. Prior to that, Snyder served as a Judicial Clerk to the Honorable Raymond W. Mitchell in the Chancery Division of the Circuit Court of Cook County. Snyder is admitted to practice law in the state of Illinois and holds a BS in Business from Indiana University Bloomington, an MS in Education from Indiana University Bloomington, and a JD from Loyola University Chicago.

Leigh Anne Stacklin

Senior Auditor at VA Virginia Office of the State Inspector General

Leigh Anne Stacklin

Senior Auditor at VA Virginia Office of the State Inspector General

Leigh Anne received her BS in Accounting from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2018 after obtaining her associate degree in business administration from J. Sargent Reynolds Community College. Additionally, she is a Certified Inspector General Auditor, Certified Government Financial Manager, and a Virginia Contracting Officer. Leigh Anne has four and a half years of experience working for the Commonwealth of Virginia and will be celebrating one year in her role as a Senior Auditor with the Office of the State Inspector General in October. Her diverse employment background includes Auditor with Virginia Auditor of Public Accounts, Fiscal Compliance Monitor for Virginia Community College Systems, Contract Intern with Defense Logistics Agency, as well as Hotel Bartender, Cater Waiter, Barista at a Ski Field, Hostess, and Lifeguard. Leigh Anne has found a passion in raising awareness about mental health struggles and neurodiversity by sharing her non-traditional career path, the struggles she faced along way, and the skills she picked up to help ensure inclusive communication and mutual understanding in both working and personal relationships.

Jocelyn Strauber

Commissioner at NYC Department of Investigation

Jocelyn Strauber

Commissioner at NYC Department of Investigation

Jocelyn Strauber was sworn in as DOI Commissioner in February 2022 and has overseen an array of criminal investigations that include exposing and stopping public benefits fraud, negligence and corruption by construction contractors, and contraband smuggling by Department of Correction staff, among others. Commissioner Strauber has also issued an array of reports that include an investigation of fire safety and prevention in public housing and examinations of NYPD's criminal group database and, separately, how the risk of negative policing outcomes increases with overtime.

Commissioner Strauber’s legal career spans the public and private sectors. Most recently, as a Partner at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, she has represented individuals and institutions in civil and criminal enforcement actions involving suspected civil and criminal fraud and corruption offenses, including Foreign Corrupt Practices Act violations, mail and wire fraud, securities fraud and accounting fraud, as well as in corporate governance matters. Prior to joining Skadden, from 2005 to 2013, she was a federal prosecutor in the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, where she handled cases from investigation through trial and on appeal, across a wide variety of areas, from illegal gun possession to fraud to large-scale international narcotics trafficking. She was named Deputy Chief and then Co-Chief of the Terrorism & International Narcotics Unit; in those roles she supervised the successful prosecution of several high-profile terrorism and national security cases, including Faisal Shahzad (who attempted to bomb Times Square in May 2010). In 2011, she was the recipient of the Attorney General’s Distinguished Service Award.

Earlier in her career, Commissioner Strauber clerked for the late William H. Rehnquist, Chief Justice of the United States. She also served as a Bristow Fellow in the Office of the Solicitor General in the U.S. Department of Justice and clerked for the Hon. A. Raymond Randolph in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

Commissioner Strauber graduated with a B.A. from Brown University, magna cum laude, and received her J.D. with high honors from Duke University School of Law, where she served as managing editor of the Duke Law Journal.

Jessica Stubbs

Deputy Chief Counsel to the Inspector General at US Social Security Administration OIG

Jessica Stubbs

Deputy Chief Counsel to the Inspector General at US Social Security Administration OIG

Jessica Stubbs currently serves as the Deputy Chief Counsel to the Inspector General over the Enforcement Team at the Social Security Administration, Office of the Inspector General. Her team brings Civil Monetary Penalty actions under Section 1140 of the Social Security Act for misuse of SSA’s program words, letters, symbols, or emblems, including use in SSA-related scams. The team also engages in industry and consumer outreach and education Jessica graduated from Albany Law in 2008, and began her legal career with the federal government in 2009, where she has served in various attorney and supervisory attorney positions within the SSA and the SSA OIG. Jessica received a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Rochester in 2005 and received a Juris Doctor from Albany Law School, graduating cum laude, in 2008. She was admitted to the Maryland State Bar in December 2008 and the New York State Bar in June 2012.

Anthony Thomas

Investigations Director of TX Texas Department of Transportation

Anthony Thomas

Investigations Director of TX Texas Department of Transportation

Anthony Thomas has overseen Texas Department of Transportation’s Investigations Section since March 2012. When originally hired, Anthony was funded to hire a staff of two investigators. Since that time, TxDOT’s Investigations Section has grown to a staff of nine with investigators located in Austin, Houston, Dallas and El Paso. Anthony has managed over 1,000 occupational fraud and EEO investigations, as well conducting fraud and ethics training throughout the country.

Prior to TxDOT, Anthony’s career has consisted of serving in the US Army, Child Support Enforcement Special Investigator with the Texas Attorney General’s Office, Travis County Deputy Sherriff, and the Lead Investigator for the City of Austin Office of City Auditor’s Integrity. Anthony is a graduate of Texas State University where he received his bachelor’s degree in Social Science.

Originally from Northern California, Anthony resides in South Austin TX with his wife, daughter, and their two dogs, Sadie and Emmitt.

Steven Tugander

Acting Assistant Chief at NY Office of the United States Justice Department’s Antitrust Division

Steven Tugander

Acting Assistant Chief at NY Office of the United States Justice Department’s Antitrust Division

Steven Tugander is the Acting Assistant Chief in the New York NY Office of the United States Justice Department’s Antitrust Division and has investigated and prosecuted numerous criminal antitrust cases affecting various industries in jurisdictions located throughout the Northeast. In 2017 and 2018, Steven served as the Antitrust Division’s Criminal Special Projects Coordinator, reporting directly to the Deputy Assistant Attorney General and the Director of Criminal Enforcement. Steven has served on the Executive Committee of the New York State Bar Association’s Antitrust Law Section since January 2000. He served as Chair of the Section from January 2005 through January 2006, having previously served as Vice-Chair and Secretary of the Section. In addition, he also currently serves on the Section’s Cartel and Criminal Practice subcommittee. Since 2004, Steven has been a member of the New York American Inn of Court. During his tenure with the Inn, Steven has organized a number of Continuing Legal Education programs related to various white-collar criminal law topics. In December 2017, Steven was honored as the first recipient of Antitrust Division’s Ralph T. Giordano Award. The award recognizes excellence in cartel enforcement. In January 2023, Steven received the NYSBA Antitrust law Section’s William T. Lifland Award, presented to antitrust practitioners in recognition of their contributions and accomplishments in the field of antitrust. The Service Award acknowledges those who throughout their professional careers have distinguished themselves as leading antitrust practitioners as well as serving the broader antitrust community in a leadership role. Beginning in January 2024, Steven will teach antitrust as an adjunct professor at Hofstra Law School. Mr. Tugander graduated from SUNY-Stony Brook with a B.A. in Political Science and earned a J.D. from Hofstra Law School. Mr. Tugander is admitted to the New York State Bar.

Khela Vazquez

Senior Special Agent at US Dept of Housing and Urban Developmennt

Khela Vazquez

Senior Special Agent at US Dept of Housing and Urban Developmennt

Khela Vazquez is a Senior Special Agent (SSA) with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Office of Inspector General (OIG), Office of Data Analytics, Washington, D.C. In this role, she is responsible for supporting the Office of Investigations as a Program Manager over matters involving Public and Indian Housing.

During her career, SSA Vazquez has participated in numerous high-level investigations, including the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Deep Water Horizon Civil Remedies investigation, which resulted in a $20.8 billion civil settlement in April 2016. Most notably, SSA Vazquez recently led a parallel criminal and civil rights investigation into allegations of sexual harassment and assault in exchange for housing. This investigation resulted in a 42-count criminal indictment in December 2022. Further a civil rights settlement was reached in December 2021, resulting in the largest monetary settlement of this type in DOJ history.

Prior to joining HUD OIG, SSA Vazquez spent 14 years as a SA with the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI), OIG, investigating cases throughout Colorado, New Mexico, South Dakota and the Northeastern United States. In both her current and former roles, SSA Vazquez has led over one hundred investigations involving allegations of criminal, civil, and administrative violations impacting both OIG stakeholders and the public, which these agencies are entrusted to serve. SSA Vazquez was assigned to the 9/11 Taskforce in New York City investigating leads in the aftermath of the attacks on the World Trade Center, the Superstorm Sandy Task Force in New Jersey, and was also assigned to the Homeland Security Investigations-Document and Benefit Fraud Task Force.

SSA Vazquez’s investigative experience includes casework resulting in successful prosecutions and civil recoveries and damages in the areas of public corruption, contract fraud, mortgage fraud, exploitation of children, theft of government funds, counterfeit documents, sexual harassment, and sexual assault, among others.

SSA Vazquez has over 23 years in Federal law enforcement and is a certified fraud examiner. She has a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and criminology, summa cum laude, from the Metropolitan State College of Denver and a Master of Arts through Seton Hall University’s Police Graduate Studies program.

Paul Vollaro (MPA, CFE, CIGA, CIGI)

Senior Assistant Inspector General at Nassau County Office of the Inspector General

Paul Vollaro (MPA, CFE, CIGA, CIGI)

Senior Assistant Inspector General at Nassau County Office of the Inspector General

Paul Vollaro has 17 years of experience in conducting governmental oversight, in two New York Inspector General offices. Paul presently serves as Senior Assistant Inspector General in the Nassau County Office of the Inspector General. Previously a Principal Staff Auditor in the Procurement Integrity Unit of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s Office of the Inspector General, Paul performed much of the investigative and analytical work that led to the prosecution referral in the subject case study, and thereafter worked closely with the District Attorney’s Office.
Prior to his Inspector General roles, Paul worked 12 years in the MTA’s capital program management and interagency policy development. Paul earned a Master of Public Administration from New York University and a Bachelor of Arts from Reed College.

Adam Wandt

Assistant Professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice

Adam Wandt

Assistant Professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice

http://www.jjay.cuny.edu/faculty/adam-scott-wandt

Adam Scott Wandt is an Assistant Professor of Public Policy and Vice Chair for Technology of the Department of Public Management at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. He is a member of the graduate faculty in the Master of Public Administration program and the Master of Digital Forensics and Cyber Security program.

Professor Wandt is a practicing Attorney and Counselor-at-Law (New York). He has worked on sponsored research for, or in partnership with, The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Interpol, the United Nations, Sprint, BlackBoard, Entourage, the United States Bureau of Justice Statistics, as well as law enforcement and educational institutions from around the world.

His primary research and consulting interests include technology law and policy, information security, investigative/surveillance technology, OSINT, cryptocurrency, darknet, social engineering, and UCR crime data. He has over two decades of experience developing custom investigative, forensic, educational, and data management solutions for federal, state and local government agencies. Along with two co-principal investigators, he has recently been awarded a $600,000 grant from the National Institute of Justice to study fentanyl sales on the dark web.

John Warren

Chief Executive Officer at Association of Certified Fraud Examiners

John Warren

Chief Executive Officer at Association of Certified Fraud Examiners

John Warren is the Chief Executive Office of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners. Prior to this role, he was Chief Strategy Officer where he led the ACFE’s strategic planning processes and coordinated the implementation of enterprise-level strategic initiatives with the goal of growing global membership, improving member satisfaction, and increasing revenue. He is an advisory member of the ACFE Board of Regents and sits on the Board of Directors of ACFE Foundation. Mr. Warren is also a co-author of the Report to the Nations, ACFE’s biennial study on the costs and effects of occupational fraud, and he serves in an advisory capacity as a representative to the ACFE Research Institute, a multidisciplinary academic research center dedicated to supporting anti-fraud research.

Prior to becoming Chief Strategy Officer, Mr. Warren served for 18 years as Vice President and General Counsel of the ACFE, in which role he was responsible for providing guidance, oversight and direction to ACFE management and staff on all legal issues that affect the ACFE.

Margaret (Peggy) Willens

Audit Manager at NY MTA Office of the Inspector General

Margaret (Peggy) Willens

Audit Manager at NY MTA Office of the Inspector General

Peggy Willens has been an Audit Manager at the MTA OIG since 2014. Before joining the Office, she worked in New York City government for nine years, first at the Department of Buildings and then at the Campaign Finance Board. In addition to auditing, her areas of expertise include performance measurement, management reporting, quantitative analysis, and organizational development. Recent audits at the MTA OIG have focused on homelessness in the subway system, the management of MTA employees’ Equal Employment Opportunity complaints, the oversight of service contractors’ performance, MTA’s Covid-19 employee testing program, and pandemic-era procurement practices. Ms. Willens also supports the Inspector General in his work as a member of the New York State Public Transportation Safety Board.

Ms. Willens previously worked for Northwest Airlines as an analyst, first with the mission of preventing lost luggage and then in the food services area, ensuring that the right number of the right meals were placed on the right flights. Prior to that work, she served in Minnesota state government as a budget analyst for the State Senate and as the Finance Director for the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office. She has also served as a management consultant, administrative manager of an adventure travel company, and Peace Corps Volunteer (Romania, 2002-2004).

Ms. Willens earned her B.A. from Wesleyan University and her M.B.A. from the Yale School of Management. She is a Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) and has a Certification in Risk Management Assurance (CRMA).

Deborah Witzburg

Inspector General at City of Chicago Office of Inspector General

Deborah Witzburg

Inspector General at City of Chicago Office of Inspector General

Deborah Witzburg serves as Inspector General for the City of Chicago, leading Chicago’s independent, non-partisan watchdog agency charged with promoting economy, efficiency, effectiveness, and integrity in City government. Previously, she served as the City’s Deputy Inspector General for Public Safety, conducting oversight of Chicago’s police and police accountability agencies. She also served as OIG’s Chief Investigator for Public Safety, OIG’s Associate General Counsel for Public Safety, and as an Assistant Inspector General. Witzburg previously worked as an Assistant State’s Attorney in the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office, where she prosecuted a wide range of misdemeanor and felony cases and worked closely with law enforcement agencies and community stakeholders. She is a Certified Inspector General by the Association of Inspectors General and a Certified Practitioner of Oversight by the National Association for Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement. Witzburg earned a BA in Anthropology from Brown University and a JD from Northwestern University School of Law; she is licensed to practice law in Illinois.

Sally Yang

Special Agent at NASA OIG

Sally Yang

Special Agent at NASA OIG

Sally Yang has been a Special Agent with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Office of Inspector General (OIG) since May 2023. Sally is the co-lead of the new CIGIE Data Analytics Working Group (DAWG) Investigations Sub-Working group along with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), OIG and the U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, which already has around 25 OIGs on board as participating members. Sally began her federal career with HUD OIG in 2008 as an Auditor, and later transitioned to an 1811 Criminal Investigator in 2015. While at HUD, Sally was detailed as a Subject Matter Expert in the Single-Family Housing Program to HUD OIG’s Office of Data Analytics in the Office of Investigation when it was established in 2022. During her career, Sally worked on investigations that resulted in over $200 million in civil recoveries and received three Council of the Inspector General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE) Group Awards and other Public Service Awards from the U.S. Attorney's Office for her work. Sally grew up in New York City where she attended the Bronx High School of Science and went on to graduate from the University of Colorado where she earned her Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Master of Science in Accounting. Sally is a Certified Public Accountant, and a Certified Fraud Examiner. Sally enjoys hiking and skiing with her family in her spare time.

Exhibitors

Platinum Exhibitors

Management Concepts
Flexible, Cost-Effective Solutions For The Public Sector

Guidepost Solutions LLC
Uncovering facts. Assessing risk. Protecting facilities. Monitoring progress. We keep you moving forward.

OPEXUS
Empowering professionals to elevate trust in public institutions.

Matrix Pointe Software
The proficiency of the entire justice community transformed through Matrix innovation.

Gold Exhibitors

CohnReznick

Oxygen Forensics
Helping Good People Make This World Safer

Secure Worker Access Consortium (SWAC)

WingSwept, LLC
OmniSystems

Legal Files Software, Inc.

Inspector General Institute

NY John Jay College of Criminal Justice/ CUNY
NY John Jay College of Criminal Justice/ CUNY

Additional Info

Presentations may qualify for Continuing Professional Education (CPE) and Continuing Legal Education (CLE) credits. Application for New York accreditation of this program is currently pending.

NASBA CPE INFORMATION

Instructional Delivery Method: Group Live

CPE Credits: Attendees may be eligible to receive up to 19 CPE credits depending on the final agenda, attendance verification and meeting all NASBA requirements. For a detailed breakdown of CPE credits, please contact the AIG at programsupport@inspectorsgeneral.org.

Program Knowledge Level: Basic/Intermediate, see detailed program agenda for more information. Contact programsupport@inspectorsgeneral.org for more details.

Prerequisites: None

Advance Preparation: None

To request a refund, file a complaint, or to view our complete administrative policy regarding this program, please click:

http://inspectorsgeneral.org/files/2023/09/NASBA-Admin-Policy-Group-Live-07.25.2020.pdf

The Association of Inspectors General is registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA), as a sponsor of continuing professional education on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors. State boards of accountancy have final authority on the acceptance of individual courses for CPE credit. Complaints regarding registered sponsors may be submitted to the National Registry of CPE Sponsors www.NASBARegistry.org.

Continuing Legal Education (CLE) Financial Aide Policy

In an effort to provide affordable CLE programs for attorneys who are unable to attend or participate in a CLE program due to cost considerations, the AIG has a Financial Aid Policy in place. Please contact AIG Program Director Michael Castrilli at mjcastrilli@inspectorsgeneral.org for more information.

Registration, Membership, or Technical Questions?

For assistance with registration and/or technical issues, contact programsupport@inspectorsgeneral.org.

For assistance with membership matters, including updating your contact information, or renewal, contact Member Services at memberservices@inspectorsgeneral.org.