Michael E. Horowitz, Chair of the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (PRAC), along with Allison C. Lerner and Mark Lee Greenblatt, Chair and Vice Chair of the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE), issued the following statements regarding the passing of Earl Devaney, former Inspector General and Chairman of the Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board.
Earl Devaney was confirmed as the Department of the Interior Inspector General in 1999, where he oversaw some of the most significant and high-profile matters in that office’s history. In 2009, President Obama and then-Vice President Biden personally asked him to lead the Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board, which was established to oversee the spending of the $787 billion appropriated by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. He retired from the RAT Board in 2011.
CIGIE Chair and National Science Foundation Inspector General Allison C. Lerner: "We are greatly saddened by the passing of Earl Devaney, who left a lasting legacy on the oversight community through his leadership of the Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board and the Department of the Interior’s Office of Inspector General. Earl’s vision and passion for oversight inspired generations of professionals across the IG community. His leadership made us stronger, and his memory will help us rise to meet whatever challenges we face in the future.”
CIGIE Vice Chair and Department of the Interior Inspector General Mark Lee Greenblatt: “We are saddened by the loss of Earl Devaney, who led the Department of the Interior Office of Inspector General for more than a decade. Earl was a larger-than-life figure who made a lasting impact on the oversight community through his leadership of the Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board. Earl was a mentor and friend to many in our office and in our community. We will forever be grateful for his lifelong commitment to public service.”
PRAC Chair, former CIGIE Chair, and Department of Justice Inspector General Michael Horowitz: “As we grieve the loss of Earl Devaney, we reflect on the legacy he left behind. As chair of the Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board, Earl led a transformational, data-driven approach that provided the public with unprecedented insights as to how stimulus funds were spent in their local communities. We sought Earl’s counsel as we created the PRAC, and we continue to find inspiration in his vision of increasing transparency into government spending to empower the public as ‘citizen watchdogs.’”
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The Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE) is an independent entity established within the executive branch to address integrity, economy and effectiveness issues that transcend individual government agencies and aid in the establishment of a professional, well-trained and highly skilled workforce in the Offices of Inspectors General.
The PRAC was established by the CARES Act to promote transparency and support independent oversight of the funds provided by the CARES Act and other related emergency spending bills. In addition to its coordination and oversight responsibilities, the PRAC is tasked with supporting efforts to “prevent and detect fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement [and] mitigate major risks that cut across program and agency boundaries.”
If you have additional questions, please contact Lisa Reijula at lisa.reijula@cigie.gov.