GAO Fellowship Alumni Network Hosts Special Event Featuring U.S. Comptroller General
Image presents the U.S. Comptroller General and IAFP Alumni Leadership.
By Redi Ametllari, IAFP Alumnus, and Kennedy Mann, GAO Student Intern
On February 18, 2025, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) hosted a special event with its International Auditor Fellowship Program Alumni Network and the Comptroller General of the United States, Mr. Gene L. Dodaro.
The virtual event was a conversation between alumni and Mr. Dodaro. Over 50 program alumni from 41 countries attended.
Several IAFP alumni managed the event, with Ms. Magdalena Alabí (Argentina, 2019) providing opening remarks, Ms. Tiare Rivera (Chile, 2022) serving as moderator, and Redi Ametllari (Albania, 2023) closing out the event.
The conversation focused on Mr. Dodaro’s experience and achievements, as well as GAO’s role in providing assistance to the Congress and key issues to look for in the future.
Specifically, Mr. Dodaro shared his extensive experience in assisting Congress as it worked to address important national challenges, from the 1974-1975 recession to the COVID-19 pandemic. He explained how he joined the GAO in 1973, shortly after completing his accounting degree, and over the years took on significant responsibilities, including overseeing the review of nationwide projects and managing the first-ever audit of the federal government’s financial statements in 1997.
Participants submitted a wide range of questions and comments in advance and during the event and gained valuable insights as Mr. Dodaro discussed his remarkable career and the evolving role of the GAO.
Mr. Dodaro expressed his pleasure in seeing the Alumni Network come to life, adding that it offers a valuable opportunity for fellows to stay connected and learn from one another. Mr. Dodaro stated,
“I truly believe in the INTOSAI motto: Mutual experience benefits all”,
when it comes to international cooperation. He elaborated that, as he has engaged in discussions with colleagues from Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs) around the world, he has realized that the more we talk, the more we discover that we have far more in common than we do differences.
GAO’s annual International Auditor Fellowship Program is a several month intensive study course designed to strengthen the ability of SAIs to fulfill their missions and enhance accountability and governance worldwide. Initiated in 1979, GAO created this program in response to increased federal government expenditures abroad and the related need to strengthen accountability over these funds. Over 640 middle- to senior-level officials from the SAIs of more than 109 countries have graduated from the program. Many of them have since become Auditors General, Deputy Auditors General, or Government Ministers. More about the program can be found here.
The International Auditor Fellowship Program Alumni Network was initiated in 2023 as a global forum to connect and empower the alumni community and it is a community run by the alumni for the alumni. If you are an alumnus and would like more information or to get involved, please email IAFPCurriculum@gao.gov.
