Stephenson Replaced As DCAA Director
By Robert Brodsky
The embattled director of the Defense Contract Audit Agency has been replaced and reassigned to the Pentagon comptroller's office.
April Stephenson, who has come under fire the last 15 months after two damaging reports by the Government Accountability Office questioned the quality of audit reports and the management of DCAA offices, will be reassigned Monday to the executive staff of Under Secretary of Defense and Chief Financial Officer Robert Hale as of Nov. 9.
The director's chair will now be filled by Patrick Fitzgerald, the auditor general of the Army.
More to come later.
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Government Executive Staff Correspondent Alyssa Rosenberg takes a look at news affecting the management and operations of the massive federal bureaucracy.











It's about time!!
Concerned Citizen Posted Monday, October 26, 2009 4:33 PMWhat about the middle managers and the SES Regional Directors?
Off with their heads!!!
The reassignment is wrong. April made too many improvements to just be pushed aside in this manner. The Comptroller replaces April with an individual that has not performed a contract audit. Army audit does not perfrom contract audits and does not audit contracts. This makes not sense. Criticize April for her lack of experience (as though 22 years is not enough) and then replace her with someone that has been with Army Audit his entire career and has never completed a contract audit. I guess contractors really got to the Comptroller. Otherwise, this change makes no sense.
Mike Posted Monday, October 26, 2009 8:03 PMSo she is a Bush holdover? How long has she sat in that office? I am annoyed that there is no information about who appointed her and when. I guess I'll have to look elsewhere for that and what the critique of her performance was.
Chris Kaye Posted Tuesday, October 27, 2009 7:52 AMNo matter what one may think about April, she was undoubtedly one of the most qaulified persons to lead DCAA. It is so unfortunate that DoD, along with prior administrations required DCAA to make changes that those of us who worked there at one time knew they'd come back to haunt the agency. Well, we were right. You cannot have audit quality when you have a culture obsessed with metrics and not audit outcomes. DoD's "fast-food" mentality empahsized shortened due dates, smaller budgets, reduced cycle-times on major audits, and rewarded a "don't rock the boat culture". This all beagn in 1990 with the introduction of the Federal Streamlining Act; it was DCAA's portion of the peace dividend; downsizing from a staff of nearly 8000 strong to less than 4000 in afew short years.
So, April, thank you for all that you've done on behalf of an agency with a legacy of looking out for the taxpayer as well as the soldier.
Those of us who know the "real-deal" understand what has happened here.
Best of luck and recall the "Griffin".
Former DCAA Manager Posted Tuesday, October 27, 2009 8:46 AMWhat happened to firing poor performers? She just gets another executive position?
US Posted Tuesday, October 27, 2009 10:49 AMYes, I agree that April should have been fired, not reassigned. There is ample reason to have fired April. She should have disciplined those in DCAA Western Region who implemented the witchhunt policy, fearuring Thi Li's Gag Memo. The reason she did not, is because those squirts would have ratted on the one who gave them their orders - April Stephenson.
Fran Posted Tuesday, October 27, 2009 11:12 AMWhat about the rest of the management at DCAA. Shouldn't they also get a do-nothing, SES pay level jobs so they can retire and add to the deficit? I mean the Deputy Director probably needs a rest as well on the tax payer’s dime.
Roy Milligan Posted Tuesday, October 27, 2009 2:36 PMAppointing someone with a high degree of integrity to replace someone with no demonstrated integrity seems like a good move.
Former Auditor Posted Tuesday, October 27, 2009 8:27 PMOf course she get's reassigned to another cushy job. Welcome to the Fed gov't where we reward mediocrity!
VK Posted Wednesday, October 28, 2009 8:38 AMIn response to some of the comments--
The DCAA Director is Not an appointed position--it is filled from within the SES pool.
The Thi Le letter was approved for signature by the supervisor by many layers of management including DCAA legal. Also--that wording was in all of the documents given to people regarding performance or conduct issues. I know I read many of them.
April will show herself to be the smart, hard worker she always was.
Glad I am retired.
Retired RAM Posted Thursday, October 29, 2009 4:21 AMApril is dedicated no doubt. I would even say she is intelligent. However, she is not a leader. A leader would have fired the abusive managers quickly instead of hiding behind the mask of alleged lawyers. Somebody had to go, and it was her.
The Real Story 2 Posted Thursday, October 29, 2009 6:49 PMIt makes me sick that these hack managers, retired or not, defend April S. April S. and 99 percent of the SESs and middle management in DCAA did not care at all about the taxpayers. They feathered their own beds at the real expense of the taxpayers. People, the real expense was in the 10s of billions over at least 15 years of negligent auditing directed by these horrible managers. I will grant that many of them probably did not come to government service to be unethical but that is exactly what happened when they order and directed driveby auditing to maintain or enhance their careers. So, please no sentimental BS about how experienced or hardworking April S. was because she was working all along for herself and her cohorts at the expense of the taxpayers. I would by far pick someone with no or little experience and even a moderate work schedule if he/she possessed the quintessential ethical quality.
Many apologists Posted Saturday, October 31, 2009 6:22 PMHopefully with a new DCAA leader, positive change will come forth.
John Yeressian Posted Sunday, November 1, 2009 6:23 PM