AIG Spring 2010 Conference

Growing the IG Community in the Times of ARRA

A year after the enactment of ARRA, the Spring 2010 AIG Conference in Indianapolis will examine what we as an IG/accountability community have learned so far and what to expect in the next year. We will also include sessions on how to create and foster an integrated Inspector General-Ethics model for entities starting their journey to join the IG/accountability community.

Featured Speakers

Laura Chick, California Inspector General of ARRA Funds
Shortly after President Obama signed the Federal Recovery Act, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger turned to Los Angeles City Controller Laura Chick. He tapped her to be the first-in-the-nation Inspector General to oversee the more than $50 Billion in economic stimulus dollars that California is receiving.

A trained social worker, Laura received her Bachelors Degree in History from UCLA and a Masters in Social Work from USC. Her experience includes managing a family-owned retail business. Laura first entered elected office in 1993 when she defeated a 16 year incumbent for a seat on the Los Angeles City Council in the West San Fernando Valley. Seven months after taking office her district was devastated by the Northridge Earthquake. Chick went into action working around the clock, an ever present figure in the toppled neighborhoods. Laura used the crisis as an opportunity to rebuild in a smarter and better way, creating what is now a thriving redevelopment zone with shops, cafes and a legitimate theater converted from an X-rated movie house.

In 2001 Laura was overwhelmingly elected City Controller, becoming the first woman to hold citywide office in Los Angeles. As Controller, she was the Chief Auditor and Chief Accountant of the City working to ensure its fiscal health. In her nearly eight years in this office, Laura released over 170 audits and reports exposing a wide range of problems throughout city government.

Brett Blackledge, Pulitzer Prize Winning Journalist
Brett Blackledge is a native of Baton Rouge, LA. He earned a journalism degree from Louisiana State University in 1986.

Blackledge began his career with the Associated Press in New Orleans and later worked for AP bureaus in Jackson, MS, and Tulsa, OK. He worked for The Journal Newspapers in suburban Washington, DC, covering crime, local government and the Maryland and Virginia legislatures. He then wrote about national education issues for Education Daily, covering the White House, U.S. Congress and U.S. Department of Education.

Blackledge moved to Alabama in 1993, joining The Mobile Register as a local government reporter. He also covered education and state government. He has worked at The Birmingham News since 1998 as a general assignment and special projects reporter.

Blackledge is married to a veterinarian and has an 11-year-old daughter.

Crit Luallen, Governing Magazine’s “2009 Public Official of the Year”
Crit Luallen was elected Kentucky’s Auditor of Public Accounts in November of 2003 and re-elected in 2007. Luallen served nearly seven years as Secretary of the Governor’s Executive Cabinet, then the highest appointed position in Kentucky state government. Previous appointments include State Budget Director, Secretary of Finance, Secretary of Tourism, and Commissioner of the Department of the Arts. She also spent four years in Louisville and served as President of the Greater Louisville Economic Development Partnership, a regional economic development agency. In 2001 Luallen was awarded the National Excellence in Leadership Award by Women Executives in State Government and in 2009 she was named Public Official of the Year by Washington, D.C.-based magazine “Governing” for her positive impact on government in Kentucky.

During her tenure as State Auditor, the Auditor’s Office has uncovered millions of dollars in government fraud and questionable expenditures, leading to the prosecution of several public officials. In an effort to ensure government efficiency and protect taxpayers, the office has expanded the use of performance auditing and special investigations.

Mark Everson, Former Chair of President’s Council on Integrity and Efficiency
Currently serving as the Commissioner of the Indiana Department of Administration, Mark W. Everson’s department provides support services to other state agencies.  Everson was appointed to this position in January 2009, and is a member of the cabinet of Governor Mitch Daniels.  He also directs the state’s efforts to encourage a complete count of all Indiana residents in next year’s federal census.

Everson has extensive federal government and private sector experience.  Previous positions include Commissioner of Internal Revenue and President & CEO of the American Red Cross.  He has held operating and financial posts with major companies in the U.S. and abroad.

Everson lives in downtown Indianapolis and serves on the board of directors of Indianapolis Downtown, Inc., a not-for-profit organization that supports the development and marketing of the city’s downtown. He is also the vice chairman of alliantgroup, a leading provider of specialty tax services.

Hon. Mitchell E. Daniels, Jr., Indiana Governor
Governor Mitchell E. Daniels, Jr., is serving his second term as Indiana’s Governor. He also has served as Chief of Staff to Senator Richard Lugar, Senior Advisor to President Ronald Reagan and Director of the Office of Management and Budget under President George W. Bush. Also the former CEO of the Hudson Institute and President of Eli Lilly, Governor Daniels created the Indiana Office of the Inspector General by Executive Order on his first day of office on January 10, 2005. In 2008, Governor Daniels was named “Public Official of the Year” by the independent magazine Governing for his achievements as governor. He also received the Manhattan Institute’s 2008 Innovator Award for his creative public policy initiatives. Daniels earned a bachelor’s degree from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University in 1971 and his law degree from Georgetown University in 1979. Governor Daniels and his wife Cheri have four daughters: Meagan, Melissa, Meredith and Maggie.

Dr. Marc Rogers, Purdue University Cyber Forensics
Dr. Rogers is the director of the Cyber Forensics Program in the Dept. of Computer and Information Technology at Purdue University. He is a Professor, University Faculty Scholar and Fellow – Center for Education and Research in Information Assurance and Security (CERIAS). Dr. Rogers is the International Chair of the Law, Compliance and Investigation Domain of the Common Body of Knowledge (CBK) committee, Chair of the Ethics Committee for the Digital and Multimedia Sciences section of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, and Chair of the Certification and Test Committee – Digital Forensics Certification Board. He is a former Police officer who worked in the area of fraud and computer crime investigations. Dr. Rogers is the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Digital Forensic Practice and sits on the editorial board for several other professional journals. He is also a member of other various national and international committees focusing on digital forensic science and digital evidence. Dr. Rogers is the author of books, book chapters, and journal publications in the field of digital forensics and applied psychological analysis. His research interests include applied cyber forensics, psychological digital crime scene analysis, and cyber terrorism. Cybercrime Scene Analysis, and Cyber-terrorism.

Mark Fainaru-Wada, ESPN Investigative Reporter
Mark Fainaru-Wada is an investigative reporter for ESPN. Prior to that, he worked in the same capacity on the San Francisco Chronicle’s enterprise team.

For The Chronicle, Fainaru-Wada and colleague Lance Williams began working on the BALCO steroids case in Sept. 2003. Their investigative work earned them a string of national honors, including the George Polk, Edgar A. Poe, Dick Schaap Excellence in Journalism and Associated Press Sports Editors awards.

In March 2006, Fainaru-Wada and Williams published “Game of Shadows: Barry Bonds, BALCO, and the Steroids Scandal That Rocked Professional Sports.” (Gotham Books). The book became an immediate New York Times bestseller and prompted Major League Baseball to launch an investigation into steroid use in its sport.

Joseph G. Barlow, Dept. of Justice, Fraud Detection Office
Joseph Barlow currently serves as the Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the Department of Justice OIG – Fraud Detection Office in Arlington, VA.  He has extensive experience in the investigation of program, procurement, and grant fraud.  Over the past 25 years he has held Special Agent positions with the U.S. Postal Service OIG, the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, and the Naval Investigative Service.  In addition, he has been detailed to the Inspector General Criminal Investigator Academy where he managed and delivered the Procurement, Contract, and Grant Fraud Training Program. Barlow holds a BS degree in the Administration of Justice from the Pennsylvania State University.

Andrew Sparks, Assistant US Attorney, Eastern District of Kentucky
Sparks and his office were involved in a multi-state False Claims litigation against Pfizer, Inc, where Pfizer agreed to pay $2.3 billion to resolve criminal and civil liability arising from the illegal promotion of pharmaceutical products.  Andrew’s office recovered $48.2 million for Kentucky.  A graduate of Kentucky University School of Law, he has extensive litigation experience, including the defense of the Government’s detention of inmates at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, in habeas corpus proceedings.  Andrew will be presenting on practical tips on how to present a False Claims Action, and will also speak about the Pfizer case and other litigation issues.

Melinda Miguel, Florida Chief Inspector General
Governor Charlie Crist appointed Melinda Miguel as the Chief Inspector General for the Executive Office of the Governor in January 2007, where she has responsibility for working with Inspectors General in the State of Florida to coordinate accountability, integrity and efficiency in state programs and programs financed by the state. The Governor has also appointed her to the Audit Committee for the Florida State Board of Administration (SBA) to assist in oversight of Florida’s investments and governance of the SBA, including the Florida Retirement System Pension Plan – the fourth largest public retirement plan in the United States.  Ms. Miguel is the Chair of this Committee and has served on the Committee for the past seven years.  Ms. Miguel received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Economics from Florida State University and holds a Certificate in Local Government Administration from the Florida State University Askew School of Public Policy and Center for Local Government Excellence.

Dr. Frank G. Straub, Indianapolis Public Safety Director
In January 2010, Dr. Straub was appointed the Director of Public Safety for the City of Indianapolis.  Previously, he served as the Commissioner of Public Safety for the City of White Plains, NY. During his 7 ½ year tenure, the Department reduced serious crime by 40% and innovative community policing strategies were the subject of his testimony before the House Judiciary Committee and the Congressional Black Caucus.  Dr. Straub also served as the New York City Police Department’s Deputy Commissioner of Training.
Dr. Straub served three (3) years as the Executive Deputy Inspector General for the New York State Inspector General. He served nine years in the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the Inspector General as a Special Agent and Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Office, and as the Special Agent in Charge of the Research and Analysis Unit.  As the SAC, Dr. Straub developed and implemented an OIG-wide performance and accountability system based on the NYPD’s CompStat model. He led research projects regarding corruption on the Southwest Border and in the Federal Bureau of Prisons.  Before joining the DOJ-IG, Dr. Straub served as a Special Agent in the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Diplomatic Security and the U.S. Naval Investigative Service.

Cynthia Carrasco, Executive Director, Indiana Ethics Commission
Cynthia Carrasco hails from El Paso, Texas.  A graduate of Indiana University Law School in Indianapolis, she currently serves as the Executive Director for the Indiana Ethics Commission, appointed by Governor Mitch Daniels in 2007.  She supervises the monthly Ethics Commission meetings and oversees the staff and operations at the Office of the Inspector General.  Cyndi also has supervised the AIG National Spring Conference preparations on behalf of the Indiana Inspector General’s Office.

David Thomas, Indiana Inspector General
David Thomas was appointed Indiana’s first state-wide Inspector General by Governor Mitch Daniels in 2005, and then was reappointed for a second term in 2009. Prior to his appointment, he was serving his third term as Prosecuting Attorney for the 13th Judicial Circuit of Indiana. His previous work experience also includes serving as a clerk for the Honorable Judges Robert W. Neal and Jonathon Robertson of the Indiana Court of Appeals.

Greg Ballard, Mayor of Indianapolis
Gregory A. Ballard was elected as the 48th Mayor of Indianapolis in 2007.  He spent the majority of his career in the United States Marine Corps, retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel after 23 years of service.  Medals awarded include the Legion of Merit, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Kuwait Liberation Medal, the Marine Corps Expeditionary Medal, the Humanitarian Service Medal, and the Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal. Greg is a veteran of the Persian Gulf War and is a Service-disabled veteran.  Prior to joining the Marine Corps, Greg earned his undergraduate degree in Economics from Indiana University, and he holds a Master’s Degree in Military Science from Marine Corps University.  A native Hoosier, Mayor Ballard was raised on the east side of Indianapolis and graduated from Cathedral High School.

Jason Barclay, Author of the Indiana IG Bill
Jason R. Barclay is a partner in the Litigation Department of Barnes and Thornburg, a major law firm in Indianapolis, Atlanta, Chicago and Washington D.C.  Mr. Barclay previously served as legal counsel and policy director to Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels where he wrote the state’s ethics and public integrity laws and oversaw Indiana’s public safety, homeland security, and gaming enforcement agencies.  He also has served as a policy advisor on legal and criminal justice issues to former presidential candidates Rudy Giuliani and John McCain.  Mr. Barclay is a graduate of Duke University and the University of Virginia School of Law. He serves on the Boards of Directors of the Indiana Sports Corporation, is the Chairman of the State Athletic Commission, and previously chaired the Board of Trustees of the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute. He also was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal for his work in state government with the National Guard.

Amanda Lufkin, Indiana IG Staff Attorney
Amanda Lufkin has been a Staff Attorney with the Office of Inspector General for nearly four years, where her focus is on litigation and complaint resolution. She graduated from Indiana University School of Law-Indianapolis.  Her undergraduate degree was in criminal justice and psychology at Ball State University, where she graduated cum laude.  She also has worked as an intern in the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office for the 62^nd Judicial Circuit of Indiana.  Amanda lives in Indianapolis with her husband.

Kristi Shute, Indiana IG Staff Attorney
Kristi Shute has been with the Office of Inspector General since August 2006.  Due to her law enforcement background, she began as a Special Agent, but now serves as a Staff Attorney.  She graduated from the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy in 1998 and from Indiana University School of Law-Indianapolis in 2006.  Her undergraduate degree was in Criminal Justice at Indiana University in Bloomington.  She currently coordinates Special Agent training, provides legal analysis for advisory opinions, and assists with investigations.

Todd Shumaker, Indiana IG Staff Attorney
Todd Shumaker has been with the Indiana Office of Inspector General since April 2007, just prior to his graduation from the Indiana University School of Law—Indianapolis.  In his capacity as a Staff Attorney with the OIG, he has been responsible for dispensing ethics advice to state employees, providing legal support to Special Agent investigations, and coordinating the agency’s statewide training of 35,000 employees and appointees on the Indiana Code of Ethics.  He graduated from Taylor University, magna cum laude, with a degree in Political Science in 2004.  Currently, he resides in Indianapolis with his wife, Heather, and their children, Kameron and Madolyn.

Other speakers include:

· John Jay MPA-IG student research panel

· Interaction Among IGs panel featuring Ohio IG Tom Charles, US DOJ OIG Chicago Filed Office, Special Agent in Charge John Oleskowicz, and New York MTA IG Barry Kluger

· Indiana Response to ARRA by the Indiana Office of Management and Budget and State Board of Accounts: Cris Johnston, Adam Horst, Mike Hoose, and David Thomas.