U.S. Comptroller General Shares GAO Mission with LBJ Students
As the chief of the General Accounting Office (GAO), U.S. Comptroller General David Walker has, in his own words, "a very tough job."
But for Walker, the rewards of public service and its "exciting challenges" outweigh the trials he has faced and will continue to face during the remaining 13 years of his 15-year term. He spoke about these challenges and the GAO's mission to a packed room of LBJ School students and faculty members during a brown bag lecture on October 11.
As the investigative arm of the Congress, the GAO works to improve the federal government's performance and accountability and ensure congressional compliance with the Constitution. Walker explained that the agency serves as an independent, non-partisan advisor to a client base consisting of 535 members with highly partisan agendas. "They are politicians, opinionated, and all think they know the answer," he said.
Walker added that the 15-year length of his term was designed to foster objectivity, a long-range view on issues, and a sense of job security within the agency. He defined the GAO's core values as accountability, integrity, and reliability.
"The GAO's objective of making government more results oriented is a challenging task considering that the United States government is the largest, most complex and diverse entity in the world," said Walker.
He was also candid about his mission to recruit LBJ students to the GAO. "We need more action from your generation," he said. "The GAO is on the frontline of government . . . where the action is. It is involved in all aspects of government--national security, Social Security, the environment, strategic planning." He stressed the need for reform of federal programs--primarily those that were established decades ago within very different contexts.
Walker closed his presentation by extolling the virtues of public service and urging LBJ School students to "help lead the way to progress" by working in the public sector. "You can't put a price tag on it," he said.
Walker, 48, is a certified public accountant. He has a B.S. in accounting from Jacksonville University and a Senior Management in Government (SMG) Certificate in Public Policy from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
October 17, 2000
News and Events • Fall 2000 News Briefs
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October 5, 2000
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