Gordon S. Heddell

Honorable Gordon S. Heddell Inspector General of the Department of Defense
In office:	July 14, 2009 – Present
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Gordon S. Heddell is the Inspector General (IG) of the United States Department of Defense.^[1] Previously, Heddell also served as Inspector General for the Department of Labor.

Early government experience

Heddell began his government service as an Army chief warrant officer and helicopter pilot, serving in both Korea and Taiwan during the Vietnam War.^[2] After leaving the military, he served as a special agent in the United States Secret Service for 28 years. While with the Secret Service, Heddell served as special agent-in-charge of the Vice Presidential Protective Division, leading and managing the physical protection of the vice president of the United States. He eventually rose to the position of assistant director for inspections, serving as a key advisor to the director, providing advice and counsel on all facets of Secret Service leadership and operations.

Inspector general service

From 2001 to 2008, Heddell served as inspector general of the U.S. Department of Labor,^[3] where he led efforts to combat labor racketeering and organized crime in the workplace; fraud against the Foreign Labor Certification Program; and weaknesses in the Mine Safety and Health Administration.

Heddell was sworn in as the seventh inspector general for the Department of Defense on July 14, 2009, one year after being appointed as acting inspector general. Heddell is responsible for directing audits, investigations, and inspections, and for developing audit and investigative policy in the largest federal office of Inspector General, with a workforce of over 1,600 and an annual budget exceeding $300 million. In this capacity, Heddell provides oversight of all the programs and operations of the Department of Defense and military services, including ongoing military operations in Southwest Asia.

In 2010, Heddell directed and led the Department of Defense oversight efforts that achieved $6.4 billion in monetary benefits and investigative recoveries, and conducted criminal investigations resulting in 281 indictments and 245 convictions.

As inspector general, Heddell serves on the executive committee of the federal Council of Inspectors General for Integrity and Efficiency, chairs the Information Technology Committee, and is editor-in-chief of the Journal of Public Inquiry.^[4] Heddell is also the chair of the Defense Council on Integrity and Efficiency and serves as the chair of the Interagency Coordination Group of Inspectors General for Guam Realignment.

Recognition

Heddell is a recipient of the Meritorious Presidential Rank Award for outstanding government service. He was also selected by the University of Illinois Alumni Association as its recipient of the 2009 Alumni Achievement Award for alumni of the University of Illinois at Springfield.^[5]

Education

Heddell received his bachelor's degree from the University of Missouri, his master's degree from Sangamon State University (today known as the University of Illinois at Springfield), and was a Woodrow Wilson public service fellow from 1994-2000. Heddell graduated at the top of his Treasury Federal Law Enforcement Academy class.

Heddell created a partnership between the Secret Service and two inner city Washington D.C. public schools.

See also

• Office of the Inspector General, U.S. Department of Defense
• Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board

References

1. ^ U.S. Department of Defense, Office of the Inspector General, Gordon S. Heddell, Official Bio.
2. ^ University of Illinois Alumni Association, To Protect and to Serve: Gordon S. Heddell (Spring 2008).
3. ^ The Washington Post, Who Runs Gov: Gordon S. Heddell (Sept. 13, 2011).
4. ^ Journal of Public Inquiry
5. ^ University of Illinois Alumni Association. 2009 Alumni Award

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the U.S. Department of Defense, Office of the Inspector General,.

External links

• DoD IG home page
• Department of Defense
• Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency