A PROFILE OF FEDERAL SERVICE
“Federal agencies are facing tremendous fiscal pressure and have to find ways to accom- plish missions within constrained resources.”- Monique Doute’ Ferrell, SES
“I am proud of this accomplishment not for myself, but for what it says for women, particularly young women of color,” Ferrell said. “I hail from the tiny and beautiful island of St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, where I received my primary and secondary education,” she reflected. “I graduated from a small Catholic school in a class of 72 students. I must admit that as a child I don’t remember meeting executive-level, professional women. But my story clearly shows that no mat- ter where you come from, no matter your social or economic background, nothing is impossible.”
As deputy auditor general for Manpower, Reserve Affairs and Training Audits, Ferrell serves as principal advisor to the audi- tor general of the army for auditing human capital, force pro- tection, force structure, and training. Her responsibilities also include directing army-wide audit coverage of high-risk areas that focus on Southwest Asia deployments and sustainment functions (logistics, transportation, equipment storage and disposal, and combat service support activities), along with contingency contracting and contractors on the battlefield.
The U.S. Army Audit Agency (USAAA) helps senior leaders assess and mitigate risk, and by providing solutions through independent auditing services for the benefit of the American Soldier. USAAA’s vision is to be a world-class audit organiza- tion of professionals that anticipates change and exceeds client expectations.
On December 13, 2012, the Partnership for Public Service an- nounced USAAA as one of the Best Places to Work in the fed- eral government rankings. It was the third consecutive year that the agency had placed in the top three. The agency’s headquarters is located on Fort Belvoir, Virginia and has 20 field offices in the U.S., Germany, and the Republic of Korea. The agency also has personnel deployed to Southwest Asia and Monique Ferrell has often been one of those.
“Over an approximately 23-month period I led a team of 30– 40 Army Audit Agency auditors deployed to Kuwait, Iraq and Afghanistan,” she said. “We performed audits in a combat environment; functions vital to the success of the operations in the theater such as contracting, logistics, transportation, retrograde of equipment and supplies, and financial manage- ment.”
During this period, Ferrell deployed to Southwest Asia numer- ous times. “I lived and worked alongside brave men and women who protect our nation. It was rewarding to have sen- ior Army leaders request the services of Army Audit because of the reputation my agency has earned for providing solutions
54 WOMENOFCOLOR | FALL 2013 to Army challenges,” Ferrell said.
“My time in Southwest Asia was also a period of tremendous personal growth. My experiences caused me to recognize that I am stronger than I had thought; that I have what it takes to accomplish anything I put my mind to, and that I must trust my instinct, make a decision, and move out to execute. I am now a more confident and effective leader.”
An Army Civilian, Ferrell has served the U.S. Army for over 27 years all with the Army Audit Agency to support the defense of our nation. Some of her professional assignments include direc- tor of Strategic Planning and Special Studies Division, director of the Contract Audits Division, and prior to her current assign- ment, director of the Expeditionary Audits Division.
Over the course of her career, Ferrell has seen the relation- ship between Army Auditors and their clients swing from an adversarial one, to a more collaborative relationship.
The role of auditors in the Department of Defense, Depart- ment of Army, and across federal government is becoming more important, she observed. “Federal agencies are facing tremendous fiscal pressure and have to find ways to accom- plish missions that are not going away or not being reduced within constrained resources,” she noted.
“As auditors, we have the responsibility to help leaders and managers. We can recommend internal controls that could prevent or minimize the opportunities for fraud, waste and abuse. And because we have an independent eye, we can identify efficiencies and process improvements that help our organization accomplish its mission within a resource-con- strained environment. Many Army leaders have recognized what their team of internal auditors brings to the table, and that we help them find solutions to the challenges they are facing.”
As a young auditor, her goal, she said, was always to be the best.
“I wanted supervisors to consider me the “go-to” person that was technically competent and could be relied on to get the job done,” she said. “As I came up in the ranks and assumed leadership positions, my focus became doing everything I could to take care of those I had the privilege to lead; make sure they were trained and resourced to perform their jobs.”
Ferrell said it is important as a leader to work hard every min- ute of every day to be worthy of trust and confidence reposed in you. “I truly believe that if you concentrate on these things,
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