1 

GAO-12-787CG

Public Service: 

The Chance to Remake Our World

By the Honorable Gene Dodaro,

Comptroller General of the United States

Before the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy

University of Virginia

Charlottesville, Virginia

May 20, 2012

Thank you, Mary [Drach], for that kind introduction. I would also like to 

thank Dean Harding for inviting me to address this year’s graduating 

class of the Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy. My 

congratulations to each of today’s graduates on your significant 

achievements. It is an honor to be able to share this special day with 

you, your families, and friends. The U.S. Government Accountability 

Office, has a special connection with the University of Virginia; first, 

we’ve been fortunate to have recruited a number of your students, both 

as interns and permanent employees. And secondly, we share common 

values of striving for analytical excellence and the highest standards of 

integrity. 

As you look toward your future, it is important to keep in context not 

only the world in which we live today, but also the one you hope for in 

the future. Great leaders always look ahead even when they are 

confronting serious problems. For example, 80 years ago in May 1932, 

facing the profound challenges of the Great Depression, Franklin 

Roosevelt addressed the graduating class of Oglethorpe University in 

Atlanta. FDR told the graduates, "Yours is not the task of making your 

way in the world, but the task of remaking the world which you will find 

before you." Now is your time to seize that opportunity.

That generation fought fascism and economic hardship and handed 

down to us an America that today continues to be a land of unique and 

nearly boundless opportunity. With these promising opportunities come 
2 

GAO-12-787CG

daunting challenges as the Nation undergoes a period of significant 

change. GAO’s strategic plan for serving the Congress and the country 

highlights key trends affecting the United States and its place in the 

world. These include:

• evolving security threats;

• urgent fiscal sustainability and debt challenges; 

• economic recovery and restored job growth;

• changing dynamics of global interdependence and shifts in 

power; 

• advances in science, technology, engineering, and 

mathematics; 

• increasing impacts of networks and virtualization; 

• shifting roles in government and governance; and

• demographic and societal changes confronting the young and 

old.

More than ever, a broad strategic approach is essential to governing 

well. And, frankly, there really isn’t enough long-term thinking in our 

national government.

But even with a strategic vision, there are in my view five factors to turn 

any vision into reality. Those factors are perspective, persistence, 

preparation, people, and participation.

By perspective, I mean understanding the big picture and the 

implications of our globalized world. Economics, trade, politics, 

information flows, public health, and many other human activities are 

now linked as never before. The recent financial crisis vividly 

illustrated the extent to which economics, trade, and information flows 

have become inextricably linked.

Additionally, given the global interconnectivities of financial markets 

and institutions, national reforms and international cooperation are both 
3 

GAO-12-787CG

pivotal to addressing the underlying issues that contributed to the recent 

turmoil. Major reforms are underway in the United States, and GAO has 

a major role to play in evaluating their progress. Moreover, we are 

working with other national audit offices around the world to increase 

understanding and cooperation on national and international reforms, 

such as adherence to new institutional standards for bank capital 

requirements. 

Of course, interdependence today goes beyond the global financial 

markets and flows of capital. Food safety is a case in point. Much of 

the seafood, fruits, and vegetables we eat now comes from foreign 

sources. The problem is that the U.S. food safety system was designed 

for domestic production. In the face of rapid shifts in production and 

trade, our regulatory agencies are struggling to protect the public from 

unsafe goods. 

 

Similarly, in the medical products area, the Food and Drug 

Administration estimates that foreign manufacturers now account for 80 

percent of the ingredients in prescription drugs. That’s why GAO has 

put oversight of food safety and medical products on our high-risk list, 

which includes areas of government in need of broad based 

transformation. 

Another factor that’s essential to achieving a strategic vision is 

persistence, or sustained long-term effort. My experience has been that 

progress in government often needs to be attained through incremental 

change. That’s not a bad thing. With some persistence and a willingness 

to work with others, a series of small steps can lead to real and lasting 

change and pay off in a big way. 

GAO’s high-risk list is a case in point. With the start of each new 

Congress, GAO issues a report on federal areas vulnerable to waste, 

fraud, abuse, and mismanagement or needing broad-based 

transformation. Our latest list presents 30 areas ripe for reform – from 
4 

GAO-12-787CG

the Interior Department’s management of oil and gas leases to the 

Pentagon’s acquisition of weapon systems. 

Since we started the high-risk list 20 years ago, more than a third of the 

cited areas have improved enough to be dropped from the list. Vital to 

such progress is sustained congressional attention, priority by the Office 

of Management and Budget on behalf of the President, and effective 

leadership by the federal entities involved. 

A third factor is preparation. I’m talking about planning ahead. At 

GAO, we try to alert policymakers to emerging trends likely to shape 

American society and decisions facing policymakers.

A key example is our aging population. This very day, over 8,000 baby 

boomers will turn 65, and on average between now and 2029, 10,000 

people a day in the United States will achieve that milestone. GAO’s 

done considerable work on the impact of demographics on Social 

Security, healthcare and other federal programs, and, ultimately, the 

current unsustainable long-term fiscal path of federal finances.

The recent financial crisis also brought home the need for people to 

prepare for the future —whether it’s saving for college or planning for 

retirement. We at GAO have initiated a multi-pronged strategy to 

address financial literacy issues. Under this effort, we will continue to 

evaluate federal efforts that directly promote financial literacy. GAO 

will also encourage research into various financial literacy initiatives to 

evaluate their relative effectiveness. In addition, we will look for 

opportunities to enhance financial literacy as an integral component of 

regular federal interactions with the public. Finally, GAO has recently 

instituted a program to empower its own employees, which includes an 

internal website with information on personal financial matters and links 

to important information.

Another area where preparation is key is in dealing with new security 

threats. GAO has issued more than 1,200 reports and testimonies on 
5 

GAO-12-787CG

homeland security since 9/11 and has made more than 1,600 

recommendations to strengthen agency operations. On the 10th

anniversary of 9/11, we issued a major report describing the Department 

of Homeland Security’s progress to date and the work still remaining to 

prevent, defend against, and respond to terrorist attacks against the 

United States. 

Additionally, when it comes to a strategic vision, the importance of 

people cannot be overstated. As Comptroller General, I spend a lot of 

time getting to know our employees and trying to match their strengths 

and interests with GAO’s needs. Having the right person in the right job 

makes a huge difference. That alone probably counts for 75 percent of 

success. 

People come to GAO, and many stay because the work is so interesting. 

Still, you have to create a work environment where people feel that 

they’re learning and growing professionally. It’s also important to create 

and nurture an inclusive environment where diversity is cultivated as an 

organizational strength. 

Last year, GAO placed third among large federal agencies in the 

Partnership for Public Service’s “Best Places to Work” rankings. We 

were number one in diversity. Those rankings matter because they’re 

based on employee job satisfaction and whether our people would 

recommend GAO as a place to work.

Finally, a strategic vision requires participation. By participation, I’m 

really talking about citizen engagement, which can take many forms—

everything from voter turnout to federal service. Successful government 

depends on public participation. 

I’m here to say that government can and does make a difference in the 

lives of our fellow citizens. 

I joined government back in the early 1970s. Watergate and the Vietnam 

War were on everyone’s minds then. I did not want to sit back and just 
6 

GAO-12-787CG

criticize government. I wanted to be part of the solution and help 

improve public trust and confidence in government.

Today, when public discourse can sometimes be highly polarized, and 

too often people blame government for many problems, it’s helpful to 

remember that dedicated federal employees do make a tremendous 

positive difference in the lives of our citizens. 

And that’s where men and women like all of you come in. Across 

government today, we need leaders with sound values, leaders who can 

think strategically and creatively. They’ll need to work smarter and, in 

some cases, adjust to doing more with less. 

Government managers at the local, state, and federal levels will need to 

take responsibility for developing innovative approaches and creative 

solutions to many of the challenges I’ve mentioned. By being proactive, 

managers can, to a great extent, manage the changes that are coming, 

rather than let those changes manage them. 

Government needs people who can approach problems in new and 

innovative ways and anticipate future possibilities. At a time of iPads 

and on-line tax returns, the census is still taken on paper. We need the 

next Steve Jobs of the world who can think creatively to bring that talent 

to government. This challenge will become more urgent in the future as 

large numbers of federal workers begin to retire. 

Today’s problems won’t be solved overnight. But in the past, the 

American people have always come together for the sake of the greater 

good. And their contributions and sacrifices have helped make our 

nation stronger. 

Your school’s namesake, Frank Batten, forged an impressive career in 

communications. He believed in the power of education to transform 
7 

GAO-12-787CG

our society, not only the corporate world but also our civic life. As your 

leaders say, the Batten School encourages its graduates “to act 

vigorously, effectively, and ethically on behalf of the common good.” 

In 1932, the same year FDR spoke at Oglethorpe University, Albert 

Einstein was asked for his definition of a successful life. Einstein 

replied, “Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile.”

I know some of you may be heading off to jobs at government agencies, 

or on Capitol Hill, or at non-profits or private firms. Regardless of your 

immediate plans, I’d encourage all of you to consider public service at 

some point in your careers, whether it’s starting out as an entry-level 

employee or joining an agency later on as a mid-career manager or a 

senior executive. Public service is a wonderful way to give back to your 

country and a chance to help remake our world.

The truth is we can all learn from each other. Government doesn’t have 

all the answers and neither does the private sector. We must take the best 

approaches of each and find solutions to the problems that bedevil us 

today. 

Wherever you’re headed, I hope you will think about how you can use 

your energies to help create a better America. My best wishes to all of 

you for continued success.