Ms. Katherine (Kate) Siggerud is the Director of the Center for Audit Excellence, an 

organization at GAO whose mission is to build institutional auditing capacity and 

promote good governance by providing high quality training, technical assistance, and 

related services to domestic and international accountability organizations. As Director 

of the Center, Ms. Siggerud is responsible for leading the development of Center 

training and technical assistance services and projects; developing relationships and 

partnerships with domestic and international organizations with similar goals to build 

institutional audit capacity; recruiting and supervising Center staff; and developing and 

implementing sound business processes and internal controls to manage Center 

activities. 

Ms. Siggerud has extensive experience leading audits. From 2017 to 2021, Ms. 

Siggerud served as Chief Operating Officer for GAO, assisting the Comptroller General 

in providing leadership and vision for the organization. She was responsible for day-today management to ensure that GAO effectively supported Congress in meeting its 

constitutional responsibilities. Ms. Siggerud oversaw the development of hundreds of 

reports and testimonies to Congress each year. 

From 2012 to 2017, Ms. Siggerud served as GAO’s Managing Director for 

Congressional Relations. She oversaw GAO’s receipt and management of hundreds of 

requests and statutory requirements from Congress for reports every year. She and her 

staff worked directly with Congressional Committees and Members as the liaison 

between GAO and the Congress. 

From 2003 to 2011, Ms. Siggerud served as an executive in GAO’s Physical 

Infrastructure Team, where she oversaw GAO’s engagements in areas such as 

transportation, telecommunications, the United States Postal Service, and federal 

management of government real property. Notable efforts included managing GAO’s 

oversight of aid that Congress designated to state and local governments to respond to 

the Great Recession. She also was one of the original developers of GAO’s annual 

reports on overlap, duplication and fragmentation among federal programs. 

During her career Ms. Siggerud testified regularly before Congress and appeared on 

numerous television and radio programs to discuss GAO’s work. Ms. Siggerud received 

a Master of Arts degree from the Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of 

Minnesota. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Macalester College in St. 

Paul, Minnesota. 

Ms. Siggerud has received such awards as the Comptroller General’s award in 2012 

and 2020, the Public Leadership Award from the Humphrey School, and the Alumni 

Leadership Award from the University of Minnesota. She is a Fellow of the National 

Academy of Public Administration.
Ms. Janet St. Laurent is the Deputy Director of the Center for Audit Excellence. Her key 

responsibilities include assisting the Center Director in managing Center operations 

and coordinating the Center’s work on international projects. 

From October 2015-January 15, 2022, Ms. Janet St. Laurent served as the Director of 

the Center for Audit Excellence. As Director of the Center, Ms. St. Laurent was 

responsible for leading the development of Center training and technical assistance 

services and projects; developing relationships and partnerships with domestic and 

international organizations with similar goals to build institutional audit capacity; 

recruiting and supervising Center staff; and developing and implementing sound 

business processes and internal controls to manage Center activities and facilitate 

achievement of the Center’s mission. 

From January 2008 to January 2014, Ms. St. Laurent served as Managing Director of 

GAO’s Defense Capabilities and Management team. Her principal duties included 

managing GAO’s work on defense issues including force structure, readiness, logistics, 

infrastructure, defense budget, emerging threats, and military and civilian personnel 

issues. During her tenure, she led her team to achieve more than $30 billion in financial 

savings as a result of recommendations made to and implemented by the Department 

of Defense. She testified numerous times before Congressional Committees, including 

the House and Senate Armed Services Committees. As Managing Director, she also 

mentored and supported the professional development of 250 staff members by 

developing team-based training, serving as an Adjunct Faculty member in GAO’s 

Learning Center, and hiring and promoting staff. 

While serving as Managing Director, Ms. St. Laurent was also appointed by the 

Comptroller General to co-lead GAO’s first two congressionally-mandated annual 

reports examining duplication, overlap, and fragmentation among federal government 

programs. In that capacity, she worked with numerous GAO teams and testified before 

the bi-partisan Presidential Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform 

(SimpsonBowles Commission). 

Ms. St. Laurent received a Masters degree in Public Administration from Syracuse 

University and a Master of Science degree in National Security Strategy from the 

National War College. She also holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the 

University of Massachusetts in Amherst. 

Ms. St. Laurent has received numerous awards at GAO including the Comptroller 

General Leadership Award. In 2015, she received the Distinguished Public 

Administration Alumni Award from the Maxwell School at Syracuse University. In 2011, 

she was selected as a Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medal finalist in 

recognition of her work on national security issues. She has participated in numerous 

public speaking engagements, including appearances on CSPAN, Bloomberg News, 

and public radio.