Earl Devaney

Earl E. Devaney is a former Inspector General for the United States Department of the Interior and former Chairman of the Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board.

Earl Devaney
Chair of the Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board
In office
February 23, 2009 – December 31, 2011
PresidentBarack Obama
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byKathleen Tighe
Inspector General of the Department of the Interior
In office
August 5, 1999 – December 31, 2011
On leave: February 23, 2009 – December 31, 2011
PresidentBill Clinton
George W. Bush
Barack Obama
Preceded byRobert Williams (Acting)
Succeeded byMary Kendall (Acting)
Personal details
EducationFranklin and Marshall College (BA)

Early life and career with U.S. Secret Service

Devaney began his career in law enforcement in 1968 as a Massachusetts police officer. After graduating from Franklin and Marshall College in 1970 with a degree in Government, Devaney became a Special Agent with the United States Secret Service.[1][2]

Devaney served as the Special Agent in Charge of the Fraud Division until his retirement from the Secret Service in 1991, by which time he had gained international recognition as an expert on white-collar crime, and was regularly sought by major media organizations. During his tenure with the Secret Service, Devaney received five U.S. Department of Treasury Special Achievement Awards, as well as numerous honors and awards from several professional organizations.

Environmental Protection Agency

Upon leaving the Secret Service, Devaney became the Director of Criminal Enforcement for the United States Environmental Protection Agency. In this position, Devaney oversaw all of EPA's criminal investigators and assumed management responsibility for EPA's Forensics Service Center [NEIC] and the National Enforcement Training Institute. Devaney's years of managerial excellence were recognized in 1998 with a Presidential Rank Award.

Department of Interior Inspector General

During his tenure at the Department of the Interior, Devaney helped to investigate disgraced ex-lobbyist Jack Abramoff,[3] oversaw the criminal conviction of the Deputy Secretary J. Steven Griles which ultimately led to the resignation of the Department Secretary Gale Norton. Devaney also investigated Julie A. MacDonald, Deputy Assistant Secretary at the Interior Department who had been appointed by Norton in 2002. MacDonald also resigned after Devaney found that she had violated federal rules by giving government documents to industry lobbyists.[4][5] Because of Devaney's findings, the US Fish and Wildlife Service ordered the review of eight endangered species decisions in which MacDonald was involved. Devaney called MacDonald's management "abrupt and abrasive, if not abusive,"[6] and U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, who commissioned the report, attributed the "untold waste of hundreds of thousands of taxpayers' dollars" to MacDonald's actions.[7]

In 2008 Devaney investigated allegations of wrongdoing by a dozen current and former employees of the United States Minerals Management Service, and found that "a culture of ethical failure" pervaded the agency. Devaney's investigation found that eight officials accepted gifts from energy companies, whose value exceeded limits set by ethics rules. The investigation also concluded that several of the officials "frequently consumed alcohol at industry functions, had used cocaine and marijuana, and had sexual relationships with oil and gas company representatives." According to the New York Times, "The reports portray a dysfunctional organization that has been riddled with conflicts of interest, unprofessional behavior and a free-for-all atmosphere for much of the Bush administration’s watch."[8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17]

Chairman of the Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board

In February 2009, U.S. President Barack Obama announced his choice of Devaney to be the Chairman of the Recovery and Accountability Board to oversee the $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. In that role, he was heralded by the national media for ushering in a new era of accountability and transparency in American government.[2][18]

Devaney retired from federal service in December 2011. He currently serves on several corporate and non-profit Boards.[19]

References
  1. U.S. Department of the Interior - Inspector General Earl E. Devaney Biography
  2. Obama picks F&M alum to oversee stimulus plan Archived 2009-02-28 at the Wayback Machine
  3. Prokop, Andrew (May 22, 2014). "Beating the odds". Vox Media. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
  4. Matthew Daly (1 May 2007). "Embattled Interior official resigns post". Associated Press.
  5. New York Times, "U.S. Agency May Reverse 8 Decisions on Wildlife", 21 July 2007
  6. "Investigative Report of the Endangered Species Act and the Conflict Between Science and Policy Redacted" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-12-17. Retrieved 2009-02-25.
  7. Wyden-Requested IG Report on Interior Corruption Uncovers "Contempt for the Public Trust" and "Untold Waste" - Senator praises Devaney's investigation into political interference in ESA decisions. Archived 2009-02-26 at the Wayback Machine
  8. Sex, Drug Use and Graft Cited in Interior Department
  9. Kravitz, Derek (2008-09-11). "Report Says Oil Agency Ran Amok: Interior Dept. Inquiry Finds Sex, Corruption". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2008-09-11.
  10. Savage, Charlie (2008-09-11). "Sex, Drug Use and Graft Cited in Interior Department". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-09-11.
  11. "Oil companies gave sex, drinks, gifts to federal overseers". McClatchy Newspapers. Archived from the original on 2008-09-12. Retrieved 2008-09-11.
  12. "Memorandum [cover letter by inspector general]" (PDF). Retrieved 2008-09-11.
  13. "Investigative Report of Gregory W. Smith (Redacted)" (PDF). The Washington Post. Retrieved 2008-09-11.
  14. "Investigative Report of MMS Oil Marketing Group - Lakewood (Redacted)" (PDF). The Washington Post. Retrieved 2008-09-11.
  15. "Government Officials Tried To Rewrite Ethics Rules To Accommodate Their Partying". Retrieved 2008-09-11.
  16. "Official increased employee's 'performance award' for providing him with cocaine". Retrieved 2008-09-11.
  17. Simon, Dan; David Fitzpatrick (14 October 2008). "Whistleblower: Oil watchdog agency 'cult of corruption'". CNN.
  18. White House Statement on Biden Overseeing Recovery Act
  19. O'Keefe, Ed (2011-12-01). "Stimulus watchdog Earl Devaney stepping down". The Washington Post.
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