WASHINGTON – The Peace Corps won its 11^th consecutive Certificate of Excellence in Accountability Reporting (CEAR) award for its proven track record of financial transparency. The Association of Government Accountants (AGA) presents the CEAR award to federal agencies annually for producing high-quality Performance and Accountability Reports or Agency Financial Reports. The agency will be honored in a ceremony this evening.

“As a federal agency, we answer to the American people – a responsibility we take seriously at the Peace Corps,” says newly appointed Chief Financial Officer Richard Swarttz. “I am proud to join a team that is committed to better reporting year over year. I thank both Andrew Pierce and Paul Shea for demonstrating strong leadership during their respective terms as Acting Chief Financial Officer.”

For its creativity and innovative thinking in financial reporting, the Peace Corps is also the proud recipient of several special awards for agencies that go above and beyond reporting requirements. The Peace Corps was recognized with “Best Presentation of Performance,” “Most Creative and Innovative Report,” and “Most Comprehensive and Candid Presentation of Forward-Looking Information” in fiscal years 2014-2016. This year’s award-winning FY 2017 agency financial report is available here.   

The CEAR award program was started by the AGA to encourage and incentivize federal agencies to make the best use of taxpayer dollars by continuously striving to strengthen reporting. Congress, the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, the U.S. Department of the Treasury, and the U.S. General Accounting Office consider this notable award a clear validation of government agencies’ accountability.