FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Friday, October 23, 2015

The Peace Corps Office of Inspector General Receives Two Awards for Excellence

WASHINGTON, D.C., Oct. 23, 2015 - The Peace Corps Office of Inspector General received two awards for excellence on October 22, 2015 at the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency’s (CIGIE) 18^th Annual Awards Ceremony.

Deputy Inspector General Joaquin Ferrao, former Assistant Inspector General for Evaluations Jim O’Keefe, Assistant Inspector General for Investigations John Warren, Investigator for the U.S. Consulate General Li Bo, former Writer-Editor Lisa Chesnel, former Senior Special Agent Joyce Shores, former Senior Evaluator Susan Gasper, and former Attorney Advisor José Vega received the Multiple Disciplines Award for Excellence for their Investigative Review of the Circumstances Surrounding the Death of a Peace Corps/China Volunteer. CIGIE recognized the inter-disciplinary team’s excellence in investigating and assessing the unusual circumstances of a Volunteer’s death in Peace Corps/China and for making recommendations to improve the medical care of Volunteers.

Former Assistant Inspector General for Evaluations Jim O’Keeffe, Evaluator Kaitlyn Large, former Lead Evaluator Heather Robinson, and former Evaluation Apprentice Ben Simasek received the Evaluations Award for Excellence for their Evaluation of the Peace Corps Overseas Staff Training. CIGIE recognized the evaluation team’s efforts toward improving training for over 2,000 staff worldwide to better support Volunteers and further the Peace Corps mission in more than 60 countries.

Inspector General Kathy A. Buller stated, “I am proud of these two exceptional teams. These awards emphasize the vital work we do and demonstrate that our work is valued within our community of inspectors general.”

The Inspector General Act of 1978, as amended, established offices of inspector general (OIGs) within federal agencies to combat fraud, waste, abuse, and to improve the economy and efficiency of program operations. The inspector general (IG) community has more than 14,000 audit, investigation, inspection, and other professionals.

CIGIE is a statutorily established independent entity within the executive branch representing 72 OIGs in the federal government. CIGIE’s mission is to promote integrity, economy, and effectiveness in government agencies as well as to increase the professionalism and effectiveness of personnel in the community of inspectors general. For more information on the IG community, visit http://www.ignet.gov.

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