Athens, Ga – Inspector General Mark Greenblatt will deliver the annual Getzen Lecture on Government Accountability sponsored by the University of Georgia School of Public and International Affairs and the Department of Public Administration and Policy. Greenblatt’s lecture, “If You Want a Friend, Get a Dog: Oversight in the Age of Twitter” will be delivered at the UGA Special Collections Library on Monday, November 8, 2021 at 1:30 pm and live streamed. The event, which is part of the Provost’s Seminar Series on Academic Excellence, will kick start the University System of Georgia’s Ethics Week. The lecture is free and open to the public.
Mark Lee Greenblatt began his tenure as the Inspector General for the U.S. Department of the Interior on August 26, 2019, after being confirmed by the U.S. Senate. As the Inspector General, Mr. Greenblatt leads a nationwide workforce of more than 270 investigators, auditors, evaluators, attorneys, and support staff. Their mission is to provide independent oversight and promote excellence, integrity, and accountability within the programs, operations, and management of the U.S. Department of the Interior.
Mr. Greenblatt is the senior official responsible for providing oversight of more than 70,000 Department employees and assessing the Department’s diverse programs, which include roughly $10 billion in grants and contracts, $12 billion in natural resource royalties, 30% of the nation’s energy resources, Federal trust responsibilities to 573 Indian tribes and Alaska Native villages, and stewardship of 20% of the nation’s lands.
“We are delighted to be joined by Inspector General Mark Greenblatt whose responsibilities include monitoring and auditing the work of nearly one dozen federal bureaus and agencies, including entities that manage hundreds of millions of acres of public lands,” declares SPIA Dean Matt Auer. “Mr. Greenblatt has outstanding professional experience in all three branches of government, including leadership roles at the local and federal levels. His experience is exemplary for our students who are planning life-long careers in public service.”
Mr. Greenblatt has been in the Federal oversight community since 2003 as part of the legislative and executive branches. Prior to becoming the DOI Inspector General, he served as the executive director of the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE). He previously served in leadership roles at the U.S. Department of Commerce Office of Inspector General (OIG) and the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. Mr. Greenblatt also served as an investigative counsel at the U.S. Department of Justice OIG. Over the course of his Federal career, he has received several awards, including a CIGIE award for excellence, U.S. Department of Commerce gold medal and bronze medals, and a U.S. Department of Justice OIG distinguished service award. On January 1, 2021, Mr. Greenblatt was appointed to serve as the Vice-Chair of CIGIE, leading the Inspector General community’s mission to combat fraud, waste, and mismanagement.
The Getzen Lecture on Government Accountability in UGA’s School of Public and International Affairs is made possible by UGA alumni Katherine Getzen Willoughby (PhD ’91) and Dan Hall Willoughby, Jr. (JD ’86) in honor of her parents, Mrs. Evangeline Sferes Getzen and Dr. Forrest William Getzen, lifelong advocates of public service and education.
Learn more about the lecture and register to attend here.
