ATFM episode 35: Driving progress in audit at the U.S. Navy
Featuring Victoria Crouse, Former Deputy Director, DON Financial Management & Comptroller
In this episode of the "All Things Financial Management" podcast, presented by the Society of Defense Financial Management and Guidehouse, Victoria Crouse, Former Deputy Director, Office of Financial Operations, DON Financial Management and Comptroller, sat down with host Tom Rhoads to discuss the latest ongoings in the financial management space. The pair discuss Victoria’s career trajectory to her role at DON, advice for early careerists and more. Listen to this new episode to gain valuable insight.
Victoria's Story
Victoria Crouse: So, I started my DoD career actually the same year as the CFO Act was passed, although I will admit I did not know what the CFO Act was until many years later. But I started my DoD career straight out of college, working for Defense Contract Audit Agency. I started as a GS-7 auditor at DCAA Sikorsky Resident Office.
And just a fun fact and something that some of our younger folks may be able to relate to these days is on day three of my job there, they had a staff meeting with their regional audit manager, who started out by talking about how the defense industry in Connecticut, where we were located, was on the downturn and therefore, he thought there might be reductions in force in the future. And yet, I lasted 34, almost 35 years before my retirement now.
So, I stayed with the DCAA Sikorsky office for about a year and a half and again, the defense industry was on the down slope at the time. And so there were some openings in the D.C. area and my supervisor at the time saw some promise in me and had a friend who was a regional audit manager in the D.C. area and he called them up and said, "Hey, I think this auditor would be good down in the D.C. area." And so I packed up and moved down to the D.C. area where I've been ever since. So, I spent another about 15 years with DCAA.
So, a total of 17 years I spent or about half of my career with DCAA, moving up the ranks from a GS-7 up to a GS-14. I had a number of jobs or positions within DCAA, both at field level offices. I grew up as a field level auditor and then moved into the DCAA headquarters for a number of years working audit policy. And then ultimately I moved back out into a field office to run one of the DCAA field offices in the D.C. area.