Assistant Inspector General for Audit Operations & Special Reviews

Charles A. (Chuck) Ward

As Assistant Inspector General for Audit Operations and Special Reviews, Mr. Ward is responsible for the range of work impacting DOT OIG audit production, policies, processes, and practices, as well as also conduct reviews using OIG and outside technical experts, and selected assessments that are organizationally and programmatic cross-cutting in nature. 

Mr. Ward has over 35 years of combined Federal service with the DOT OIG, the Government Accountability Office (GAO), and the United States Navy. With DOT OIG, Mr. Ward has served in Washington, DC, headquarters, as well as in OIG’s Seattle Regional Office, since 2002. Prior to joining OIG, Mr. Ward spent 15 years with GAO in Washington, D.C. During his GAO and OIG career, he led dozens of performance audits of federally funded acquisition and grant programs to identify ways to improve the economy, efficiency, and effectiveness of program management,  and made numerous recommendations for improving program outcomes. The work of  Mr. Ward’s teams has resulted in hundreds of millions of dollars in funds put to better use in DOD, DOT, and FAA programs. Since his appointment to the Senior Executive Service in 2015, Mr. Ward also served as the Assistant Inspector General for Aviation Audits where he oversaw OIG aviation reviews with an emphasis on airport grant funding, FAA acquisition and procurement, aviation safety and program management.   

Mr. Ward has Bachelor’s and Master's degrees in Government and Politics from the University of Maryland at College Park, which he attended after service in the U.S. Navy.