GAO’s Orice Williams Brown — ‘When she speaks, people listen’

Congress

GAO’s Orice Williams Brown — ‘When she speaks, people listen’

The Partnership for Public Service named Orice Williams Brown, the managing director of GAO's Financial Markets and Community Investment, a finalist for a 2013 ...

Michael O'Connell@moconnellWFED

June 10, 2013 12:25 pm

2 min read

wfedstaff | April 17, 2015 5:04 pm

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As the managing director for the Government Accountability Office’s Financial Markets and Community Investment section, Orice Williams Brown has provided Congress with impartial analysis, oversight and recommendations on the implementation of new laws and economic recovery programs.

Over the last few years, Brown has made recommendations to improve the $700 billion Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) and the Wall Street regulatory reform law, as well as other initiatives.

“Orice is a strategic thinker,” said Patricia Dalton, GAO’s chief operating officer. “She’s good at perceiving what the issues are, determining the most important information and developing recommendations that are practical and will have the greatest impact. When she speaks, people listen.”

For her work, the Partnership for Public Service named Brown a finalist for the 2013 Service to America Medals in the Career Achievement category, which honors a federal employee who has made significant achievements during a lifetime of public service.

Brown was recently interviewed on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin and Emily Kopp. She also answered the following questions about herself and her career in the federal government.

What three words best describe your leadership philosophy?
Open, empathetic and hard charging.

What’s the best piece of advice (or words of wisdom) you’ve ever received and who gave it to you?
To always include in your inner circle people who will keep you grounded and will call you out when necessary — Johnny Finch, a retired GAO assistant comptroller general.

Who is your biggest role model and why?
My two older sisters (Tracy and Donna). Both are forces to be reckoned with in their own right and professionally. They modeled what hard work and dedication can accomplish.

What’s the last thing you read and what’s next on your reading list?
I’m currently reading Sheila Bair’s “Bull by the Horns” and next on my list is Dan Brown’s “Inferno.”

The Career Achievement Medal is just one of the Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medals (Sammies) presented annually by the Partnership for Public Service. View a gallery of all the Sammies nominees here.