Acting GAO chief grew up in Monessen

A former Monessen resident has been named Acting Comptroller General of the United States.

Gene L. Dodaro, a 1969 graduate of Belle Vernon Area High School, was named to the post March 13, when Comptroller General David Walker stepped down.

Dodaro heads the 3,100-person Government Accountability Office, an independent nonpartisan agency in the legislative branch.

When Dodaro was named to the post, Walker described Dodaro as "one of the most capable civil servants in the federal government."

Dodaro will head the GAO until President Bush nominates and the Senate confirms a successor from a list of candidates proposed by Congress.

Dodaro is the son of Jim and Betty Dodaro, formerly of Monessen and Belle Vernon and now residents of Aliquippa in Beaver County.

Dodaro began working with the GAO in 1973, after graduating from Lycoming College in Williamsport. Dodaro has served in a number of key positions, including chief operating officer for the past nine years.

Dodaro assisted Walker and also was in charge of developing and issuing hundreds of reports and testimony on various issues for Congress each year.

Dodaro directed GAO's high-risk program, which proposed solutions to major management challenges and risks across the federal government.

Until 1999, he headed the Accounting and Information Management Division. In that capacity, Dodaro helped the government deal with the Year 2000 computer challenge. He also provided a key role in improving computer security throughout all branches and agencies of the federal government.

Dodaro also led management reviews of the Department of Justice, the Office of Management and Budget, the Internal Revenue Service and the Office of Personnel Management.

He and his wife, the former Joan McCabe, reside in Alexandria, Va. They are the parents of three grown children.