Katherine (Kate) Siggerud

Ms. Katherine (Kate) Siggerud is the Director of the Center for Audit Excellence, an organization at GAO whose mission is to build institutional auditing capacity and promote good governance by providing high quality training, technical assistance, and related services to domestic and international accountability organizations. As Director of the Center, Ms. Siggerud is responsible for leading the development of Center training and technical assistance services and projects; developing relationships and partnerships with domestic and international organizations with similar goals to build institutional audit capacity; recruiting and supervising Center staff; and developing and implementing sound business processes and internal controls to manage Center activities.

Ms. Siggerud has extensive experience leading audits.  From 2017 to 2021, Ms. Siggerud served as Chief Operating Officer for GAO, assisting the Comptroller General in providing leadership and vision for the organization. She was responsible for day-to-day management to ensure that GAO effectively supported Congress in meeting its constitutional responsibilities. Ms. Siggerud oversaw the development of hundreds of reports and testimonies to Congress each year.  

From 2012 to 2017, Ms. Siggerud served as GAO’s Managing Director for Congressional Relations.  She oversaw GAO’s receipt and management of hundreds of requests and statutory requirements from Congress for reports every year. She and her staff worked directly with Congressional Committees and Members as the liaison between GAO and the Congress.

From 2003 to 2011, Ms. Siggerud served as an executive in GAO’s Physical Infrastructure Team, where she oversaw GAO’s engagements in areas such as transportation, telecommunications, the United States Postal Service, and federal management of government real property. Notable efforts included managing GAO’s oversight of aid that Congress designated to state and local governments to respond to the Great Recession. She also was one of the original developers of GAO’s annual reports on overlap, duplication and fragmentation among federal programs.   

During her career Ms. Siggerud testified regularly before Congress and appeared on numerous television and radio programs to discuss GAO’s work. Ms. Siggerud received a Master of Arts degree from the Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota. 

Ms. Siggerud has received such awards as the Comptroller General’s award in 2012 and 2020, the Public Leadership Award from the Humphrey School, and the Alumni Leadership Award from the University of Minnesota. She is a Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration.