Hello Valley Patriot Readers,
Last Wednesday, surrounded by family and friends, I was sworn in as your State Auditor at Methuen High School, my alma mater, where I had the opportunity to share my audit plan. As Auditor, I am excited to collaborate with communities and stakeholders to increase access, accountability, and equity for greater transparency across our state government.
Representation across Massachusetts matters. My office is committed to representing all communities. Every resident from our seniors and children to our veterans and those with disabilities deserve equitable access to programs and services. As I’ve shared in my audit plan, our audits will evaluate state programs, universities, agencies, and boards to properly identify and provide recommendations to address barriers to access, inefficiencies in data collection, and improper spending to avoid instances of fraud, waste, or mismanagement of funds.
I will continue to work alongside all of you to engage experts to strengthen and inform audit topics. Our goal is to ensure that audit reports are rooted in lived experiences so that our recommendations drive meaningful action.
When the term “audit” is heard, many tend to think about financial auditing, which is critical to ensuring our tax dollars are spent wisely. But the Auditor’s Office also has the ability to conduct performance audits to evaluate and determine whether processes and procedures are operating to serve every resident.
By conducting performance audits, we will provide state agencies and organizations with a detailed analysis, and recommend areas to improve accessibility to information and efficiency to services for everyday working families across the Merrimack Valley.
Thank you for the incredible opportunity to continue working alongside you in this new role.
Please feel free to contact me anytime via email at auditor@sao.state.ma.us or phone at (617) 727-2075. If you’re ever at the State House, I hope you’ll stop by and visit our team in room 230!
Yours in service,
Diana ◊