Breaking: April Stephenson out as DCAA Director

UPDATE: Full story now on FederalTimes.com. Click here.

Embattled Defense Contract Audit Agency director April Stephenson was removed from her post earlier today, the Defense Department has announced.

Stephenson, who was spent her entire career at DCAA, was reassigned to the staff of DoD Comptroller Robert Hale. Hale, who oversees DCAA, replaced her with Army Auditor General Patrick Fitzgerald, said Navy Cmdr. Darryn James, a Pentagon spokesman. Fitzgerald takes over Nov. 9.

The move was announced during an internal teleconference at 2 p.m. today. Following the teleconference DCAA staff was notified via email, James said.

Fitzgerald was chosen to take over the reformation of DCAA because he has “a fresh perspective and new ideas,” James said.

Stephenson’s leadership of DCAA has been dominated by the fallout from two Government Accountability Office reports that found auditors there cut corners, changed audit findings to be favorable to contractors without good cause, and rushed audits to completion to meet cost and management pressures.

At a hearing earlier this year, lawmakers on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs committee expressed concern over whether someone with a long history inside DCAA could effectively reform it.

More to come soon on FederalTimes.com.