Gov. Abigail Spanberger Appoints Daniel Young as New State Inspector General

Seems like a strong pick by Gov. Abigail Spanberger:

Governor Spanberger Appoints New State Inspector General

Spanberger: “The Commonwealth Must Always Work with a Focus on Serving the Public and Protecting Taxpayer Dollars”

RICHMOND, VA — Governor Abigail Spanberger today announced her appointment of Daniel Young to serve as State Inspector General.

The Office of the State Inspector General (OSIG) investigates alleged fraud, waste, and abuse involving Virginia government, conducts performance audits, and performs inspections and reviews of facilities around the Commonwealth. The State Inspector General is appointed to a four-year term by the Governor, subject to confirmation by the General Assembly.

“I am proud to appoint Virginia’s next State Inspector General, Daniel Young, who I know will work hard to make sure our government is working for every Virginian. Mr. Young has a demonstrated record of prosecuting fraud, protecting taxpayers, and holding government accountable,” said Governor Abigail Spanberger. “I would also like to thank former State Inspector General Mike Westfall for his many years of service to our Commonwealth and the dedicated managers within the office who kept the agency’s work going while we found a permanent leader.”

Governor Spanberger continued, “The Commonwealth must always work with a focus on serving the public and protecting taxpayer dollars. I have full faith that Mr. Young will hold our government accountable and maintain the highest standards. I look forward to him getting to work.”

“As a proud Virginian, I am honored to have been entrusted by Governor Spanberger with the responsibility of serving as the next State Inspector General,” said State Inspector General Daniel Young. “I have worked to combat fraud and corruption throughout my career in public service, and I look forward to fighting fraud, waste, and abuse in this new role. The dedicated public servants who work in the Office of the State Inspector General are committed to making government more transparent and more accountable for all Virginians, and it is a privilege to support their efforts.”

BIOGRAPHY

Daniel Young most recently served as an Assistant General Counsel at the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, the organization created by Congress after the collapse of Enron to protect investors and to police the auditing of public companies.

He previously worked at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, where he defended enforcement actions against fraudsters. Daniel spent over five years working in Norfolk and Alexandria as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, where he focused on white-collar crime and appellate matters. He has prosecuted, among other significant cases, an $80 million defense procurement-fraud scheme and a case involving NASA contracting fraud — two award-winning prosecutions recognized for excellence by the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency. He also handled appeals in major cases involving national security, a gang-motivated murder, and crimes against children. After law school, Daniel clerked for two federal judges and worked as a litigator in private practice, maintaining an active pro bono docket that included voting-rights litigation and, after the 2008 financial crisis, representing victims of loan-modification scammers.

Daniel grew up in Hampton Roads as the son of a police officer. He attended Princess Anne High School in Virginia Beach and graduated with Highest Honors from the University of Virginia as a Jefferson Scholar. After college, he received a Jack Kent Cooke Graduate Fellowship and was selected to serve as a fellow at Harvard’s Center for Public Leadership. Daniel holds a law degree from Yale Law School and a Master of Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School.

Daniel married his college sweetheart and lives in Reston, Virginia with his wife and their two sons.