GAO’s Karl Maschino Joins the Faculty at Carnegie Mellon University’s Heinz College

Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) announced today that Karl Maschino, the Chief Administrative Officer and Chief Financial Officer of the Government Accountability Office, will join the faculty of CMU’s Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy in August 2024 as a Distinguished Service Professor.

“We are excited to have our distinguished alumnus Karl join the Heinz College team,” said Ramayya Krishnan, Dean of Heinz College. “His deep knowledge, hands-on experience, and proven leadership working in the U.S. Government will be a tremendous asset to our students and CMU community.”

In this position, Maschino will bring his expertise and decades of experience in policy analysis, policy implementation, and management as well as practical navigation of the Washington, D.C. policy ecosystem to the classroom in Pittsburgh, PA and Washington, D.C. He has been an adjunct instructor at Heinz College since 2020 and has received the Meritorious Service Award from the Heinz College Alumni Association Board in 2021.

Maschino previously served as the Chief Administrative Officer and Chief Financial Officer and the Co-Chief Risk Officer of the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), a position he has held since 2014. He led agency operations, including information technology, finance, budget, human capital, training, labor relations, facility management, security, and field operations for approximately 3,500 staff in Washington, D.C. and 11 field offices across the country. Maschino led several important initiatives at the GAO including establishing the first Enterprise Risk Management Program. He served as the Agency’s first Co-Chief Risk Officer as well as Co-Chair of the Executive Resource Board and Co-Chair of the Continuous Process Improvement Leadership Board. Maschino also served as the Chair of the Pandemic Task Force ensuring that GAO operations transitioned during an unprecedented time. He has been recognized with numerous awards including two Comptroller General Awards.

“I am grateful for the opportunity to join Heinz College in this capacity,” said Maschino. “Seated at the intersection of technology and public policy, Heinz College is uniquely positioned to develop the next generation of leaders in this important space. I look forward to working with the students, faculty, and staff.”

Prior to GAO, Maschino served as a career member of the Senior Executive Service at the U.S Department of Justice as the Executive Officer for the Criminal Division. Other roles at the Division included Principal Deputy Executive Officer, and Director of Resource Planning and Evaluation. Maschino began working at the Justice Department as a Presidential Management Fellow for the Justice Management Division’s Budget Staff, and served detail assignments as the Appropriations Liaison Officer for the Department, and as a Program Examiner at the Office of Management and Budget, International Affairs Branch.

Prior to government service, Maschino worked in sustainable economic development, international higher education, city government, and nonprofit settings, most recently as a Program Officer for The Asia Foundation in San Francisco, CA.

Maschino is a graduate of Heinz College, the McIntire School of Commerce at the University of Virginia, and Indiana University, Bloomington. He is a Certified Government Financial Manager and was elected as a Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration in 2017.