John Hutton

Mr. John Hutton is the Deputy 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. Mr. Hutton supports the Center Director in overseeing the operations and management of Center projects and activities. His responsibilities include conducting outreach with domestic and international organizations to discuss and develop Center projects; assisting with the design and delivery of Center training courses and technical assistance services; and developing and supporting Center business processes.

Mr. Hutton served the Government Accountability Office (GAO) for nearly 35 years, most recently as a Director for the Acquisition and Sourcing Management Team. In this capacity, he provided direct support to congressional committees and members on a range of acquisition and sourcing issues aimed at improving the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security and other federal agencies' ability to buy products and services efficiently and effectively. Such support included testifying before Congress as an expert witness nearly two dozen times on his work. Throughout his career, he planned, supervised, and executed performance audits on a wide range of issues that led to numerous reports, testimonies, and recommendations for improving federal agency programs and activities. Prior to his appointment to the Senior Executive Service, he led reviews on such diverse issues as Iraq and Afghanistan reconstruction, U.S.-Mexico border infrastructure, US and international efforts to combat AIDS, the promotion of U.S. exports, and tax policy and administration. Mr. Hutton also served in GAO’s European Office in Frankfurt, Germany, where he traveled and focused largely on defense and foreign affairs issues. In conducting and leading performance audits, Mr. Hutton ensured that all work performed was conducted with competence, integrity, objectivity, and independence as prescribed by the Generally Accepted Government Auditing Standards. Mr. Hutton also served as an Adjunct Faculty member at GAO helping to develop internal training courses and delivering training in the areas of report message development and review, as well as preparing for testimony.

Mr. Hutton received a Masters in National Security Strategy from the National War College, a Masters Degree in Public Administration from Syracuse University’s Maxwell School, and a Bachelor of Arts, Public Administration, from American International College. He also attended the Senior Executive Fellows Program at Harvard and MIT’s Seminar XXI on Foreign Politics, International Relations, and the National Interest.

Mr. Hutton has received numerous awards at GAO for outstanding performance, including GAO’s Distinguished Service Award and Meritorious Service Award. He also received the 2014 Syracuse University Maxwell School Public Administration Alumni Award.