Bob Westbrooks

Robert A. Westbrooks
Executive Director of the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee
In office
April 27, 2020 – December 31, 2022
Preceded bycommittee created
Inspector General of the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation
In office
May, 2015 – April 27, 2020
Deputy Inspector General for the Small Business Administration
In office
2013 – May, 2015
Personal details
Born (1966-04-28) April 28, 1966 (age 58)
Maryland
EducationAmerican University

Robert A. (Bob) Westbrooks is an American attorney and former government executive, certified public accountant, auditor, federal agent, government watchdog, speaker and author. Westbrooks is best known for his work as an inspector general and for the transparency he provided to the American public as executive director of the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (PRAC), an independent committee within the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE).

PRAC was created by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act of 2020, and is charged with overseeing the now-$5 trillion in government spending relief efforts in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, specifically with respect to fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement. As of September 2021, PRAC reported an estimated $100 billion in financial benefits[1] the government distributed were fraudulent, and over $10 billion of the $150 billion given directly to the states[2] for local distribution has yet to be spent. The PRAC provides extensive information related to the government's financial COVID-19 relief efforts on its website, in both interactive and downloadable[3] formats.

Education

Westbrooks earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in justice from American University, and a Juris Doctor from the University of Maryland, Francis King Carey School of Law. After graduating from law school, he was admitted to the Maryland State Bar Association.[4]

Career

Westbrooks began his public career as a U.S. postal inspector at the United States Postal Inspection Service.[5] Westbrooks later worked as a special agent and agency leader at the United States Postal Service, Office of Inspector General, the Office of Inspector General for the Department of Transportation, and the National Archives and Records Administration, Office of Inspector General.[6] He then served as Deputy Inspector General for the Small Business Administration, Office of Inspector General, until 2015.

In May 2015, Westbrooks was appointed Inspector General of the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC). During his tenure of approximately five years, Westbrooks also served on the CIGIE Executive Council. On April 27, 2020, Westbrooks was appointed executive director of the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee .[7][8][9]

Westbrooks retired from the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee in December 2022,[10]

Publications

Books

  • Westbrooks, Bob (2023). Left Holding the Bag: A Watchdog's Account of How Washington Fumbled its COVID Test. Montgomery County, Maryland: Gracie House LLC. ISBN 9798988395300.

References

  1. ^ "Government watchdog finds pandemic relief fraud potentially worth billions". ABC News. Retrieved 2021-10-21.
  2. ^ "State, Local Governments Still Have $10B from COVID Fund". GovTech. 2021-09-22. Retrieved 2021-10-20.
  3. ^ "Interactive Dashboards | Pandemic Oversight". www.pandemicoversight.gov. Retrieved 2021-10-21.
  4. ^ "Robert A. Westbrooks | Potomac Forum". www.potomacforum.org. Retrieved 2020-06-27.
  5. ^ "Robert Westbrooks Appointed PBGC Inspector General | Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation". www.pbgc.gov. Archived from the original on 2020-06-29. Retrieved 2020-06-27.
  6. ^ "Pandemic Response Watchdog Launches Website, Names Executive Director – MeriTalk". Retrieved 2020-06-27.
  7. ^ "Robert A. Westbrooks | Pandemic Response Accountability Committee". pandemic.oversight.gov. Retrieved 2020-06-27.
  8. ^ Cheney, Kyle (27 April 2020). "Federal watchdogs name top staffer to oversee pandemic response". Politico. Retrieved 2020-06-27.
  9. ^ Beavers, Olivia (2020-04-27). "Top government watchdog names new official to government's coronavirus oversight panel". The Hill. Retrieved 2020-06-27.
  10. ^ "PRAC announces retirement of Executive Director Robert A. Westbrooks" (Press release). Pandemic Response Accountability Committee. October 25, 2022. Retrieved November 17, 2023.