Gordon S. Heddell (born August 13, 1943, in

St Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

) is a former

Inspector General An inspector general is an investigative official in a civil or military organization. The plural of the term is "inspectors general". Australia The Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security (Australia) (IGIS) is an independent statutory off ...

(IG) of the

United States Department of Defense The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD or DOD) is an executive branch department of the federal government charged with coordinating and supervising all agencies and functions of the government directly related to national secu ...

. Previously, Heddell also served as Inspector General for the

Department of Labor The Ministry of Labour ('' UK''), or Labor ('' US''), also known as the Department of Labour, or Labor, is a government department responsible for setting labour standards, labour dispute mechanisms, employment, workforce participation, training, a ...

Early government experience

Heddell began his government service as a

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

chief warrant officer Chief warrant officer is a military rank used by the United States Armed Forces, the Canadian Armed Forces, the Pakistan Air Force, the Israel Defense Forces, the South African National Defence Force, the Lebanese Armed Forces and, since 2012, th ...

and

helicopter pilot A helicopter pilot manipulates the helicopter flight controls to achieve and maintain controlled aerodynamic flight. Changes to the aircraft flight control system transmit mechanically to the rotor, producing aerodynamic effects on the rotor bla ...

, serving in both

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

and

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

during the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

. After leaving the military, he served as a special agent in the

United States Secret Service The United States Secret Service (USSS or Secret Service) is a federal law enforcement agency under the Department of Homeland Security charged with conducting criminal investigations and protecting U.S. political leaders, their families, and ...

for 28 years. While with the Secret Service, Heddell served as special agent-in-charge of the Vice Presidential Protective Division, leading and managing the physical protection of the

Vice President of the United States The vice president of the United States (VPOTUS) is the second-highest officer in the executive branch of the U.S. federal government, after the president of the United States, and ranks first in the presidential line of succession. The vice ...

. He eventually rose to the position of assistant director for inspections, serving as a key advisor to the director, providing advice and counsel on all facets of Secret Service leadership and operations.

Inspector general service

From 2001 to 2008, Heddell served as inspector general of the U.S. Department of Labor, where he led efforts to combat labor racketeering and organized crime in the workplace; fraud against the Foreign Labor Certification Program; and weaknesses in the Mine Safety and Health Administration. Heddell was sworn in as the seventh inspector general for the Department of Defense on July 14, 2009, one year after being appointed as acting inspector general. Heddell is responsible for directing audits, investigations, and inspections, and for developing audit and investigative policy in the largest federal office of Inspector General, with a workforce of over 1,600 and an annual budget exceeding $300 million. In this capacity, Heddell provides oversight of all the programs and operations of the Department of Defense and military services, including ongoing military operations in

Southwest Asia Western Asia, West Asia, or Southwest Asia, is the westernmost subregion of the larger geographical region of Asia, as defined by some academics, UN bodies and other institutions. It is almost entirely a part of the Middle East, and includes Anat ...

. In 2010, Heddell directed and led the Department of Defense oversight efforts that achieved $6.4 billion in monetary benefits and investigative recoveries, and conducted criminal investigations resulting in 281 indictments and 245 convictions. As inspector general, Heddell served on the executive committee of the federal Council of Inspectors General for Integrity and Efficiency, chaired the Information Technology Committee, and was editor-in-chief of the Journal of Public Inquiry. Heddell was also the chair of the Defense Council on Integrity and Efficiency and served as the chair of the Interagency Coordination Group of Inspectors General for Guam Realignment.

Recognition

Heddell is a recipient of the Meritorious Presidential Rank Award for outstanding government service. He was also selected by the University of Illinois Alumni Association as its recipient of the 2009 Alumni Achievement Award for alumni of the University of Illinois at Springfield.University of Illinois Alumni Association. 2009 Alumni Award
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Education

Heddell received his bachelor's degree from the

University of Missouri-St. Louis A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

, his master's degree from

Sangamon State University The University of Illinois Springfield (UIS) is a public university in Springfield, Illinois. The university was established in 1969 as Sangamon State University by the Illinois General Assembly and became a part of the University of Illinois s ...

(today known as the University of Illinois at Springfield), and was a Woodrow Wilson public service fellow from 1994 to 2000. Heddell graduated at the top of his Treasury Federal Law Enforcement Academy class. Heddell created a partnership between the Secret Service and two inner city

Washington D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, Na ...

public schools.

References

External links