Internal Review Office Chief, Liz Suarez, of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah District, was recently selected as the George A. Sullivan Award recipient due to her efforts during hurricane disaster recovery operations, where she ensured improvements for the Blue Roof missions were implemented and for her fieldwork to improve operations during debris missions.
Suarez joined the Army Corps of Engineers in May of 2023 and soon after her arrival, she volunteered to join the Internal Review Emergency Management Cadre to support disaster recovery operations.
“Ms. Suarez was not only available to support these missions, but she was highly effective and earned the respect from leadership and management,” said Don Han Paul Lee, USACE South Atlantic Division Internal Review, in the award package. “She quickly became a subject matter expert in IR emergency response missions and will continue to add value to the USACE IR as she mentors and trains others. She is deserving of this award!”
Suarez’ efforts ultimately had an impact on how the Army Corps of Engineers supports communities during disaster recoveries.
“I feel truly honored to be recognized with this award,” said Suarez. “It is both humbling and rewarding to be able to contribute in a meaningful way, especially during times of crisis when our work has a direct impact on communities.”
During her first deployment to Florida in support of Hurricane Milton, Suarez successfully evaluated remote quality assurance assessments methodology, and tested internal controls to ensure recommendations from Hurricane Ian were implemented to the process to improve efficiencies and effectiveness.
“I’m grateful for the support of my colleagues and leadership,” said Suarez. “I look forward to continuing to grow, mentor others, and contribute to USACE’s vital mission.”
Suarez also volunteered to support disaster recovery operations supporting 10 counties within Georgia for the Hurricane Helene Debris Mission. While on the team, she sampled contractor bills for overpayment and finalized the evaluation that was performed by a previous internal review auditor. Suarez also completed fieldwork and prepared the final report which included multiple recommendations for future missions, enabling the Sacramento District Debris Planning Response Team to improve operations.
“Being able to support emergency missions like Hurricane Milton and Hurricane Helene not only gave me the opportunity to apply my skills, but also to collaborate with dedicated, passionate, and caring professionals,” Suarez emphasized. “Receiving this award reinforces that hard work, long hours, and commitment to continuous improvement really does make a difference.”
According to the Chief Audit Executive’s Honorary Awards Program, the award is named for George A. Sullivan who served with distinction in multiple audit roles across federal agencies. He served as the acting deputy administrative assistance to the Secretary of the Army as well as chief audit executive at the Office of the Administrative Assistant for the U.S. Army, Defense Finance Accounting Service, and U.S. Army Special Operations Command. He also served as part of the USACE rehired annuitant cadre, where he was as an audit subject matter expert for disaster response and recovery efforts.