Statement by U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona on the Confirmation of  Sandra Bruce as the Department's Inspector General

Archived Information

Statement by U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona on the Confirmation of  Sandra Bruce as the Department's Inspector General

December 3, 2021

U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona issued the following statement on today's Senate confirmation of Sandra Bruce as Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Education.

"The U.S. Department of Education has long benefited from Sandra Bruce's integrity and years of experience as a leader in the federal government, and I am thrilled that she has been confirmed to serve as the agency's inspector general." "Sandra will be an asset in the continued promotion of efficiency, effectiveness, and economy in all Department programs and resources. I look forward to her continued work to advance our mission in service of students, educators, and families across the country."

About Sandra Bruce

Sandra D. Bruce, is a results-oriented leader with more than 30 years of experience directing, overseeing, managing, and conducting complex audit, inspections, and investigative-related programs. Bruce joined the U.S. Department of Education Office of Inspector General (OIG) in 2014 as Deputy Inspector General and has been leading the office since 2018 when Inspector General Kathleen S. Tighe retired.

Prior to joining OIG, Bruce was the Assistant Inspector General for Inspections at the U.S. Department of Energy, a position she also held at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency from 2006 to 2009. From 1997 to 2006, Bruce was a leader with the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General, directing its Law Enforcement and Postal Service Security unit and its Computer Assisted Audit Techniques unit. From 1986 to 1997, Bruce was with the U.S. Army Audit Agency, where she began her public service career as an auditor, rising to an Audit Supervisor and Associate Program Director. Bruce was also a Legislative Fellow for Senator Carl Levin.

Bruce has received numerous awards for her work, including a Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE) Award for Excellence, Distinguished Achievement Awards, Exceptional Performance Award, and is a recipient of the Excellence in Government Leadership Award presented by the Association of Government Accountants-Philadelphia Chapter. Bruce is active in the inspector general community, currently serving as a member of Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (PRAC) where she chairs the PRAC's Government Accountability Office and State and Local Oversight Subcommittee and is a member of the PRAC's Financial Sector Work Group. Bruce also serves as chair of the CIGIE Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Work Group, and is a member of the CIGIE Audit Committee and CIGIE Information Technology Committee. Bruce previously served on the CIGIE Deputy Inspector General Work Group and the Intelligence Community Inspector General's Assistant Inspectors General for Inspections Work Group.

Bruce earned her Master of Science in Information Systems from Hawaii Pacific University and her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in Accounting from Fayetteville State University. She graduated from Indian River High School in her home state of Delaware.

On June 11, 2021, Bruce was nominated by President Biden to be the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Education. She was confirmed for the position by the U.S. Senate on December 2, 2021.