Lynne Moritz, MACM

After working for 22 years as a government auditor, I was able to take all that knowledge and experience to launch my own woman-owned consulting firm. During my time with the government, I always felt frustrated because I had to stay objective as an auditor - I could only tell contractors what they did wrong, but I couldn't help them fix things. I always wanted to be able to help the actual contractor understand what they need to do and why and how, because a lot of companies don't know the ins and outs of what auditors look for. Now I have the opportunity to help my clients navigate the complex landscape of government compliance, which I'm very passionate about. Starting out on the government side was a real big help, because then you're learning exactly what the federal regulations are - that's your job. People in the corporate world look to those of us with government experience as having more knowledge, just because we have that insider knowledge.

I wish I had had some career advice when I was starting out. I wish I had known about all the opportunities that were out there. It's not something that you would see at career days or career centers. I would advise someone who's not sure where they want to go to really get to know what's out there, because I wish I had known what was out there when I was younger. After working overseas, I realized I probably would have leaned towards State Department work, but I didn't even know that was a thing when I was younger. I think career centers and career days where people go out and learn about different fields are really good for young people looking at where they're heading. The best advice I can give is to be open to new opportunities and flexible enough to take different paths, because there are so many different pieces and paths in this field.

I would say the best place to start is working in the government in some positions, so that you can learn the federal regulations - that becomes your job. Starting out on the government side was a real big help, because then you're learning exactly what the rules are. If you wanted to transfer into the field of consulting or working in a corporation, that government experience is invaluable. People in the corporate world look to those with government experience as having more knowledge, just because they have that insider knowledge. There are so many ways to get into this field - a lot of the women I work with only got involved because they had audits by the government, and they learned what to do, what not to do, and how to follow the rules based on that. But I would say starting with the government, whether it's the audit agency or a management agency, gives you the strongest foundation.

There are a lot of challenges right now because of the changes that the administration has made and is making. Regulations are changing, and keeping up with those changes on a daily basis in some situations is a definite challenge. It's kind of always been this way, because every time the administration changes, certain things change - regulations don't usually change as quickly as they are right now, but there are different things like funding issues with the government and what the government is looking to buy versus what contractors are looking to provide. In times of war, there are many different products needed, and in times of peace, those changes become challenging in this career. As for opportunities, I see a real opportunity in getting the word out to contractors that they don't have to wait until they're in trouble with an audit. They can be proactive in their compliance. If they're heading into work with the government, they should be proactive and learn. The opportunity is on the contracting side for them to understand what they need and learn and get ready, and on my side, to help those people understand and learn and get prepared.

I value accountability above all - both in working with clients and in my personal life. In my work, there's accountability on both my side to perform on an engagement that gets clients to where they need to be, and on the contractor side, the accountability to provide the data that we need to do that work. In my personal life, I also value accountability - if somebody says they're going to do something, or says they're going to meet me somewhere, I expect them to follow through. Honesty is equally important to me, both in my professional work and in my personal relationships. Beyond work, I value time to travel, hike, do photography, and learn different languages. I love to travel - I lived overseas in Israel for 10 years with the agency, and I try to make trips once every year or two. I also enjoy scuba diving (I'm a dive master), gardening, and hiking in the winter when it's not too hot here in Phoenix.