The Aud Pod

Latest Episodes:

Public Schools Audits: How SAO Provides Oversight of Funds Affecting More Than 1 Million Students Aug 26, 2026

Show notes

In this episode of The Aud Pod, the exclusive podcast fromthe Office of the Washington State Auditor, we explore an area that touches nearly every community in our state: our public schools.

We talk with Sara Heath, SAO’s Program Manager for our School Programs and Assessments team—the group responsible for auditing school districts, public charter schools, and tribal compact schools.

Listen in and learn how Sara’s team helps ensure that thepublic has a window into how its dollars are being used to fund education and provide services for more than 1 million students across the state—and be sure staytuned ’til the very end for Sara’s key to baking success!

As always you can visit SAO’s website at sao.wa.gov for moredetails on how we serve the public and as always, if you have a question, topic suggestion or other feedback for the Aud Pod, send us an email at ⁠⁠webmaster@sao.wa.gov⁠⁠.

Thanks for listening!

Ten Questions With…Sonya Singh, SAO’s IT Systems Assistant Audit Manager Jun 23, 2026

Show notes

In this episode of the Aud Pod we like to call “Ten Questions With…” you’ll get to know Sonya Singh, SAO’s IT Systems Assistant Audit Manager, through her thoughtful responses to 10 questions.

Sonya discusses her career journey, the challenges andrewards of working for the State Auditor’s Office, what motivates her to serve the public, and drops a few fun insights you won’t find on a LinkedIn profile.

Visit SAO’s website at sao.wa.gov for more details on how weserve the public and as always, if you have a question, topic suggestion or other feedback for the Aud Pod, send us an email at ⁠⁠webmaster@sao.wa.gov⁠⁠.

Thanks for listening!

The cornerstone of accountability: government annual filing Apr 13, 2026

Show notes

For more than 100 years local governments in our state have filed their annual financial reports with what is now the Office of the Washington State Auditor. It’s a process that takes place ‘behind the scenes’ to most Washingtonians, but one that has far-reaching effects for government transparency and accountability.

Why does this matter and how does it affect the residents of our state? Luckily for you, this episode of the Aud Pod features someone who can tell us: Stacie Tellers, Program Manager for SAO’s Local Government Services.

You may visit SAO’s website at sao.wa.gov for more details on how we serve the public and as always, if you have a question, topic suggestion or other feedback for the Aud Pod, send us an email at ⁠⁠webmaster@sao.wa.gov⁠⁠.

Thanks for listening!

By The Numbers: SAO Facts and Figures for Fiscal Year 2025 Feb 05, 2026

Show notes

The Office of the Washington State Auditor was really, really busy in fiscal year 2025 publishing 2,967 audits, fielding 692 submissions to its Citizen Hotline and much more.

In this episode of the Aud Pod, the State Auditor’s exclusive podcast, Deputy State Auditor Kelly Collins goes into more detail about those numbers and several more, to provide a fascinating look at the breadth of SAO’s work and community outreach for the year.

Thanks for listening!

SAO Testimonial: Cyber Checkup Service Jan 05, 2026

Show notes

What do local governments think of the free, award-winning cyber checkup service from the Office of the Washington State Auditor?

We asked City of Port Townsend's Network Administrator, David Olsen, that very same question! Hear what he had to say in this episode of the Aud Pod as he shares his thoughts with SAO’s Cybersecurity Specialist, Daniel Mann.

David and the City were one of the first local governments to receive our cyber checkup analysis, and he shares valuable insight on the process, results, and whether he’d recommend it to other governments.

SAO’s cyber checkups provide a fast, free and independent assessment of a government’s vulnerability to common threats, along with actionable steps to help improve its overall cyber health.

The program was recognized with an Excellence in Accountability Award from the National State Auditors Association (NSAA) in 2024 and has helped nearly 100 governments since its inception.

You can find more information online at https://sao.wa.gov/becybersmart.

As always, if you have a question, topic suggestion or other feedback, send us an email at ⁠⁠webmaster@sao.wa.gov⁠⁠. Thanks for listening!

Fighting fraud in government: How SAO’s efforts help protect public resources Nov 12, 2025

Show notes

In Washington state, governments lose on average $52,000 per fraud incident. From 2021 through October 2025, the Office of the Washington State Auditor investigated and reported on more than $6 million in misappropriated funds, and reviewed cases totaling another $14 million in cyber-related losses.

In his episode of the Aud Pod, we talk with a key player helping lead the fight against fraud in government: Brandi Pritchard, SAO’s Assistant Director of Special Investigations.

With 20+ years of experience at SAO, Brandi brings a wealth of expertise and insight to the conversation which explores emerging trends, the types of people that commit fraud, the reasons why they commit fraud, and resources governmentscan use to help detect and deter the misappropriation of public funds.

The fraud-prevention resources mentioned in our podcast can be found at https://sao.wa.gov/fraud

As always, if you have a question, topic suggestionor other feedback, send us an email at ⁠webmaster@sao.wa.gov⁠⁠. Thanks for listening!

State Auditor Pat McCarthy radio interview highlights on KONA 610 Oct 23, 2025

Show notes

In October 2025 State Auditor Pat McCarthy stopped by NewsRadio KONA 610 serving the mid-Columbia region of Washington state to appear with hosts Robb Francis and John McKay on their radio program, “The Bottom Line.”

This special edition of The Aud Pod features highlights from their wide-ranging discussion covering several areas including:

· The importance of independent auditing in the role of government

· Issues and challenges facing auditing shops across the country

· Auditor McCarthy’s work as President of the National State Auditors Association (NSAA)

· An overview of how SAO investigates a suspected misuse of public funds

· SAO’s resources and tools to help local governments run more efficiently and effectively, and detect and deter fraud.

You can learn more about the services and resources the Office of the Washington State Auditor offers to help local governments at https://www.sao.wa.gov/improving-government/center-government-innovation

As always, if you have a question, topic suggestion or other feedback, send us an email at ⁠⁠webmaster@sao.wa.gov⁠⁠.Thanks for listening!

Free cyber checkups: reducing risk for local governments Oct 01, 2025

Show notes

Local governments are increasingly becoming attractivetargets for cyber criminals because of the vast amounts of sensitive data they maintain about employees, infrastructure and their residents.

That’s why SAO’s Center for Government Innovation offers a host of cybersecurity resources andservices highlighted by its unique cyber checkup program.

The Center’s cyber checkups provide a fast, free andindependent assessment of a government’s vulnerability to common threats, along with actionable steps to help improve its overall cyber health.

The program was recognized with an Excellence in Accountability Award from the National State Auditors Association (NSAA) in 2024, and has helped nearly 100 governments since its inception.

In this episode of the Aud Pod we talk with Daniel Mann and Scott Woelfle, who have been instrumental in creating and running the free cyber checkup program from the start. Listen in and learn how easy it is to participate, how much itcosts (hint: nothing for local governments), and how it’s been received by clients who’ve gone through the process. You can find more information online at https://sao.wa.gov/becybersmart.

As always, if you have a question, topic suggestion or otherfeedback, send us an email at ⁠⁠webmaster@sao.wa.gov⁠⁠.

Thanks for listening!

The 4-1-1 on police use of deadly force investigation audits Aug 18, 2025

Show notes

Did you know the Office of the Washington State Auditor systematically audits every local investigation into police use of deadly force? In fact, we were the first state auditor’s office in the country to do so, starting in the fall of 2022.Our work continues today, and two of our experts who specialize in these audits are on The Aud Pod to explain these unique reports: the principles behind them, what they reveal, and how they benefit Washingtonians. Join host Adam Wilson, along with SAO auditors Michael Huynh and Breanna Perry, for an educational and informative discussion about this little-known aspect of the State Auditor’s Office.As always, if you have a question, topic suggestion or other feedback, send us an email at ⁠⁠webmaster@sao.wa.gov⁠⁠. Thanks for listening!

We help government (it's true!) Jul 07, 2025

Show notes

In addition to promoting fiscal responsibility in government through our audits of local and state governments, our Office also provides valuable help for governments. The Center for Government Innovation (a.k.a. the Center) is a special service of the Washington State Auditor’s Office that provides free resources, guides and services to help local governments run more efficiently and effectively.

In essence, the Center provides tools to help governments help the people they serve.

In this episode of the Aud Pod we talk with Debbie Pennick, the Center’s Assistant Director, who gives us the rundown of how the Center came about, what it does, and how local governments and Washingtonians benefit from its work.

As always, if you have a question, topic suggestion or other feedback, send us an email at ⁠webmaster@sao.wa.gov⁠.

Thanks for listening!

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