William G. Holland
2022 Hall of Fame Inductee
William G. Holland served as Illinois Auditor General for 23 years. As the state’s longest-serving auditor general, his career spanned the administrations of five governors, five state treasurers and six state comptrollers, building him a well-earned reputation for fairness, objectivity, and the highest ethical standards.
Before becoming Auditor General, Holland worked his way up through various roles with the Illinois House Majority Appropriations Committee. He was the first director of the Illinois General Assembly’s Washington Office and served for almost 10 years as chief of staff for the Illinois Senate President.
Soon after his first Auditor General appointment in 1992, Holland chaired Illinois’ Blue Ribbon Committee on the State Procurement Code. This effort modernized Illinois purchasing laws and led to taxpayer protections, establishing a strong foundation for standards of procurement and ethics in the state.
In late 2008, incumbent Governor Rod Blagojevich was charged with federal crimes and subsequently impeached, convicted and removed from office. Holland’s reputation for integrity, his coherent recitation of the facts, and the professionalism of his staff provided key evidence upon which the Illinois General Assembly could safely rely to reach its momentous decisions in this case.
Holland was committed to NSAA and NASACT and to the value that such fellowships can afford its members, both individually and collectively. He was president of both NSAA and NASACT, and served on numerous committees and led roundtable discussions on complex issues over the years.
He conceived the idea for NSAA’s Excellence in Accountability Awards Program, which after almost 20 years is still going strong and providing well-deserved recognition for the nation’s most innovative performance and forensic audits and special projects.
He was a member of the U.S. Comptroller General’s Domestic Working Group. He led during the implementation and subsequent audits by states of the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act, an unprecedented effort of collaboration between state and locals and the federal government. He was on the NASACT task force charged with navigating the complexities of finding an acceptable solution to funding the Governmental Accounting Standards Board. And he was on the task force that recommended purchasing a NASACT headquarters office in 2005, a step that proved to be a sound financial decision for the organization.
He has been recognized by peers for his thoughtful and innovative leadership with numerous awards, including two NASACT President’s Awards, the NSAA William R. Snodgrass Distinguished Leadership Award, and many others.
Holland capped his career in 2015 by hosting NASACT’s 100th anniversary conference in Chicago, directing the publication of a commemorative book documenting the association’s evolution over the years, and bringing together most living NASACT presidents for a very special centennial celebration.
A trusted public servant and a stellar example of fairness and integrity, Bill Holland’s thoughtful leadership and visionary foresight provided a secure space for his staff and his association peers to do their best work, and that is, perhaps, his greatest accomplishment.