David A. Vaudt



2021 Hall of Fame Inductee

Beneath his quiet demeanor, David A. Vaudt’s steady, consistent determination and commitment to transparency and the rule of law have served him well.
 
Spending 25 years working his way up through various roles with KPMG in the 80s and 90s, Vaudt learned the value of hard work and earned practical experience about accounting and auditing, in both the public and private sectors. He put this knowledge to use when he was elected as Iowa’s state auditor in 2002, a post to which he was re-elected twice. As state auditor he was known as a straight-shooter, a citizen advocate, and a noteworthy steward of tax-payer dollars. He managed several investigations in Iowa that resulted in criminal prosecutions and the safeguarding of public funds.
 
As president of NSAA, Vaudt was a national proponent of government transparency and accountability, navigating the association through issues including finding a sustainable funding source for the GASB, efforts to reform the single audit process, and implementation of the Digital Accountability and Transparency Act.
 
In 2013, Vaudt became the fourth chairman of the GASB. During his tenure, he led the board through significant updates to the financial reporting model that underlies governmental financial statements. Other major projects under his purview included retiree healthcare obligations, tax abatements and leases. Vaudt expertly navigated daunting challenges and communicated adeptly to manage complex priorities and partnerships among a diverse stakeholder group.
 
He was chair of the CPA Examination Review Board, NASBA, and the Iowa Accountancy Examining Board. During his career, Vaudt has received numerous industry awards and recognition at both the state and national levels.
 
Vaudt has served the citizens of Iowa and the nation with a quiet dignity and an unshakable commitment to finding consensus during an era of unprecedented complexity and polarization.
 


The NASACT Community

NASACT serves as the premier organization working to bring together state auditors, state comptrollers and state treasurers to cooperatively address government financial management issues. NASACT also manages two secretariats - the National State Auditors Association (NSAA) and the National Association of State Comptrollers (NASC). Both NSAA and NASC are included under the umbrella of NASACT’s budget and utilize staff hired by NASACT.