Ms. Parisa Salehi was sworn in as the Inspector General for the Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM) on March 14, 2022, following her confirmation by the U.S. Senate. Appointed by the President, Ms. Salehi is responsible for leading a diverse workforce to provide oversight of EXIM programs and operations through independent audits, investigations, inspections, and evaluations.
Ms. Salehi serves as the U.S. Delegate to the International Public Sector Fraud Forum (IPSFF). The IPSFF focuses on fraud committed against and within the public sector of each member country, as well as fraud committed against multiple members as part of larger, organized activity. Within the federal Inspector General community, she serves as the Chair of the Council of Inspectors General for Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE) Small/Unique Offices of Inspectors General (OIGs) Working Group and the at-large member of the CIGIE Executive Council.
Prior to her appointment to be Inspector General, Ms. Salehi was the Chief of Staff at the U.S. Department of State OIG. There, she provided executive leadership to a global workforce of auditors, investigators, and inspectors providing oversight of State and the U.S. Agency for Global Media programs and operations. She also previously served in a Senior Executive Service role at the U.S. Agency for International Development OIG and was the Acting Inspector General and the Counsel to the Inspector General at EXIM OIG. Before joining EXIM OIG, Ms. Salehi served at the U.S. Department of Agriculture for nearly five years.
Ms. Salehi started her career as an attorney in the District of Columbia working for prominent law firms, specializing in financial industry and white-collar criminal investigations, before joining the Federal Government. She was also an Adjunct Professor at Howard University School of Law.
Ms. Salehi earned her Juris Doctor from Howard University School of Law and her Bachelor of Arts in international studies from the University of Oregon. She is a member of the bar in both the District of Columbia and Arizona.
Mr. Jonathon Walz is the Deputy Inspector General for the Export-Import Bank of the United States, leading OIG’s independent oversight of approximately $41.3 billion in total exposure and $5.8 billion in annual authorizations that create American jobs and facilitate the export of U.S. goods and services.
Mr. Walz previously worked at the U.S. Department of State OIG, serving as the Director of Enterprise Risk Management. At State OIG, Mr. Walz also served as a supervisory senior inspector, managing high-profile reviews and planning OIG’s oversight of more than $19.3 billion in annual Department foreign assistance.
From 2009 to 2017, Mr. Walz worked in the Department of State’s Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation. As a deputy office director he had responsibility for more than $150 million in active foreign assistance projects designed to reduce global WMD threats. He also served as a team chief for worldwide chemical and nuclear security initiatives and contributed to U.S. Government efforts to eliminate 1,300 metric tons of declared, Syrian chemical weapons.
Mr. Walz holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of South Dakota and a master’s degree from the University of Texas at Austin. He also studied at the American University in Cairo, the London School of Economics and Political Science, and the National Defense University.
Mr. Walz has extensive overseas experience in the former Soviet Union and Middle East; he previously lived in Egypt, Iraq, Oman, and Yemen. He speaks Arabic.
Eric Rivera serves as the Assistant Inspector General for Audit at EXIM OIG. Mr. Rivera brings over 20 years of federal government service, spending most of his career working within the Inspector General community.
Prior to joining EXIM OIG, Mr. Rivera served as the Deputy Assistant Inspector General for Audits at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), Office of the Inspector General, where he oversaw performance and financial audits of complex nuclear safety programs at the NRC and the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB).
Mr. Rivera previously served at the NRC OIG in multiple roles. He was the Team Leader for the Financial and Information Technology Audit Team for more than seven years. In addition, Mr. Rivera served as the project lead for the annual financial statement audit of the NRC and the DNFSB. Prior to being a Team Leader, Mr. Rivera was an Audit Manager for the Nuclear Safety Audits Team at the NRC OIG.
Mr. Rivera began his federal career at the NRC, Office of the Chief Financial Officer (OCFO). During his tenure at NRC OCFO, Mr. Rivera worked on the preparation of the agency’s financial statements. He also served as the project lead for NRC’s Performance and Accountably Report and the agency’s OMB Circular A-123 compliance efforts.
Mr. Rivera has a bachelor’s degree in business administration in from the University of Puerto Rico – Mayaguez (2003), and a master’s in business administration from the University of Maryland, Robert H. Smith School of Business (2019). He is also a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and a Certified Government Financial Manager (CGFM).
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Maura Malone is the General Counsel at the Export-Import Bank of the United States, Office of Inspector General (EXIM-OIG). Previously, Ms. Malone was General Counsel to the Inspector General for the US Office of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). From 2020 to 2024, Ms. Malone led the Office of Legal Counsel (OLC), which provides a full range of legal services to promote and support OIG’s mission, including providing legal support for investigations, audits, and inspections; representing OIG in employment litigation and internal personnel matters; providing ethics advice; and advising on legislative initiatives and Congressional testimony. Ms. Malone also oversaw the FOIA Division and records management. From 2014 to 2020, Ms. Malone also served as a Deputy Counsel and a Senior Attorney.
Prior to joining HUD OIG, Ms. Malone served in several divisions at HUD’s Office of General Counsel (OGC). As the Assistant General Counsel in the Finance Division, she led a team of attorneys who provided counsel to the Government National Mortgage Association (Ginnie Mae). Her efforts supported Ginnie Mae’s transformation into a market leader during the financial crisis. She also led the Administrative Proceedings Division, which prosecutes administrative sanctions against participants in HUD programs. She was instrumental in HUD’s take-over of the Miami-Dade Housing Authority and a $42 million settlement against an FHA lender for fraudulent origination practices. Ms. Malone began her legal career with OGC’s Office of Litigation, which handles the most significant lawsuits against HUD.
Ms. Malone holds a Juris Doctorate from the University at Buffalo Law School, and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
Ms. Schaefer is the Deputy Assistant Inspector General for Special Reviews for the Export-Import Bank of the United States and leads a multi-disciplinary team of oversight professionals conducting agile reviews, inspections, and evaluations.
Prior to joining EXIM OIG, Ms. Schaefer served as the Supervisory Program Manager for National Coordinated Oversight at the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (PRAC). In this role, she coordinated the pandemic oversight response at the federal, state, and local levels as well as led cross-cutting oversight projects. She also championed the use of agile oversight to conduct impactful oversight during a time of crisis. Ms. Schaefer has also worked as a Lead Foreign Assistance Inspector at the U.S. Department of State, Office of Inspector General, including an 18-month tour at the U.S. Embassy Kabul, Afghanistan; she has also worked for the Office of Inspector General at the U.S. Small Business Administration and for the U.S. Government Accountability Office.
Ms. Schaefer has over 16 years of government auditing, program management, and evaluation experience covering issues ranging from human capital management, small business contracting programs, large-scale acquisitions, foreign assistance programs, and emergency response programs. She has led and conducted performance audits, inspections, evaluations, and agile reviews using various federal oversight standards, and she is a leading voice on the use of agile principles to perform timely oversight. Ms. Schaefer has a B.S. in Public Affairs–Policy Analysis from Indiana University-Bloomington, is a member of AGA, and has a certificate in user experience design.
Connie Matthews Harshaw began her career in public service with the U S. Navy at the Newport News Shipyard as a student employee in 1972. She retired from the Federal government as a member of the Senior Executive Service (SES) in 2004 after a 30-year career. Her last appointment, while a career civil servant, was with the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) as the Chief Operating Officer. Since retiring from the Federal service, she returned as a senior advisor, HR Officer and principal management official to the Inspectors General at USDOT, USAID and EXIM.
She received the USDOT OIG Meritorious Service Award and a host of awards for her performance as a reemployed annuitant. While at the NCPC, she worked with the planners and architects to EXTEND THE LEGACY in the nation’s capital and received commendation from President Clinton. As the agency’s Chief Executive Officer, she lists her most important work as the assignment to negotiate the site parameters for the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial in 1999. She attended Hampton University and transferred to the University of Maryland where she received her BS degree in Business Management and an MBA. She served as a Senior Executive Fellow at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University in 1992 and completed the SES program at the Federal Executive Institute. Her community service includes two terms as the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW) Potomac Valley Section’s first elected President, she has held offices and worked with: Colonial Court Appointed Support Advocates (CCASA) for abused and neglected children; Hannah House for victims of domestic abuse; THIS - an organization serving diplomats and their families, and was an early Female Executive Sponsor for the Office of Personnel Management Women’s Executive Leadership (WEL) Program. She now serves on the Board of Directors for Preservation Virginia in Richmond; the Williamsburg Symphony Orchestra and the Williamsburg Landing. She is currently the President of the Let Freedom Ring Foundation in Williamsburg, Virginia leading one of the most significant descendant engagement projects with archaeologists to uncover African American history buried in Colonial Williamsburg.
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Jennifer Torres serves as the Deputy Assistant Inspector General for Audits at EXIM OIG, bringing over 20 years of distinguished service in the federal audit and oversight community.
Before joining EXIM OIG, Ms. Torres was the Director of Audit Quality Assurance and Acting Director of Audit Operations at the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) OIG. In these roles, she established and led quality management initiatives and administrative operations, becoming a trusted advisor to the Office of Audit’s executive leaders. Her accomplishments at DOL OIG included designing and implementing a career-broadening rotational staffing model, leading the development and adoption of an automated tracking system for professional education credits, and directing the strategic enhancement of quality management policies and procedures.
Ms. Torres also served at the U.S. Department of Commerce OIG and the U.S. Department of Defense, where she led teams conducting complex, high-impact audits affecting global operations of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the U.S. Air Force. Her leadership ensured that audit projects not only met or exceeded professional standards but also addressed the pressing concerns of taxpayers, stakeholders, employees, and the public.
Ms. Torres holds an undergraduate degree in Accounting and graduate degrees in Public Administration and Human Resources. She is an active member of CIGIE’s Peer Review Subcommittee and Quality Management Committee, and she holds professional certifications as a Certified Internal Auditor and Certified Defense Financial Manager.
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