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.
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Ms. Connie W.Y. Yates serves as the Assistant Inspector General – Management (AIG-M) for the Export-Import Bank Office of Inspector General. She has 20+ years of federal government experience in the management and administrative functions, such as budget and resources, procurement, human capital, facilities/space management, security, and records management.
Prior to joining EXIM OIG, Ms. Yates served as the Deputy Assistant Inspector General – Management / Deputy Executive Director at the U.S. Department of State Office of Inspector General where she also acted as the AIG-M for almost 19 months, overseeing similar management, administrative, and operations functions and a fully independent information technology network and the accompanying portfolio.
Prior to that, Ms. Yates served in several senior management positions at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, including as a Senior Advisor to the Associate Commissioner of the agency’s Global Policy and Strategy organization, as the Executive Operations Office Director servicing the international programs management and administrative functions at FDA’s six international locations, and as Deputy Director in the Office of Communications and Project Management, where she assisted with the management and oversight of communications, quality management, and project management services provided to the Office of Regulatory Affairs’ 5,000 employees located in 26 field offices.
Ms. Yates began her civil service career at the Bureau of Fiscal Service at the U.S. Department of Treasury, where she served as an IT Program Manager for capital IT investments in Governmentwide Accounting.
Prior to joining the civil service, Ms. Yates gained a wealth of experience as a federal contractor to the U.S. Department of Energy, managing projects at the National Nuclear Security Administration’s Nevada National Security Site and the Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management’s Yucca Mountain Project. She also completed a yearlong stint at Intel Corporation prior to deciding government service was her passion. Ms. Yates began her professional career on active duty in the U.S. Air Force, where she served as an assistant director on a prestigious assignment to the White House Communications Agency.
Ms. Yates believes in lifelong learning and holds a Master of Science degree in Management, a Bachelor of Science degree in Management Information Systems, a graduate certificate in Cyber Security Management and Policy, and a master certificate in Federal Program Management. She previously specialized in project management and received both the Federal Acquisition Certification for Program and Project Managers (FAC-P/PM) Senior Level and the Project Management Professional (PMP©) certification from the Project Management Institute. She is a graduate of the Federal Executive Institute.
Eric Rivera serves as the Assistant Inspector General for Audit at EXIM OIG. Mr. Rivera brings close to 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).
Mr. Michael Ryan serves as the Assistant Inspector General for Special Reviews and Communications at EXIM OIG. Mr. Ryan brings over 22 years of experience in the Inspector General community, having been a member of the Senior Executive Service for more than 8 years.
Prior to joining EXIM OIG, Mr. Ryan served as the Assistant Inspector General for Investigations at the Special Inspector General for Pandemic Recovery, where he established the Office of Investigations, overseeing complex, financial fraud investigations involving U.S. Treasury loans, loan guarantees, and other investments under the CARES Act.
Mr. Ryan also previously served as the Assistant Inspector General for Investigations at the U.S. Department of State OIG, leading worldwide investigations of Department programs and operations, as well as the Agency for Global Media and the U.S. Section of the International Boundary and Water Commission. He first joined State OIG as the Deputy Assistant Inspector General for Investigations.
Mr. Ryan began his career as a special agent with the Social Security Administration OIG in Phoenix, Arizona. During his tenure, he held various positions including Resident Agent-in-Charge, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Strategic Research and Analysis Division, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Criminal Investigations Division, Special Assistant to the Inspector General for Anti-Fraud Initiatives, and Deputy Assistant Inspector General for Investigations–Western Field Operations.
Additionally, he was a police officer in Arizona. Upon graduating from the U.S. Army Officer Candidate School, Mr. Ryan served as a commissioned officer in the Military Police Corps, assigned to the 10th Mountain Division. He holds a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Illinois–Chicago and a Master of Jurisprudence in compliance and risk management from Drake University. He is also a Certified Fraud Examiner.
Jason Metrick serves as the Assistant Inspector General for Investigations at EXIM OIG. In this role, Mr. Metrick is responsible for overseeing our Office of Investigations as well as internal and external investigations as they relate to suspected fraud, waste, and abuse of the more than 41 billion dollars related to the program and operations of EXIM and that have been utilized to export U.S. goods and services. Mr. Metrick is a highly regarded and knowledgeable executive with more than 25 years of law enforcement experience, over 18 years dedicated to the Inspector General community, and 7 years as a member of the Senior Executive Service.
Prior to joining the ranks at EXIM OIG, Mr. Metrick served as the Assistant Inspector General for Investigations at National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) OIG where he led a variety of complex investigations involving threats to NARA’s programs and operations including gross employee misconduct, theft of historically significant items, military records fraud, and other high-profile investigations.
Mr. Metrick previously served in numerous supervisory and executive roles at the U.S. Treasury Department OIG, most notably as the Senior Advisor for the Office of Investigations, where he provided valuable guidance and was responsible for oversight in strategic planning, policy development and implementation of investigative resources, and leveraging initiatives resulting in significant recoveries for the office. Mr. Metrick also has invaluable experience overseeing complex financial criminal and civil fraud investigations related to the U.S. banking industry.
Mr. Metrick started his career as a police officer and detective in Pennsylvania and Maryland and is highly regarded in the law enforcement community for his investigative work and dedication to law enforcement. He holds a bachelor's degree from Bellevue University in Criminal Justice Administration, a member of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners and is working towards completing his Management Development Certificate from the John Hopkins Carey Business School.