2015 Alumni Award Recipient: Janet St. Laurent ’78 MPA

Janet St. Laurent, ’78 MPA

The Department of Public Administration and International Affairs is proud to announce Janet St. Laurent ’78 MPA as the recipient of the 2015 Maxwell Public Administration Alumni Award. This honor is presented annually to an MPA alumnus who exemplifies the ideals of public service espoused by the school and department as articulated in the Athenian Oath. St. Laurent will receive the award at the annual Public Administration Convocation on June 26th and will lead the graduating class in the recitation of the Athenian Oath.

St. Laurent recently retired after a distinguished career at the U.S. Government Accountability Office, culminating in her position as the managing director of the defense capabilities and management team. Throughout her career St. Laurent managed and testified on GAO’s work related to defense issues including force structure, readiness, logistics, infrastructure, base closures, defense budgets, emerging threats, business transformation and military and civilian human capital issues.  She also co-led GAO’s first two annual reports on duplication, overlap, and fragmentation that identified over 130 areas where opportunities existed for executive branch agencies or Congress to reduce fragmentation, overlap, or duplication; achieve cost savings; or enhance revenue.  In addition, St. Laurent played a leadership role in improving staffing and recruitment at GAO and supporting the agency’s goal for a diverse workforce and an inclusive work environment.

From 2003-2006, St. Laurent served as director for force structure and defense planning in GAO’s Defense Capabilities and Management team. Her principal duties included leading GAO’s work on force structure, defense planning, strategic forces, and military transformation issues. Prior to August 2002, she served as an assistant director in the Defense Capabilities and Management team for 10 years. St. Laurent joined GAO’s Boston Regional Office in 1978 and also served in GAO’s offices in New York City and Frankfurt, Germany where she conducted numerous evaluations of foreign aid, defense, energy and social programs.

Through her years of service at the U.S. Government Accountability Office, St. Laurent epitomizes the ideals of citizenship and public service that are at the core of Maxwell’s mission. The recommendations that resulted from the work that St. Laurent directed led to vital improvements to defense operations and saved the government over $30 billion. Her leadership and accomplishments in the national defense area with significant contributions made to Congress and to the nation have not gone unnoticed. The Maxwell School and PAIA department are proud to honor Janet St. Laurent for her lifetime commitment to public service.