Arlington Names Dr. Chris Horton County Auditor
Published on November 09, 2016
- Will report to the County Board
- Served as audit manager for Fairfax County Public Schools
- Will conduct performance, operational audits
The Arlington County Board announced today that it has hired Dr. Chris Horton as the County Auditor. Horton, who served as the audit manager for the Fairfax County Public Schools' Office of Auditor General, will report directly to the Board. He will be responsible for developing work plans to review County programs.
"We welcome Dr. Horton to the County's already strong financial management team," said Arlington County Board Chair Libby Garvey. "Dr. Horton will play a key role in our continuing efforts to strengthen County operations and ensure that public funds are spent responsibly, efficiently and in a transparent manner."
Dr. Horton's work will augment the County's existing internal audit function within the Department of Management and Finance. Under the direction of the Audit Committee, Horton will undertake independent program and operational audits and reviews of County departments, operations and County-funded programs. His priorities will be program efficiency, effectiveness and transparency.
The Board voted unanimously to approve Dr. Horton's contract. He will take up his duties Nov. 21.
About Dr. Horton
Dr. Horton has more than 15 years of audit experience. In his role as audit manager for Fairfax County Public Schools' Office of Auditor General, he has helped build the office's performance auditing capability. He also has performed audits within a wide variety of business units and has advised the Audit Committee on the structure of the audit function.
Earlier in his career, Dr. Horton served five years as an audit supervisor with the City and County of Denver. He assisted the city auditor in implementing a robust performance audit function.
Dr. Horton began his audit career with Arizona state government, primarily working in the Performance Audit Division of the Arizona Auditor General's Office. He also helped start the compliance audit function for the Telecommunications Program Office (now called Enterprise Infrastructure & Communications) in the Department of Administration.
Professional affiliations
Chris Horton began his audit career with Arizona state government, primarily working in the Performance Audit Division of the Arizona Auditor General's Office. Dr. Horton also helped to start the compliance audit function for the Telecommunications Program Office (now called Enterprise Infrastructure & Communications) in the Department of Administration.
Dr. Horton serves on the Association of Local Government Auditors Board of Directors (ALGA), where he has helped lead the development of a Corporate Associates Program. Previously, he was the chairman of the ALGA Education Committee. Under his leadership, the committee significantly expanded the number and variety of educational offerings, such as webinars and regional training conferences, and created the ALGA mentorship program. In addition to his service in ALGA, Dr. Horton is a member of the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA), and holds four certifications through the IIA.
Dr. Horton completed his B.A. in Political Science and History, and an M.A. in History, both from the University of Texas of the Permian Basin. He completed his Ph.D. in Public Administration from Arizona State University.