Deirdre Y. Bland has been appointed director of the Fairfax County Internal Audit Office (IAO), effective May 16. Bland succeeds Sharon Pribadi, who is retiring after 22 years of service to the county.

Bland brings more than 18 years of experience in local government and public-sector auditing, including more than a decade with IAO. She has served as deputy director of the office since 2015, helping lead countywide risk assessments, annual audit planning, performance audits and management advisory projects covering operational, financial and information technology areas. In her role, she has supported executive leadership on governance, risk and compliance matters and worked to strengthen internal controls and improve operational effectiveness across county government. 

Before joining Fairfax County, Bland served as a manager with Cherry Bekaert LLP, where she worked with local governments, public school systems, universities, state agencies and nonprofit organizations on internal control audits, risk assessments and financial reviews. Bland is a certified public accountant and certified internal auditor. 

The Internal Audit Office was established by the Board of Supervisors as an independent appraisal function to examine and evaluate Fairfax County activities as a service to the county executive and all levels of management. 

The office conducts performance audits and management advisory projects covering operational, financial and information technology areas. Internal Audit reports directly to the county executive and conducts audits in accordance with Government Auditing Standards. More information is available at fairfaxcounty.gov/internalaudit.