Todd J. Zinser

Todd J. Zinser was sworn in as the fifth Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Commerce on December 26, 2007.

As Inspector General, Mr. Zinser leads a team of auditors, evaluators, investigators, attorneys, and administrative staff responsible for promoting economy and efficiency in the programs and operations of the Department of Commerce. Working from Commerce headquarters and offices in Atlanta, Denver, and Seattle, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) provides oversight to a vast array of business, scientific, economic, and environmental programs administered by the Department and its 12 operating units.

Department of Commerce programs and operations are funded through a $13.8 billion budget (FY 2010) and supported by approximately 54,400 employees. With the passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, Mr. Zinser is also responsible for providing oversight and promoting effective program management of the nearly $8 billion in stimulus funding directed to five Commerce operating units and the OIG. As Inspector General, Mr. Zinser has identified the top management challenges facing the Department to include the decennial census, IT security, NOAA environmental satellites, the Recovery Act, and the funding and application backlog issues facing the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Mr. Zinser's appointment as Inspector General follows 24 years as a career civil servant, beginning as an investigator for the U.S. Department of Labor in 1983. He joined the Department of Transportation in 1991, first serving as special agent in charge of OIG's New York regional office of investigations. Mr. Zinser held several other leadership positions until being named deputy inspector general in 2001, a role he held until his appointment as the Commerce Inspector General.

Mr. Zinser has received numerous awards for leadership and superior performance throughout his career. He received the Secretary of Transportation's 9-11 Medal and Gold Medals for his work with the Department's Hurricane Katrina Task Force (2006) and involvement in its response to the collapse of the I-35W bridge in Minneapolis (2007). Also in 2007, he was awarded the Transportation IG's Bronze Medal for superior achievement as deputy inspector general.

Mr. Zinser earned a bachelor's degree in political science from Northern Kentucky University and a master's degree in political science from Miami University, Oxford, Ohio. He has also completed the Senior Managers in Government program at Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government.