Meet IG Shapiro
With over 30 years of experience in the public sector, IG Shapiro is passionate about making government work better tomorrow than it did today. Applying his knowledge and expertise in public administration, he reorganized the OIG into three bureaus to realize his vision of a proactive and engaged OIG that serves as a resource for public employees and those doing business with public entities. He also expanded the OIG’s investigations and audits to hold those with nefarious intent to account. He is focused on leading an office that conducts deliberate, impactful work across its full statutory mandate. He has a balanced approach to fraud prevention that includes expanded training by the OIG Academy, municipal outreach, and unwavering accountability for those who act against the public interest.
IG Shapiro is results oriented. In his third year as IG, he has already made a difference for the Commonwealth and those whom the office serves. He has worked with the Legislature and the Healey Administration to better resource the OIG with significant budget increases to modernize the office and right size the staff.
IG Shapiro proactively created a Healthcare Division, a Veterans’ Services Oversight Division, refocused and rebranded the OIG’s training division into the OIG Academy, and added a new mission to follow up on prior audits, reviews, and letters and monitor the post-review performance of agencies, municipalities, suppliers, vendors, and nonprofit entities.
As a collaborative and results-oriented leader, IG Shapiro has introduced the concept that the OIG team should optimally leverage an array of tools to curb improper conduct. A successful investigation does not necessarily require a criminal case referral. Some matters are best resolved civilly, while others provide a basis for best practice policy changes or legislative changes. This broadened approach of the OIG deploying a range of tools to fulfill its mission to prevent and detect fraud, waste, and abuse of public resources has already paid dividends. A full range of matters has been resolved using the full complement of tools available – from public letters to best practice bulletins, criminal referrals, proposed legislative changes, and a monthly risk mitigation email designed exclusively for municipal leaders – during IG Shapiro’s tenure.
A sample of results include:
- A report on the lack of oversight and enforcement of post-retirement earnings caps of public retirees who return to public service resulted in the Legislature creating a task force, as recommended by the OIG, to examine the issues identified in the report.
- A comprehensive review of a state-funded long-term lease found that a flawed procurement and lack of ownership of the lease wasted over $4 million in public funds and made numerous recommendations to the Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance (DCAMM) to improve management of long-term leases.
- A letter to the Legislative leadership calling for the appointment of a receiver to oversee the Cannabis Control Commission resulted in both a House and Senate bill that would restructure the CCC’s governance structure.
- An advisory to public retirement boards on internal banking and offboarding controls resulted from an investigation into a significant loss of funds due to a breach of a former public retirement board employee’s email account.
- An op-editorial on the need to streamline procurement of electric school buses and associated charging infrastructure, following numerous questions to the OIG’s 30B Technical Assistance Helpdesk, resulted in legislation to consolidate the bus and charging infrastructure procurement processes.
- A public letter that called on the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) to adopt measures to mitigate the risks of smart technology in new school buildings, following an investigation into the failure of a “smart lighting system” that caused a school’s lights to remain on for 18 months, resulted in improved training for MSBA fund recipients.
- The OIG introduced a complimentary pilot procurement certification training (the “One Free Designee” program) for the 351 cities and towns of the Commonwealth.
Under his leadership, the OIG has:
- Ensured that former Massachusetts State Police troopers repaid funds for overtime shifts they had fraudulently been compensated for;
- Issued multiple reports detailing the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s poor procurement and contract management practices relative to privatization contracts;
- Conducted multiple investigations into fraudulent use of federal pandemic funds that resulted in criminal prosecutions;
- Advocated for legislative improvements to the Commonwealth’s procurement statute, M.G.L. Chapter 30B; and
- In 2024, the OIG issued 9 reports, 13 public letters, 4 advisories and trained over 2,000 people.
IG Shapiro is an elected member of the board of the Association of Inspectors General (AIG). IG Shapiro testified before committees of the Boston City Council and the Rhode Island House of Representatives on proposals to create an office of the inspector general in those jurisdictions.
Prior to his appointment, IG Shapiro was the First Deputy Comptroller of the Commonwealth. He has also served in various legal, administrative, and fiscal roles in the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office and the Attorney General’s Office. Earlier in his career, IG Shapiro was a legislative assistant on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. and on Beacon Hill in Boston.
IG Shapiro earned his Juris Doctor from Suffolk Law School and a Bachelor of Arts from Brandeis University. He is a member of the Massachusetts bar and is a Certified Inspector General.
IG Shapiro and his wife, Lisa, live in his hometown of Needham, where they raised their two now-adult sons.
Specialty & General Government Bureau
The Specialty & General Government Bureau includes the OIG’s statutory divisions (Health & Human Services, Massachusetts State Police, and Transportation) and the OIG-created divisions (Healthcare, Public Procurement and General Government Oversight, and Veterans’ Services Oversight) and the Special Funding Oversight Unit.
- Susanne O’Neil, Deputy Inspector General, Bureau Head, and acting Director of Health & Human Services
- David B. Andrews, Director of the Division of State Police Oversight
- Neil Cohen, Director of the Public Procurement and General Government Division
- Gregory H. Matthews, Director of the Healthcare Division
- James J. McNeill, Jr., Director of Veterans’ Services Oversight Division
- Emily Pedersen, Director of the Internal Special Audit Unit
Legal & Compliance Bureau
The Legal & Compliance Bureau is managed by the General Counsel. This bureau includes the Audit, Oversight and Investigations Division, the Government Outreach & Public Policy Division, and the Office of the General Counsel.
- Eugenia M. (Genie) Carris, General Counsel, Bureau Head
- Josh Giles, Director of the Government Outreach & Public Policy Division
- George A. Xenakis, Director of the Audit, Oversight and Investigations Division
Operations, Training & Publications Bureau
The Operations, Training & Publications Bureau is responsible for a variety of functions, including budgeting, revenue, auditing, financial reporting, office administration, procurement, operations, information technology, communications, publications, human resources, data analytics, and records management within the OIG.
- Katie Verma, Chief Operating Officer, Bureau Head
- Marcelle Payen, Chief Fiscal Officer
- Sarah Hoover, Director of Human Resources & Recruiting
- Carrie Kimball, Communications Officer
- Robin Frkal, Director of the Learning & Development Division
- Alyssa Tasha, Director of the Data Analytics Division
Contact
Phone
Open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., M-F. Confidential translation services are available in most languages for non-English speakers.
Address
| Date published: | July 17, 2024 |
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| Last updated: | December 1, 2025 |