Alaska legislative auditor resigns after 34 years, replacement process underway

Chris Curtis submitted her resignation as Alaska's legislative auditor on June 26, with an effective date of Aug. 30, ending more than 34 years with the Division of Legislative Audit.

Senator Gray Jackson, who chairs the Alaska Legislative Budget and Audit Committee, announced the departure Thursday and outlined a formal hiring process already in motion. "Sadly, in my opinion, Chris submitted her letter of resignation to the committee with an effective date of August 30th," Jackson said. "I worked with Ms. Curtis and Stacy Bentley, the HR manager, to revise the job description for this critically important position."

The job posting opened July 6 on Workplace Alaska and closes July 24. After that, Jackson said he will appoint a three-person subcommittee to review applications, conduct interviews, and recommend a nominee to the full committee. He intends to bring a recommended nominee to the committee's August meeting.

The Role Being Vacated

The legislative auditor serves as the legislature's independent check on state spending, program performance, and regulatory compliance. The auditor answers to the full legislature, not the executive branch.

Once the full committee approves a nominee, that person will serve as acting legislative auditor until confirmed. "I anticipate that we will appoint the recommended nominee to serve as acting legislative auditor until his or her nomination is voted on separately by the House and the Senate or in a joint session at the first possible opportunity," Jackson said.

Curtis was approved by the legislature on March 2, 2012, to lead the division. Jackson closed by thanking her directly. "I want to thank Chris and her staff for doing— always doing a great job on our behalf," he said.

What Comes Next

The division is carrying an active workload into the transition, including a newly approved special audit request related to the Alaska Board of Fisheries and an approved amendment to the division's contract with SystemSoft for cybersecurity assessments of select state IT systems. The August committee meeting, tentatively set for Aug. 19 or 20 pending member responses, is the next decision point in the hiring process.