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News | Oct. 18, 2024

A warm goodbye and thank you to Ms. Terri Dilly, DCAA Director

By DCAA Staff Writer

After devoting more than three decades to Federal service, Ms. Terri Dilly, Director, retired on Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024. The Honorable Michael J. McCord, Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller), honored Ms. Dilly and her esteemed career at the Pentagon in the Hall of Heroes, joined by friends, family, and colleagues – both online and in person. He remarked, “Terri has always set the bar for excellence. Her unwavering commitment to the mission and our warfighters is inspiring, and her innovative spirit has been the catalyst for improving processes and systems throughout her career. She tackles every challenge with grace and determination, always finding a way to turn obstacles into opportunities.”

During the ceremony, Ms. Dilly gave thanks to her family, mentors, and peers, “As I stand before you today, I’m filled with gratitude and reflection as I celebrate my retirement from the Department of Defense. It’s a bittersweet moment, but one that allows me to acknowledge the incredible journey I’ve had, and the people who made it possible.”

Ms. Dilly started her career after graduating with a bachelor’s degree in accounting at St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa and a Master of Science in Management of Information Systems from the University of Phoenix. As a fresh graduate, Ms. Dilly joined the Air Force Audit Agency (AFAA) as an auditor. Throughout her career she worked in numerous positions at the AFAA including:

  • Cost analyst
  • Audit manager
  • Program specialist
  • Program manager

In 2013, she became the Chief for Policy, Oversight, and Systems for the AFAA and assumed the Director role for Security and Special Program Audits at the Pentagon. Before she joined DCAA in 2023, she served as the Assistant Auditor General for Operations and Support Directorate and as Director of Program Analysis for Financial Management for the U.S. Transportation Command.

As the DCAA director, she reversed a five-year negative trend in the agency’s primary performance indicators, helped DCAA achieve over a 36% increase in the examination of dollars, a 24% increase in audit exceptions, a 26% increase in net savings, and a 20% increase in return on investment. Beyond the numbers she focused on people. Not only did she set the agency on a path to improve the customer experience, but she also focused on improving the work environment for DCAA employees. Ms. Dilly enacted multiple quality of life programs at DCAA. As a result, DCAA rose 25 places in the 2023 Best Places to Work in the Federal Government evaluation ranking, where rank is determined by employee responses to the Federal Employee Survey.

Ms. Dilly’s impact as the DCAA director is well known in both the DoD and at DCAA. She will truly be missed at DCAA and we wish her well in her retirement. Thank you, Ms. Dilly!