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Linda Combs

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Linda Morrison Combs (June 29, 1946 – October 19, 2023) was a former U.S. federal government official. She was the Controller of the Office of Management and Budget in the Executive Office of the President at the White House. She had five Presidential Appointments confirmed by the United States Senate and served under three Presidents: Presidents Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, and George W. Bush.[1]

Linda M. Combs
Controller, Office of Management and Budget
In office
2005 – August 2007
PresidentGeorge W. Bush
Preceded byLinda Springer
Personal details
Born(1946-06-29)June 29, 1946
Lenoir, North Carolina, U.S.
DiedOctober 19, 2023(2023-10-19) (aged 77)
Winston-Salem, North Carolina, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
SpouseDave Combs
ProfessionGovernment Official/Educator/Entrepreneur

In 2014, North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory appointed her State Controller on an interim basis. He subsequently nominated Combs to continue in the position.[2][3] She was later confirmed by the North Carolina General Assembly and took the oath of office on May 27, 2016.[4]

OMB Service

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President George W. Bush nominated her on February 28, 2005 to be the Controller of OMB. The United States Senate unanimously confirmed Combs on June 24, 2005.[1][5]

As Controller, Combs oversaw all of Federal financial management, was the head of the Office of Federal Financial Management, and chaired the U.S. Chief Financial Officers Council.[6] She owned three initiatives of the President's Management Agenda: improving financial performance, eliminating improper payments, and real property.[7]

Also, Combs oversaw Government-wide financial management policies, and requirements. Specifically she focused on financial results in the largest 24 departments and agencies in the United States Federal Government. She oversaw about $2.47 trillion in spending each year.[citation needed]

Notably, during Combs's tenure at OMB, the Federal CFO community:

1) For the first time in history and for the second straight year successfully accelerated financial reporting so that audited financial statements were published by ever major agency within 45 days of the close of the fiscal year (a pace that significantly bettered private sector reporting and improved on past Government results when agencies had taken as long as 5 months to report);[citation needed]

2) Obtained clean audit opinions in 19 of the 24 largest agencies for two straight years, and decreased the number of material weaknesses by more than 15% despite tougher audit standards (compared to achieving only one clean audit in 1990 and only six in 1996 for those same 24 agencies);[citation needed]

3) Eliminated approximately $9 billion in improper payments — a 17% decrease from 2004.[citation needed]

4) Developed and reported the first ever government-wide inventory of the Federal real property assets, reporting data on more than 1.2 million assets worldwide, and disposing of $3.5 billion in excess property from 2004.[citation needed]

Early life and education

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A native of Hudson, North Carolina, Combs graduated from Hudson High School and would then earn an Associate of Arts degree at Gardner-Webb University, Bachelor of Science and Master's degrees from Appalachian State University, and a Doctorate in Educational Administration from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. She is also a graduate of the Program for Senior Managers in Government at Harvard University, and holds an honorary Doctorate from Gardner-Webb University.[8]

Government service and private sector career

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Combs was previously appointed by President George W. Bush and confirmed by the United States Senate to the position of Assistant Secretary for Budget and Programs and Chief Financial Officer at the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). As Assistant Secretary, Combs oversaw all budgetary and management functions of the Department, including budget development and budget execution. As Chief Financial Officer, she was responsible for oversight of the Department’s $57 billion appropriation, the Government Performance and Results Act, as well as general monitoring of programs.

Prior to her appointment at DOT, Combs held a Presidential Appointment, confirmed by the Senate, at the United States Environmental Protection Agency, where she served as Chief Financial Officer from 2001–2003.[9]

During the previous Reagan and Bush Administrations, Combs served in various oversight roles and executive level management positions at the U.S. Department of Education, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, and U.S. Department of the Treasury.

Prior to government service, and following a successful career of over ten years in instructional and administrative positions in the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County School System, she was elected in 1980 to the Board of Education in Winston-Salem/Forsyth County, North Carolina. In 1986 she was appointed as Education Advisor to the Governor of North Carolina, James G. Martin.

Combs has also spent a number of years in the private sector. In her role of Operations Officer and Manager of National Direct Student Loans for Wachovia Corporation, Combs was responsible for the general management of National Direct Student Loan Operations, with an expense budget that affected several million dollars of annual revenue. For ten years, Combs and her husband founded and built their own highly successful private record label and music catalog company to achieve worldwide distribution of CDs, videos, and music books. She is also a published author on family caregiving, and was a national spokesperson for Warner Lambert Pharmaceutical Company.

Before returning to the federal government in 2001, Combs was a member of the Board of Visitors of the Babcock Graduate School of Management at Wake Forest University, Chair of the Board of Directors of the Appalachian State University Foundation, and a member of the Board of Trustees at Gardner-Webb University. She also served on several corporate boards.

Bibliography

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  • Combs, Linda Morrison (1994). A long good-bye : reflections on dealing with Alzheimers. Winston-Salem, N.C.: Combs Pub. ISBN 0-9640312-0-5. OCLC 32435709.
  • Combs, Linda Morrison (1999). A long good-bye and beyond : coping with Alzheimer's. Wilsonville, Or.: BooksPartners. ISBN 1-885221-83-5. OCLC 41233908.
  • Combs, Linda Morrison (1985). Education in the year 2035 : a Delphi study to identify possible futures of the public secondary school. Thesis (Ed. D.)--Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1985. OCLC 14231834.

Awards and honors

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Award Organization Year
Order of the Long Leaf Pine State of North Carolina - Office of the Governor 2022
Distinguished Service Award NASACT 2022
Order of the Long Leaf Pine State of North Carolina - Office of the Governor 2016
"National Leadership Award" Association of Government Accountants 2005
"Crystal Eagle Award" Budget Performance and Integration 2004
Rhododendron Society [10] Reich College of Education at Appalachian State University 2004
"Hall of Honor" [11] Caldwell County Schools 2003

Timeline

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Archived copy" (PDF). Office of Management and Budget. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2015-12-03. Retrieved 2007-02-24 – via National Archives.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. ^ Governor McCrory appoints new state controller
  3. ^ Governor McCrory nominates State Controller Dr. Linda Morrison Combs
  4. ^ Governor's Press Release: McCrory Nominee Linda Combs sworn in as State Controller Archived 2016-07-26 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ Presidential Nomination: Jonann Elizabeth Chiles
  6. ^ Chief Financial Officers Act of 1990
  7. ^ Results.gov
  8. ^ Linda Morrison Combs obituary, Winston-Salem, NC. Legacy.com. Retrieved June 9, 2024.
  9. ^ Senate Confirms Linda Combs To Be Epa Chief Financial Officer | Newsroom | Us Epa
  10. ^ Rhododendron Society :: Reich College of Education Archived 2007-06-07 at the Wayback Machine
  11. ^ Caldwell County Schools - 2004 Hall of Honor

11. Linda Combs Obituary

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Preceded by Controller, Office of Management and Budget
2005-2007 		Succeeded by
Danny Werfel (Acting)
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