Garland Blackwell

The Houston Independent School District Board of Education has selected Garland W. Blackwell as the district’s new chief audit executive.

Mr. Blackwell most recently served as an internal audit director for Parsons, a global engineering services firm, where he established and directed the internal audit process for its regional offices in the Middle East and Africa. He has more than 25 years of internal audit and financial experience.

“The HISD Board of Education is pleased to welcome Mr. Blackwell to our district,” said HISD Board President Wanda Adams. “He is an accomplished internal auditor who will provide critical oversight of the district and recommendations for improvement that will safeguard district resources and support our core values. It has been a priority of our board and audit committee to fill this position to ensure that integrity and transparency are maintained across the district.”

Mr. Blackwell will be responsible for implementing a risk-based audit plan and supervising and conducting audits in accordance with the approved audit plan in compliance with board policy and International Standards for the Professional Practice of Internal Auditing. He also will be responsible for improving business processes and ensuring conformity with appropriate rules and laws. The position will report to the HISD Board of Education.

Mr. Blackwell earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a master’s degree in business administration from New Mexico Highlands University. He later earned a Juris Doctor degree from Willamette University’s College of Law and a master of laws in taxation from the University of San Diego.