M.S. O’Brien joined the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) in October 2012 as the Chief Financial Officer, and primary financial advisor, responsible for the development and execution of a $3.8 billion in appropriated funding annually. In addition, Ms. O’Brien has oversight of almost $2.0 billion in support from mission partners on an annual basis, to include the Department of Justice (Department) Assets Forfeiture Fund, Fees and Expense of Witnesses, the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (AOUSC), and the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force.
Ms. O’Brien is responsible for agency-wide acquisition and procurement activities, financial and travel policy and compliance, budget formulation and execution, accounting operations and reports, audited financial statements, and enterprise financial systems to include the Department’s Unified Financial Management System and E2 Travel Solutions. Ms. O’Brien is responsible for the USMS seized and asset forfeiture efforts to include the management and disposition of billions of dollars in assets related to criminal activities, and providing vital support to U.S. Attorney’s Offices and investigation agencies by assisting with pre-seizure planning and financial investigations. In her tour of duty with the USMS, Ms. O’Brien established a centralized financial processing center in Austin, Texas to serve the 94 district offices throughout the country for efficiencies, economies of scale and fiscal compliance giving time back to the mission; led the agency to receive its first unqualified (unmodified) financial audit opinion; and worked with the Department, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and Congress to secure financial resources and authorized positions. For her efforts, she has been nominated twice by the USMS and the Department as a Presidential Rank Award nominee.
In 1989, Ms. O’Brien started her 36-year Department career with the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) in an entry level position in an institution and accepted roles of increased responsibility, to include the Budget Officer for Headquarters and nationwide programs/projects, as well as the Chief(s) of the Accounting Operations (Bureau Accounting Officer) and the Financial Statements Sections. Starting in 1999, Ms. O’Brien held positions with the Department’s Justice Management Division (JMD), including Chief, Accounting Operations and Reports Section, and Chief/Assistant Director, Quality Control and Compliance Group (Bureau Accounting Officer), for the Offices, Boards and Divisions. During this period, she was responsible for a diverse and professional staff and the daily financial operations and regulatory reporting to the Treasury and the OMB for over 150 appropriation accounts. In addition, Ms. O’Brien helped eliminate significant deficiencies and material weaknesses and provided advice on financial activities, reporting, system requirements, and compliance throughout the Department. For her efforts, she was personally recognized by the Attorney General in 2005 for the restatement of the Office of Justice Program’s and the Department’s financial audit opinion to unqualified and received the JMD Controller’s Award in 2006.
In 2009, Ms. O’Brien was promoted to the Senior Executive ranks as the Staff Director of the JMD Debt Collection Management Staff, responsible for accounting, operational and policy support services, and the enterprise system of record to monitor, manage, and report civil debts owed to the U.S. Government. She accounted for the collections of billions of dollars annually and subsequent disbursement of funds to the U.S. Treasury, Federal agencies, states, and private parties, to include whistleblowers. In addition, she was delegated the authority to contract with private litigation firms with oversight over the Private Counsel program comprised of 40 private firms (in 27 Federal judicial districts) to further the collection of monies due to the federal government. Ms. O’Brien relied on her relationships with the AOUSC, Federal agencies, and the Department’s litigating divisions to ensure both federal civil and criminal debt was recorded and reported accurately.
Ms. O’Brien is a graduate of the BOP “Introduction to Correctional Techniques” training at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Glynco, Georgia. She attended the Federal Executive Institute program on Leadership for a Democratic Society in 2008, the Department of Defense Vanguard Senior Executive Development Training Program in 2016 as the Department of Justice nominee and completed her Executive (Education) Certificate in Public Leadership at Harvard Kennedy School in 2020. She holds an undergraduate degree with majors in Accounting and Business Management, a Master of Business Administration degree (emphasis Public Administration), and is a Certified Public Accountant (inactive).