Gems of Wisdom Consulting, Inc. is pleased to announce the appointment of Lisa McClennon as a Partner of the firm.

As partners, Dr. Sharon Freeman and Lisa McClennon will lead the firm’s consulting practice aimed at helping clients enhance their compliance regimes and lower their operational risks.

Ms. McClennon recently retired as the Deputy Assistant Inspector General for Investigations from the U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Office of the Inspector General.

Lisa’s keen depth of expertise in investigations, risk management, and accountability has earned the respect of her peers in enforcement and in international development communities.

In my view, “Lisa knows what she is doing, and 9 times out of 10 what clients are doing when they doing something they shouldn’t be doing. She has seen a lot, knows a lot, and can help clients a lot—and that’s why she will be an invaluable asset to the firm.”

Lisa’s experience aligns with Gems of Wisdom’s client-centric approach of providing value to companies in assessing and strengthening their compliance programs. Her proven ability to quickly and thoroughly review situations, investigate their root causes, and to recommend appropriate corrective actions to manage matters that have high-stakes impacts are the set of skills that are in high demand by clients for whom failure is not an option.

“Through my 30 years of experience in federal law enforcement and in the Inspector’s General community, I’ve learned first-hand what happens when a global organization’s systems are inadequate to prevent, detect, and investigate fraud and corruption. I also learned the internal controls and best practices to imbed in those systems to greatly reduce instances of fraud in overseas operations,” said Ms. McClennon. With Gems of Wisdom, I look forward to assisting organizations with achieving greater business success in complex operational and regulatory environments, both in the U.S. and internationally.

Ms. McClennon holds a B.A. degree in criminal Justice, a Master’s degree in Human Relations and Business, and has undertaken post graduate work in Urban Policy and Administration. She is also a Certified Fraud Examiner; Certified Compliance and Ethics Professional (International); Leading Professional in Ethics and Compliance; and an international speaker on fraud, ethics, and investigations. Over the past 30 years, she has used her education, training, and experience in law enforcement to teach and facilitate anti-fraud/anti-corruption and leadership courses.

Since her retirement from USAID-OIG as a career member of the Senior Executive Service, her services are in demand to share gems of wisdom learned over a lifetime career.