A great deal of fascinating information about the management and performance of government is communicated in webinars, but for many federal, state and local and nonprofit employees, it’s difficult to put aside their normal workload and take advantage of the knowledge that’s imparted by well-selected experts. 

That’s why the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) has introduced its “Critical Takeaway” feature in 2026 – a new initiative that provides a summary of the key points communicated in ASPA’s most intriguing and informative webinars. This new ASPA offering adds to the vast amounts of critical information that it offers the public administration community, such as its monthly online publication, “The Bridge” and a variety of email publications such as the ASPA  News Digest, “This Week at ASPA”, and “Federal Workforce in Turmoil.” 

The “Critical Takeaway” tab can be found on ASPA’s banner menu under “Events”, with “The Power of Performance Audits -- the first selection for the new feature – published on January 28. Currently, there is no set schedule for publishing, but it’s likely that a new “Critical Takeaway” will come out every month or so. In each case, the key points of the webinar topic are summarized upfront, with the participants listed and pictured.

ASPA’s first Critical Takeaway selection includes a key quote from former auditor and past Kansas City Mayor Mark Funkhouser, who sets the stage with a comment about his early reactions to performance auditing when entered the field long ago. “I was stunned at the power of performance auditing to do good – to make things better in government,” he said.

The two-page summary then describes the major takeaways from the webinar, giving a peek at a field that agencies often contemplate with trepidation and smart elected officials look to for sound observations, recommendations and advice.

This is followed by a description of some of the high points of the hour discussion, starting with a comment from Richard Greene (one of the principals of Barrett and Greene, Inc.) who moderated the session. He described an auditor’s job as part detective and part adviser, while Funkhouser, currently president of Funkhouser & Associates, added “There’s a bit of a cop in the performance auditor,” as well. 

Key webinar quotes and comments are included from each of the other three performance auditors who participated: 

Doug Jones, former Kansas City Auditor and now County Auditor, Johnson County, Kansas: “Performance auditing is a noble profession. We look at public programs and activities to see what’s happening and to identify areas or opportunities for improvement. We don’t directly service the public like folks picking up the trash, but we might do an audit that tells you how to better pick up the trash and save money and do a better job.”

Corrie Stokes, recently retired long-time auditor of Austin, Texas, addressed auditor frustrations when the topic covered in an audit request is overly narrow. As an example, she discussed a police department audit her office was asked to perform that looked at license-plate readers. The summary describes how she wished the audit could have addressed bigger questions. For example, did the police department use data in the way it said it would and did it have data safeguards in place? More generally, she made the point that “there’s great value in asking whether a program is effective and equitable.”

Michelle Sanders, Principal Auditor, California State Auditor’s Office helped to communicate to viewers how an audit’s discovery of a problem can lead to a legislative solution. One example focused on the audit of an agency which had mailed letters that contained Californians full Social Security numbers, which created a potential risk of identity theft.  The audit resulted in the agency correcting its process.  Beyond that, it led the legislature to fix the issue statewide. As the summary noted: “A strong audit doesn’t just call out problems – it gives state and local lawmakers the facts to address them.”

(Note: Barrett and Greene have been members of ASPA for many years and currently serve as executive advisors, with Barrett, the board chair for ASPA’s Frederickson Center for Social Equity and Greene, the board chair for its Center for Accountability and Performance.)

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