2011 Assembly Joint Resolution 45
ENROLLED JOINT RESOLUTION
Relating to: commending State Auditor Janice Mueller on the occasion of her retirement.
Whereas, Janice “Jan" Mueller was born in Crystal Falls, Michigan, to Norman and Blanche Gill; was raised in Amasa, Michigan; and, after attending Central Michigan University, she became the first person in her family to graduate from college; and
Whereas, Jan began her career in Wisconsin legislative service in October 1976 as a fiscal analyst with the Legislative Fiscal Bureau, where she reviewed budget proposals, wrote issue papers and memoranda, and assisted the Joint Committee on Finance in the development of budget alternatives and recommendations; and
Whereas, she became a program evaluation supervisor at the Legislative Audit Bureau in February 1981 where she assisted in planning and directing complex evaluations of various state agencies and programs; and
Whereas, Jan was appointed special assistant to the director of the Bureau of Health Care Financing in the Wisconsin Department of Health and Social Services in November 1985, where she analyzed policy issues and completed projects to strengthen quality assurance in Medical Assistance; and
Whereas, she returned to the Legislative Audit Bureau as executive assistant in August 1989, where she served as the chief policy adviser to the state auditor, managed the bureau's internal operations, and worked closely with the cochairpersons and members of the Joint Legislative Audit Committee and their staff; and
Whereas, Jan was appointed Wisconsin state auditor in March 1998 and led the Legislative Audit Bureau in conducting more than 425 financial audits and evaluations of state agencies and programs during her 13-year tenure in the position; and
Whereas, she worked purposefully to strengthen the bureau's service to the legislature by maintaining cooperative and collaborative working relationships with the directors and the staff of the Legislative Council, the Legislative Fiscal Bureau, the Legislative Reference Bureau, and the Legislative Technology Services Bureau; and
Whereas, under Jan's leadership, the Legislative Audit Bureau received the National Legislative Program Evaluation Society's Award for Excellence in Evaluation in 2002, in recognition of its adherence to the highest performance standards across a body of evaluative work; and
Whereas, under her leadership, the Legislative Audit Bureau has consistently received an unqualified opinion on its system of quality control for financial audits from the National State Auditors Association; and
Whereas, under Jan's leadership, the Legislative Audit Bureau was recognized in Governing Magazine in 2008 as being “among the most important and credible audit shops in the country;" and
Whereas, Jan's leadership in the auditing field has extended beyond Wisconsin's borders through her service to and leadership roles in professional organizations, including the National State Auditors Association; the National Association of State Auditors, Comptrollers and Treasurers; the United States Comptroller General's Advisory Council on Government Auditing Standards; the National Legislative Program Evaluation Society; and the Association of Government Accountants; and
Whereas, Wisconsin Women in Government recognized her outstanding record of leadership and service to the state by making her a recipient of the Wisconsin's First Woman Award in May 2004; and
Whereas, Jan's professionalism, dedication, warmth, and personal integrity are appreciated by all those with whom she has worked throughout her distinguished career; and
Whereas, Jan will retire from public service on June 17, 2011; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the
assembly, the senate concurring, That the members of the Wisconsin legislature congratulate Jan on nearly 35 years of public service; commend her for her objectivity, independence, and nonpartisanship, which have so shaped the work of the Legislative Audit Bureau throughout her tenure as state auditor; thank her for the service she has rendered to the legislature and to the citizens of the state; and extend best wishes to her for a long and happy retirement; and, be it further
Resolved, That the assembly chief clerk shall provide a copy of this joint resolution to Janice Mueller and her husband, Joel; her daughter, Kristen of St. Louis, Missouri; her son, Andrew of Chicago, Illinois; her sister Marsha Johnson, of Crystal Falls, Michigan; and the staff of the Legislative Audit Bureau.
