Esther Ko became the auditor general for Fairfax County Public Schools in 2017, bringing with her many years of public accounting and internal audit experience.
Previously, Ko served as the director of internal audit at FHI 360 (a non-governmental organization), overseeing the global internal audit and internal investigation functions for seven years.
Prior to FHI 360, Ko was a manager at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), focusing on complex engagements for internal audit / Sarbanes Oxley Act (SOX) implementation, litigation and enforcement support, enhanced due diligence (including the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act), accounting fraud investigations, and designing anti-corruption and governance compliance programs. Ko's domestic and international experience spans multiple sectors including financial services, pharmaceuticals, manufacturing, energy, utilities, food services, real estate, non-governmental organization (NGO) and government. Prior to her consulting practice, Ko managed external audit engagements at PwC, which included leading audit teams, identifying and resolving technical accounting and auditing matters, and communicating with senior company officers and board members about audit progress and results.
Prior to joining PwC, Ko was a senior external auditor at Arthur Andersen and an intern at Goldman Sachs.
Ko is tri-lingual (fluent in English, Mandarin and Cantonese), and holds the following professional credentials: Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) and Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE).
