Peggy Sherry was confirmed as the Chief Financial Officer at the Department of Homeland Security and served from April 9, 2012 to November 2, 2013.
She had served as the Deputy Chief Financial Officer since July 2008, during which time she led the Department to a qualified full-scope audit opinion in FY 2012. This was the Department’s first-ever opinion on its complete set of financial statements.
Ms. Sherry joined the Department in May 2007 as the Director of the DHS Office of Financial Management. As the Director of DHS Financial Management, Ms. Sherry established Department-wide financial management policies to ensure efficient and transparent operations and Department resources are not vulnerable to waste, fraud, and mismanagement. She also spearheaded Department-wide financial reporting to Treasury and the Office of Management and Budget as well as the Department's financial audits.
Prior to joining the Department, Ms. Sherry was the Deputy Chief Financial Officer for the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Ms. Sherry oversaw the successful conversion to the Museum’s new financial management system and instituted processes that led to seven unqualified audit opinions on the Museum’s financial statements. Before then, she was an auditor with GAO for more than nine years. During her time at GAO, Ms. Sherry oversaw numerous financial audits, to include leading segments of the financial statement audit of the U.S. Government. Prior to her service in the public sector, she worked as a financial manager in the banking and construction industries.
Ms. Sherry is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Association of Government Accountants. She holds a B.S. in Accounting from George Mason University and an M.S. in Accounting and Finance from University of Maryland University College.