Woman standing in front of LA Dodger sign, arms raised in celebration

Barbara Baldwin

Executive Director of the Council of Internal Auditing

One of the first things you will learn about OSBM’s Barbara Baldwin is that she loves the LA Dodgers. The second thing you will learn is that she is passionate about helping organizations improve.

In her career in internal audit, Barbara Baldwin has reviewed tens of billions of dollars spent or administered by North Carolina. She’s asked hard questions of accounting clerks, program administrators, and statewide elected officials. Most of all, Barbara has helped make North Carolina a stronger state. 

Barbara is the Director of the Central Internal Audit Office, which provides audit services to OSBM and also other, small agencies. She is also the Executive Director of the Council of Internal Auditing for the state. This means she is responsible for OSBM’s internal audit services but also leading a team that supports the audit function and standards across all of state government. 

Over decades of service for the state, she has conducted countless performance audits, audited federal funds, conducted quality assurance reviews of other internal audit groups and investigated at least 70 fraud, waste, and abuse complaints. 

“Internal audit plays a vital role in helping organizations improve their processes, safeguard assets, and operate more efficiently.,” explains Barbara. “I enjoy this work because I know I’m making a positive impact—supporting teams, identifying opportunities for growth, and ultimately just helping.”

“I love to cook—because I love to eat good food,” she explained.

She also enjoys spending time with her dog, Andy, and sometimes her family too. She used to be an avid golfer and a guitar player but now relieves stress with target practice and aspiring to become a bourbon connoisseur—although never at the same time. 

white dog lying on a blue LA Dodgers blanket

Advice Barbara would give someone new to her field (or any field): 

Embrace new challenges – you never know what path they might lead you down.

Early in my career, I worked in the accounting department of a large distribution company. I loved numbers—and still do. I had a clear plan: earn my CPA, climb the corporate ladder, and one day become a bigwig CFO, happily surrounded by spreadsheets and financial statements.

Then one day, my boss asked me to review some processes in teams I supervised with a goal to streamline and improve. It wasn’t my usual numbers-crunching work, but I embraced the challenge. I found myself energized—not just by the task, but by the chance to help the organization improve. When I submitted my ideas, my boss implemented every single one of them.

That was my very first operational review (some may even call it an audit 😊). It marked the beginning of a career I never saw coming but have loved for the last 40 years.