Featured Member

RACHEL A. SNELL, CICA, CIA, CFE, CRMA

Our FEATURED MEMBER is RACHEL SNELL, CICA. Rachel presently holds the position of Internal Audit Director and Chief Audit Executive for the Coast Community College District in Costa Mesa, California.

Rachel has over 17 years experience in both the public and private sectors. She started her career in internal investigations in the retail industry in 1996, and moved into skip trace collections in banking in 1997.  Having completed her Master’s degree in Public Administration  Rachel transitioned into the public sector performing operational work for a US Congressman before working in City government in such areas as community outreach, emergency management, and law enforcement.  Rachel transitioned to the world of audit in 2005, and worked in audit for State and Local governments in Texas and California prior to entering the realm of education in 2014.  Throughout her audit career, Rachel continued to gain subject matter expertise in purchasing, contracts, health care, hotel occupancy tax, social services, grants, education, student services, and information technology. 

Recently Rachel has served the Coast Community College District as the Internal Audit Director for nearly nine years, rebuilding the department from the ground up in order to ensure independence, objectivity, and transparency.  Her experience in both operations and audit, along with her achievements in Federal, State, and Local government, has contributed to her ongoing success as an audit professional.  

Rachel is active in professional organizations as a member and a leader, serves as a speaker at many conferences and training events, and publishes articles in audit-related publications.  In addition to the CICA, Rachel is recognized as a Certified Internal Auditor (CIA), Certified Fraud Examiner  (CFE), and Certified in Risk Management Assurance (CRMA).  She is also an active member of the Association of Local Government Auditors (ALGA), the Association of College and University Auditors (ACUA), and the Community College Internal Auditors (of California).

Rachel holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Willamette University, in Salem, Oregon, and a Master of Public Administration degree from the School of Public Affairs at Arizona State University.