VANESSA L. ARMSTRONG
In 2021, Vanessa L. Armstrong joined the Office of the Circuit Executive for the Sixth Circuit as the judiciary’s first and now only Director of Financial Integrity. Her entire legal career spans more than 30 years devoted exclusively to serving the public, 23 years of which were with the United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky. In 2023, Vanessa received the Director’s Award for Excellence in Judiciary Services for her work as Director of Financial Integrity. Vanessa served the Western District of Kentucky in many positions: clerk of court, chief deputy clerk, staff attorney for pro se litigation, and elbow law clerk to the late Honorable John G. Heyburn II and the Honorable Thomas B. Russell. As Legal Counsel in the Governor’s Office of Child Abuse and Domestic Violence Services (Kentucky), Vanessa successfully defended the privacy of victims of sexual assault, persuading the Supreme Court of Kentucky to adopt the rape shield law for civil cases. She also served as an Assistant Attorney General for the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Vanessa’s early career reflected her desire to represent the most vulnerable citizens – children and battered women. As a legal services attorney, she tried difficult cases involving children abused and neglected by their caretakers and children charged with juvenile delinquency. In representing battered women, she secured protective orders on their behalf, while assisting them with legal separations from their partners. Vanessa currently serves on the JIFMS Change Champion Network and is an Internal Control Mentor/Subject Matter Expert for the internal control self-assessment tool. She has served on advisory councils (Space and Security Advisory Council (co-chair) and Budget and Finance Advisory Council) and many working groups (FMWG, Chief District Judge Programs Working Group, Next Generation of CM/ECF Project Steering Group, District Clerks’ Offices Staffing Formula Development Steering Group, Disputed Ownership Fund Subcommittee, Audit Controls Task Force, and Self-Assessment Audit Tool Development Subcommittee (Chair)). Vanessa graduated summa cum laude from Berea College with a B.A. in Philosophy and received her law degree from Columbia Law School.
MICHELLE CANNATELLA
Michelle Cannatella is a Management Analyst in the Financial Operations Division, Travel Section at the AO, with over 24 years’ experience in the Judiciary. Prior to joining the AO, Michelle served as a Senior Financial Specialist at the U.S. Sentencing commission and as an Administrative Manager in the Eastern District of Louisiana.
JOHN LALLEY
As the Chief of the Financial Management Office, John is responsible for the judiciary’s financial accounting and investments activities, supporting the third branch and the public it serves by providing sound financial management direction. In this role, John oversees the judiciary’s daily financial operations, leveraging national financial management systems like the Judiciary Integrated Financial Management System, and leads transformation initiatives to align the judiciary with best practices in enhancing financial data reporting and improving internal controls.
Prior to accepting the position of FMO Chief in November 2021, John was the Deputy Office Chief and Strategic Planning Division Chief in the Administrative Office’s Administrative Systems Office since 2014. Before joining the AO in 2005, John served in various roles with CGI Federal, Information Spectrum Incorporated, and Cost Engineering Incorporated.
John holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from James Madison University and has over 27 years of experience leading and managing national initiatives which support financial management operations, applications, and staff. John is also an active member of the Association of Government Accountants.
VELEDA HENDERSON
Veleda Henderson joined the Federal Judiciary in July 2012 when she became the Audit Officer for the Administrative Office of the US Courts (AO). Prior to coming to the AO, Veleda served for 1 ½ years at the Department of Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) Office of the Inspector General as an Audit Manager. In this role, she managed audits of various DLA programs. She also served as the Acting Deputy Inspector General for Audit where she was responsible for the overall management of DLA’s Office of the Inspector General’s audit function.
Veleda has over twenty-five years of audit and accounting experience, specializing in audits of federal entities, state and local governments, and compliance with federal programs. Veleda has over 11 years of experience working in the public accounting industry. Before joining DLA, Veleda worked for 7 years and became an Audit Manager with the certified public accounting (CPA) firm KPMG LLP, where she specialized in conducting financial audits of executive branch agencies, state and local governments, and public and private companies. She also conducted federal program compliance audits of state and local governments and non-for-profit organizations.
Prior to joining KPMG LLP, Veleda spent 3 years as a supervising senior auditor for the Auditor of Public Accounts (APA), the independent audit agency for the Commonwealth of Virginia. In this role, she was responsible for the execution and oversight of audits of state agencies, such as the Department of Medical Assistance Services (DMAS), Department of Social Services (DSS) and the Department of Behavior Health and Developmental Services (DBHDS, formerly the Department of Mental Health). While working for the APA, Veleda was appointed by the Auditor of Public Accounts to the APA’s Fraud Audit Team, responsible for conducting audits based on allegations of fraud that were reported in state and local agencies. Veleda has also held staff auditor and senior auditor level positions with the CPA firms Cherry, Bekaert and Holland and Clifton Gunderson PLLC. Veleda has also held positions as a Controller, Accounting Supervisor and General Ledger Accountant in the private sector.
Veleda earned her BS in Accounting from Virginia Commonwealth University in 1995 and continued her career progression by earning the designation of certified public accountant (CPA). Veleda has also earned designations as a certified internal controls auditor (CICA) and a certified government financial manager (CGFM).