Randy L. Thornton

Randy L. Thornton is the PCAOB’s Chief Operating Officer (COO). In this role, he oversees the Office of the Chief Operating Officer, including the Office of Human Resources, the Office of Finance, the Office of Technology, the Enterprise Strategy and Project Management Office, and the Facilities and Operations department. 

From July 2025 to May 2026, Mr. Thornton was the PCAOB’s Acting COO. During this period, he also served as the PCAOB’s Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO), a role he was appointed to in December 2022 after having been named Acting CHRO in October of that year.  

Before joining the PCAOB in August 2022 as the Deputy Director of HR Delivery, Mr. Thornton spent four years as the Chief of Management Services for the CIO Organization at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). In that role, he served as a policy advisor to senior executives and led a national administrative management program including human resources, labor and employee relations, employee development and training, reasonable accommodations, space management, and contractor and vendor management. 

Prior to joining the FDIC, Mr. Thornton worked for the U.S. Department of the Treasury, Bureau of Fiscal Service, where he was the Human Capital Officer and Director of Human Resources from 2011 to 2018. While at Treasury, he also served as the Associate Chief Financial Officer with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and successfully completed the senior executive candidate development program. Before that, he worked at the U.S. Department of Labor as the Deputy Director for Human Resources Staffing, Benefits and Compensation for the Employment and Training Administration. Prior to joining the federal government in 2009, he held various leadership positions in human resources in the private sector. 

Mr. Thornton has a Bachelor of Science in business administration from Shippensburg University and a Master of Human Resource Management from St. Francis University. He holds a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) certification.