Finalists named for financial services director
Five finalists have been selected for the city’s Financial Services director position, a job city manager Gary King hopes to have filled by the first of the year.
The five individuals selected are: Gary Simpson of Michigan, Robert Barron of Connecticut, Marc R. Puckett of California, Victoria L. Bateman of Maryland and Douglas M. Haag of Florida.
According to city spokeswoman Connie Barron, the finalists were chosen by a panel selected by City Manager Gary King. The selection panel consisted of Donald McKiernan, chairman of the city’s Finance Committee; Donna Harn, director of Finance for Lee County Lee County; Andrew Falde, CCIM; Bill Van Helden, Cape Coral Fire chief
City spokeswoman Connie Barron said the panel “made recommendations” to King, and that the city manager will be scheduling interviews soon.
“The city manager will be reviewing the applications over the holiday and will schedule one-on-one interviews with them. I believe he would like to have someone selected and onboard by the first of the year,” Barron said.
Gary Simpson is currently the chief financial officer for the City of Marquette, Michigan, a post he’s held since November, 2000.
According to Simpson’s application materials, he has a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting from Wintrhop University in Rockhill, South Carolina. Along with being a Certified Public Accountant in Michigan and North Carolina, Simpson also lists 26 years of municipal financial experience.
Robert Barron is currently the finance director for the City of New Haven, Connecticut, a position he’s held since May, 2008.
Barron has a Bachelor’s Degree in Management and Organizational Behaviour from the University of Missouri in St. Louis, and a Masters Degree in Finance from the same school. Barron also lists 17 years of financial service experience on his application materials.
Marc R. Pluckett was most recently the director of Finance/Treasurer for the City of Costa Mesa, California. He served in that position from 1999 – 2009, before resigning.
Pluckett has a Bachelors Degree in Accounting from Ferris State University in Big Rapids, Michigan. Pluckett also lists 25 years of professional finance experience on his application materials.
Victoria L. Bateman is currently serving as the Senior Executive/Chief Financial Officer for the U.S. Department of Education in Washington D.C., a position she’s held since 2002.
Bateman holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting from Towson University, in Towson, Maryland. Bateman lists 10 years of experience in finance with the federal government, having also worked for the US Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Douglas M Haag was most recently a management consultant for the Town of Lauderdale by the Sea, for which he was paid nothing. He served May 2010 to present.
Haag holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting from the University of Michigan, and an MBA in Finance from Saginaw Valley State University. Haag lists 25 years of financial experience in his application materials.