Hartford Reporter

At the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) annual business meeting held on May 23, 2023, at the Oregon Convention Center, five new members-at-large of the Executive Board were elected. Among the newly-elected members is Diane Waldron, CPA, Comptroller of the City of Bristol for a three-year term through 2026.

Diane has been a GFOA member for the past 35 years and served on the GFOA’s Committee on Retirement and Benefits for the past six years and as Chair for the last year.  She also is a member of the Women’s Public Finance Network and served as its President-Elect and on its Mentorship Committee. She was a speaker on health benefits in 2018 at the Annual GFOA Conference and participated in the GFOA’s Advanced Government Finance Institute at the University of Madison, Wisconsin. She has received GFOA’s Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting and GFOA’s Distinguished Budget Presentation Award.

Diane holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Fairfield University and is a Certified Public Accountant.

As Comptroller, she oversees the City’s budget, investments of a fully-funded $700 million pension fund, employee health and pension benefits, payroll, debt management and capital and strategic planning. She manages a staff of nine responsible for the accounting, budgeting, and financial reporting for all City funds. 

Her contributions to the profession and jurisdiction include:

• Implemented financial modeling for capital program and economic development projects 
• Past President of the New England States GFOA (2011–2012) and current Executive Board member
• Past President of GFOA of Connecticut (1997–1998); current Connecticut representative to New England States GFOA
• Appointed member to the State of Connecticut Municipal Financial Advisory Commission (2010–present)
• Appointed to the State of Connecticut Legislative Committee to study funding for post-retirement healthcare benefits and pension obligation bonds in 2005
• Past President of Connecticut Public Pension Forum (2004–2009)
• Member of Prudential Client Advisory Board (2006–2008) 
• Current member, Town of Cheshire, CT, Public Building Commission
• Served as Treasurer to local non-profit, Soul Friends, a pet-assisted therapy organization

“After having been involved with GFOA for 30+ years, it is truly an honor to have been elected to serve on the Executive Board and to represent over 21,000 finance officers throughout the United States and Canada as well as the City of Bristol on a national level. It is a privilege to be part of this organization that provides guidance to governments to make informed financial decisions for their communities as well as have the experience to work with colleagues from around the country to address many of the challenges government is facing today. I appreciate and am grateful for the support of the Mayor, City Council, and the Board of Finance in this endeavor.” stated Diane Waldron, CPA, Comptroller for the City of Bristol. 

“Bristol has been fortunate to have a long history of good fiscal management. The City is even more fortunate to have Diane Waldron at the helm of our fiscal ship for the past four years. While her talents and service to the City are notable, this latest accomplishment affords the City the opportunity to continue to gain and grow from this esteemed extracurricular experience that Diane will be gaining in this position working with some of the top financial minds across the country,” stated Mayor Jeffrey Caggiano.

Original source can be found here.