Treasurer Beth Pearce and Legislative leaders announced assistance for towns impacted by Tropical Storm Irene.  Click here to read and watch more.

Treasurer Beth Pearce appeared on Burlington’s Public Access Channel 17. To watch the video click here.

Beth Pearce, state treasurer of Vermont, was recently selected by the National Association of State Auditors, Comptrollers and Treasurers to serve on NASACT’s Executive Committee. Ms. Pearce joins David Lillard, Jr. (TN) and Richard Ellis (UT) to comprise the three state treasurer representatives on the committee.

Ms. Pearce was appointed as Vermont’s state treasurer in January 2011. The appointment, by Gov. Peter Shumlin, followed the resignation of Treasurer Jeb Spaulding who was appointed secretary of administration.

Prior to joining the Vermont State Treasurer’s Office, Ms. Pearce served as Deputy Treasurer for cash management at the Massachusetts State Treasurer’s Office from 1999-2003; Deputy Comptroller for the Town of Greenburgh, New York; and as the accounting manager and financial operations manager for the town of West Hartford, Connecticut. In addition, she has served as a fiscal officer with the Massachusetts Department of Social Services and as a project director for the Massachusetts Executive Office of Human Services. Ms. Pierce has a bachelor of arts degree from the University of New Hampshire.

Vermont Treasurer Beth Pearce announced a statewide financial literacy program.  Click here to read more.

ITEM TWO:  Madame Treasurer

She wore crutches to her swearing in ceremony last January and, since then, we have learned some other interesting things about Vermont’s State Treasure. For starters, her favorite hobby is developing non-Euclidean formulas (what?!); as a young woman she unintentionally held up passage of her home town’s municipal budget (her father chaired the Finance Committee) because she asked for outcomes data on an expense item; her office hospitality includes offerings of beverages and an assortment of delicious chocolates; but, it is perhaps her thick Mass accent, which coats every “r” and “a” like frosting on a cake, that makes Beth Pearce so endearing. A self-described “geek”; she was born for this job and she loves it.

Along with Commissioner Jim Reardon and State Auditor Tom Salmon, Pearce recently co-hosted 310 government officials at the annual meeting of the National Association of State Auditors, Comptrollers and Treasurers (NASACT). In addition to workshops focused on the financial management of state governments, Vermont hosted a panel of five governors (Dean, Douglas, Kunin, Salmon, and Shumlin) to discuss trends past and present. At one point, Shumlin referred to Pearce as the best Treasurer Vermont’s ever had, at which point the previous State Treasurer and former Governor, Jim Douglas, leaned forward and looked at Shumlin in that deadpan way that only Douglas can. Was Shumlin fluffing up Pearce in front of her colleagues or poking at Douglas – who knows?  It was, however, another well-hosted Vermont-based event with a national audience that is sure to draw guests back for a vacation or two.

In my recent meeting with Pearce (I ate only two chocolates) it is apparent that she’s been very busy since January working long days and weeks to, among other things, improve Vermont’s pension and post-retirement benefit obligations. There is still much work to be done (she still advocates for defined benefit over defined contribution programs), but the costs are moving in the right direction. For a closer look at these liabilities and other details of the state’s financial picture, read the State Auditor’s 241 page Comprehensive Annual Financial Report for the year ended June 30, 2010.

Pearce also shared some of the issues she is considering for the coming legislative session, which are focused on boosting Vermont’s economy. Some aren’t ready for prime time yet, but those that are include: investigating the feasibility of private activity bonding and energy conservation bonds for job creation, and further reforms aimed at Vermont’s pension programs. On the civic side, Pearce views her office as a means to elevate financial literacy among the public, especially women and children, through implementation of a couple of existing and new programs.  And, she has built up her team with seasoned professionals from the world of finance, which affords her the time to make the rounds in Vermont in anticipation of the upcoming election season. Like I said, she really loves her job.