HARRISBURG – Clearfield County Controller Claudia M. Read was elected to the office of Third Vice President of the Pennsylvania State Association of County Controllers at their July 2009 statewide conference in Harrisburg.
The Pennsylvania State Association of County Controllers was formed in 1914 to provide education, training, and best practices for uniform, efficient, and economical methods of administering the affairs of the Office of County Controller. Read has been a member of the organization since taking office as Clearfield County Controller in 1998. In 2004, she was elected and served as president of the organization. The last county controller from Clearfield County to serve in that post was Herman E. McCloud, who held the post in 1951. Prior to that Clearfield residents Robert M. Hershey and A.G. Woodwards served in the same position in 1939 and 1930 respectively.
In response to her re-election, Read said, “ I am honored to represent Clearfield County in my role as County Controller. Clearfield County as a sixth class county is the smallest class county belonging to this organization. My peers in this organization are highly educated and knowledgeable members, holding degrees in accounting, law, pharmacy, and business. I am very proud to have earned the respect of so many accomplished individuals. I look forward to serving on the Board of PSACC with County Controllers from Allegheny, Centre, Lycoming, Mercer, Franklin, and Cumberland.”
Read added, “Continuing education is vital to the effective and fiscally responsible management of the county’s financial affairs. Changes in regulations require diligence and on-going training. In the past most county financial reports were compiled by an outside auditing firm, but since the Enron fraud, counties are now required to produce and oversee many of the required documents in the county’s annual financial report.”
Read was awarded a degree in Business Administration and Economics from Eastern College, now Eastern University in Saint David’s, Pennsylvania in 1977. She has continued her education through PSACC in areas such as accounting, auditing, automated accounting systems, banking, bonding, payroll, and computerized record keeping.
Read concluded, “I enjoy working with and serving the citizens of Clearfield County. It is a wonderful place to live and raise a family.”