Deschutes County names new finance director

Deschutes County has appointed Wayne Lowry as finance director, replacing Marty Wynne, who is retiring after serving in the position for 17 years.

Lowry’s experience includes over 30 years of local government finance and accounting. He will join Deschutes County on Monday, July 8, after serving as the Chief Financial Officer for the Sherwood School District for over five years.

“The Finance Director is a very important position in the County. Wayne will maintain the high level of professionalism and experience we expect here. The Board is pleased to welcome Wayne,” said Board of County Commissioners Chair Alan Unger.

Prior to his employment with Sherwood School District, Lowry worked for Washington County, Oregon as the Chief Finance Officer.

During his employment with Washington County, he managed a $350 million debt and treasury portfolio. His other responsibilities included purchasing, accounting and financial reporting. Wayne’s professional experience includes serving as Finance Director for the City of Tigard, Oregon, and as Internal Auditor for Orange County, California.

“I believe that Wayne is the perfect fit for Deschutes County. Throughout the interview process, beyond his technical expertise, Wayne demonstrated his ability and desire to work with the Board of Commissioners, County administration and individual departments to learn about the unique service areas of the County to provide tailored advice and counseling in each of those areas. I have no doubt that he will become a trusted internal financial consultant to everyone at the County, as well as becoming someone the public will trust to capably and securely manage the County’s financial business,” County Administrator Tom Anderson said.

Wayne has a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration – Accounting from the California State University, Long Beach. He is a Certified Public Accountant, is the past president of the Oregon Municipal Finance Officers Association, and is currently serving on the Public Employee Retirement System (PERS) Employers Task Force.

The Deschutes County Finance Director serves as the Chief Financial Officer for the County and is the financial advisor to the County Administrator and the Board of County Commissioners