A Cedar Rapids native has been named Clear Lake’s new finance director.
Creighton Schmidt, 32, will succeed Linda Nelson, who is retiring this month after more than 30 years with the city.
Schmidt
“He’s had a pretty successful career for someone of his age,” said Clear Lake City Administrator Scott Flory announcing the hire Tuesday evening during the city council meeting.
Schmidt has more than 10 years of experience with Marriott International, including positions in Coralville, Iowa, and Newport, Rhode Island.
He most recently worked for the hospitality company as a multi-property director of finance and accounting in the Washington, D.C., metro area.
Flory said when he and Mayor Nelson Crabb reached out to their counterparts in Coralville about their dealings with Schmidt, they both gave "very high raise" for him.
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"That was important for us," he said. "We look forward to him providing strategic financial leadership and management to our various city departments and working collaboratively with the council on our goals and objectives that we put together to try to achieve those."
Schmidt has a Bachelor of Business Administration, Accounting; a Bachelor of Business Administration, Business Management; and a Master of Business Administration with Distinction, all from the University of Iowa Tippie College of Business.
“(We’re) happy to have someone with his professional experience and his academics coming to our community and to our organization,” Flory said.
Schmidt was among about 20 individuals who applied for the finance director position, he said.
The finance director is responsible for the administration and management of the city’s budget and financial operations, advising city staff and council about the city’s financial health, maintaining the safe custody of all city funds and more.
Schmidt will begin working at City Hall on Sept. 21.
"I think he'll be a great asset to this community, not only presently but in the future," Crabb said. "He has a broad prospective of administration and finance. We’re lucky, I believe, to have hired him."
Schmidt and his wife, Ashley, have three children and they recently relocated to Clear Lake.
Nelson is among three employees who opted to participate in the city’s voluntary early retirement incentive program the City Council approved in July.
The others were Police Lt. Paul Chizek, who retired in August, and Public Works Director Joe Weigel, who will retire in late September.
Chizek had been with the city for 32 years; Nelson has been with the city for nearly 31 years, and Weigel has been with the city for about 31 and a half years.
Photos: 4th Annual TRI Clear Lake Triathlon
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Ashley Stewart covers Clear Lake and arts and entertainment in North Iowa for the Globe Gazette. You can reach her at ashley.stewart@globegazette.com or by phone at 641-421-0533. Follow Ashley on Twitter at GGastewart.