SAU Board Appoints Attorney Geoffrey Dowd as CFO/Business Administrator
Superintendent of Schools Dr. Earl Metzler is pleased to announce the appointment of Attorney Geoffrey Dowd to the position of Chief Finance Officer/Business Administrator effective July 1, 2017. As the CFO/Business Administrator, Attorney Dowd will be charged with administering the business affairs of SAU 55, and the Timberlane and Hampstead School districts while providing the most effective use of our financial resources. His responsibilities will consist of budget development, purchasing, accounting, payroll, and plant operations associated with facilities, safety, maintenance, food service, and transportation.
Attorney Dowd boasts an extensive background in accounting, finance, budgeting, planning, forecasting, reporting, and legal and negotiation support. He currently serves as the Business Operations Coordinator for SAU 55 working closely with current Business Administrator George Stokinger since 2015 in providing assistance in finance and accounting, and in leading various district committees. Prior to this, he worked for Novell, Inc. where he held a number of roles, including Financial Analyst and Accountant providing support to all general and administrative functions. He has budgeted and forecasted for over $75M in annual expenditures.
Geoff is also a licensed attorney who has assisted clients in negotiating and closing business and real estate acquisitions/dispositions, and provided support for long and short term estate and business transition planning. He is a graduate of Bentley University and New England Law | Boston earning both law and finance degrees.
The Board is excited to elevate Geoff Dowd to the position of CFO/Business Administrator. He has demonstrated a tremendous ability during his time at SAU 55 and will make an excellent Business Administrator. I wish George Stokinger the very best in his upcoming retirement and thank him for his many years of service to our communities. – Jason Cipriano, SAU Board Chair
We look forward to continuing the tradition of responsible budgeting by providing the students and staff members of our districts with the necessary resources to drive rigor, accountability, evaluation, and support that leads to exceptional student outcomes, while at the same time showing a deep respect for the taxpayer. I want to thank the SAU Board Screening Committee, led by co-chairs Sue Sherman of Plaistow and Karen Yasenka of Hampstead, for their diligence in conducting a comprehensive search and interview process. I also wish to thank George Stokinger for all the time and effort that he has expended over the years making SAU 55 one of the most efficient and effective business office operations in the state of New Hampshire. – Dr. Earl Metzler, Superintendent
March 10, 2017