The City of Poway is proud to announce the appointment of Craig Schmollinger to the Director of Finance position. He will oversee the city’s finance, information technology and customer services divisions. This includes the preparation of the city’s annual budget and Annual Comprehensive Financial Report, overall management of the city’s finances, maintenance of the city’s computer systems, and utilities related billing, customer service, and meter reading/maintenance functions.
Schmollinger has more than 20 years of municipal government experience, with the last nine years directly in municipal financial management. He most recently worked in Washington State where he was the finance director for a water and sewer special district. He led the implementation of rate adjustments to align water revenue with service requirements to meet customer expectations. He also helped the district achieve compliance with government accounting standards.
Before moving to Washington, Schmollinger worked for the Ramona Municipal Water District, where he led several cost saving and service enhancement projects. He and his family live in Poway.
“I am ecstatic to now be serving the Poway community we love and call home,” Schmollinger said.
“The leadership transition of our high-performing finance department has been seamless,” said City Manager Chris Hazeltine in praise of Poway staff who continued to ensure all functions within the department were covered. “As a Poway resident, Craig understands our city’s values and that combined with experience and leadership qualities will serve us well. We are excited to have him here.”
Schmollinger and obtained both his bachelor’s and master’s degree in public administration from San Diego State University. He recently completed the ICMA Professional Development Academy. ICMA is a top association of local government professionals.