Special to Iredell Free News

Statesville City manager Ron Smith has named Brian Roberts as the city’s new finance director, effective immediately.

For the past two years, Roberts has served as the city’s assistant finance director. He succeeds CFO Chris Tucker, who resigned in August to accept another position.

“I have been extremely impressed with the job Brian has done as interim,” said Smith. “It didn’t take long to recognize that he was the obvious choice for finance director. He is extremely qualified, and the added bonus is that Brian will be a great addition to the city’s management team.”

Roberts said he is excited to play a role in moving the city forward.

“I look at where we are, the growth we are experiencing, the improvements we are making to infrastructure and I’m grateful to be a part of the team,” he said.

Much of Roberts’ professional career has been in auditing. He served as the senior internal auditor for Mecklenburg County, as North Carolina’s assistant state auditor in investigations, and as the senior audit inspector for the West Virginia State Auditor’s Office.

“I know that a lot of people think that the finance director only knows how to say ‘no’, but it’s my job to be the ‘yellow light’ … to slow things down to make sure it’s being done right,” he explained.

As Statesville’s finance director, Roberts will oversee the city’s financial status, including investments, budget preparation, audit preparation and compliance with internal and external accounting policies.

“I know that all of the city’s decisions will eventually touch the bank account. I am looking forward to working with all the departments as Statesville continues to grow.”

Roberts is a certified fraud examiner, certified local government finance officer and certified public accountant. He is a graduate of Concord University in Athens, W.Va., with a triple degree in accounting, finance and management.