News Flash

James "Jim" Howden has been selected for the position of Rowan County Finance Officer and will also serve as the Finance Director effective October 1, 2020. County Manager Aaron Church stated, "This is a very important position for Rowan County. The County is fortunate to have someone with Jim's integrity and experience who knows and understands Rowan County processes and procedures."

Howden comes highly recommended to this position after serving as the Assistant Finance Director for over three years under the leadership of Leslie Heidrick. Heidrick stated, "Jim has excellent financial and leadership skills. The Finance Department and I are very pleased with this decision."

Howden is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) who earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting from Western Michigan University. Howden is a member of the North Carolina Association of Certified Public Accountants and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

Howden brings a unique background to Local Government Finance. The majority of his 27 years of professional experience includes working in the private sector including but not limited to serving as a Vice President and Senior Financial Analyst for Bank of America. At Bank of America Howden managed monthly reporting and analysis, forecasting and budgeting processes for the Global Consumer & Small Business Division, Capital Projects, Wealth Management and the Commercial Division where the total expense management exceeded $1 Billion dollars.

Howden is a former President, Vice President and Athletic Director of Sherrills Ford Optimist Park and resides in Rowan County with his wife Melissa and three children. He stated, "I am very excited to serve as the next Finance Director for Rowan County. The opportunity to continue the great work that Ms. Heidrick has done for the past 23 years has been my goal since becoming the Assistant Finance Director 3½ years ago. I look forward to working with all Rowan County employees and elected officials in continuing the amazing work everyone does for the County."

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For additional questions, please contact Aaron Church at 704-216-8180.