New Canaan Board Of Selectmen Appoint New Comptroller

NEW CANAAN, CT — The Board of Selectmen unanimously approved the selection of Diane Wilson as the town's comptroller during a meeting Tuesday.

Wilson will fill the position left vacant by Joanne Noone, who recently took a position with the city of Stamford.

"We greatly miss [Joanne]," town CFO Lunda Asmani said during the meeting. "She was a great person to work with, but we are also happy for her. We're equally excited to have Diane Wilson join us on the team."

First Selectman Kevin Moynihan also spoke highly of Noone, noting she was terrific at her job.

"On the other hand," Moynihan said, "Diane is someone who you never really realize the talent that someone has on your staff. They've been doing a part-time job, which is very important, but she has a [Master of Business Administration degree], she has a great résumé and she had great experience."

Cheryl Pickering Jones, the town's personnel director, said Wilson has worked under her for close to 15 years and she approved of her selection.

"She is very diligent, very good in detail," Jones said, "and I think will be a great asset to Lunda in the finance department."

According to Asmani, Wilson was chosen from a pool of 29 applicants. Of those applicants, seven were interviewed, after which two were invited back for a second round of interviews and to prepare a presentation. Wilson was ultimately chosen as the preferred candidate.

"I think her understanding of the organization, our culture and understanding and having worked with existing staff is going to be a great asset to the town," Asmani said. "We are extremely excited to have her."

According to a news release provided by the town, Wilson started with the town's finance department in 2006 and has served as the pension/retiree benefits administrator for 15 years. In this position, she oversees all pension and OPEB-related activities, including working with the plans' actuary, external auditors, investment advisors and town boards and various committees.

"We look forward to working with Diane, especially given the extensive skill set she brings to our department," Asmani said in a news release. "Diane will be a tremendous asset to New Canaan in the comptroller position."

Wilson holds an MBA from Fordham University and a bachelor of science degree in finance from the University of Connecticut. She previously taught courses in accounting and finance at local area colleges.

Prior to joining the town, Wilson spent 10 years with DuPont/Dow Chemical in management positions for the accounting and financial functions. She also spent four years working in banking and credit analysis with JP Morgan Chase.

"I am very pleased that Diane was selected from a competitive field of candidates to be our comptroller," Moynihan said in a news release. "Diane has been an asset to our human resources department for many years, and I am happy that we will be able to deploy her talents more broadly to strengthen our finance department under Lunda Asmani's leadership."