City of Brownwood Names Melanie Larose as Finance Director

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Melanie Larose has been named the City of Brownwood’s new Finance Director.  Former Finance Director, Walter Middleton, retired on January 27 after 22 years of service to the City of Brownwood.

Mrs. Larose has worked for the City of Brownwood for 20 years. She joined the City in February 2001, as the Chief Accountant. In 2016, she became the Assistant Director of Finance. Mrs. Larose is an Investment Officer with the City and has served on the Fireman’s Relief and Retirement Fund Board since 2017 and the Internal Audit Committee since 2007.

Prior to working for the City, Mrs. Larose was an Accountant for over three years with private accounting firms. Mrs. Larose has a Bachelor of Business Administration with a Major in Accounting from Tarleton State University. She has been a Certified Government Finance Officer since 2015.

Since 2016, Mrs. Larose has been managing the day-to-day operations of the Finance, Accounting, Purchasing, and Utility Billing departments. She has leadership experience as the manager of the supervisors in these departments. Recently, Mrs. Larose has been instrumental in digitizing the customer experience for Utility Billing, implementing an online vendor database, and managing a major software conversion. She has a vast understanding of municipal finance, investments, budgeting, fireman’s pension fund, AP/AR, payroll, and insurance coverage.

City Manager, Emily Crawford, stated, “Melanie has the perfect blend of knowledge and experience to advance into the Finance Director position. She is passionate about Brownwood and is dedicated the City, the residents, and her co-workers. Melanie represents the ISERVE core values of the City and I look forward to working alongside her.”

Mrs. Larose has been a resident of Brown County her entire life. She and her husband, Scott, have a daughter who is a senior at Brownwood High School. The Larose family treasures family time and competes in livestock shows and Brownwood Lady Lions sports.