Conference hires new interim treasurer/benefits officer

At last week’s Annual Conference, clergy and lay members approved the hiring of Candace Clarke as the Oregon-Idaho Conference Interim Treasurer and Benefits Officer.

Clarke has been serving alongside current treasurer and benefits officer, Rev. Dan Wilson-Fey since June 1. Wilson-Fey is retiring effective July 1.

“The Oregon-Idaho Conference mission and vision are an especially solid fit for me,” Clarke said.

Clarke comes to the Oregon-Idaho Conference with a deep background in fiscal management for non-profit organizations, including five years as director of finance and administration for a major downtown Portland church. Her experience includes managing the merger of financial operations of two separate service organizations.

This experience will be helpful as the Oregon-Idaho and Pacific Northwest Conferences seek to align their financial operations more closely.

“My background in similar cultures should be a helpful starting point,” Clarke said. “I’m proud to serve The Oregon-Idaho Conference.”

Clarke holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from Portland State University and a master’s degree of business administration (MBA) from Amberton University in Dallas, Texas.

Per Conference rules, the treasurer and benefits officer in the Oregon-Idaho Conference must not only be voted on by the Council on Finance and Administration (CF&A) but must also be approved by the Annual Conference through the nominations process.

A hiring committee comprised of Bishop Elaine JW Stanovsky, Mark Bateman from CF&A, Janice Gratton from the personnel committee, Rev. Jeremy Hajdu-Paulen from the Conference Board of Pensions and CF&A Chair Paul Cosgrove all unanimously voted to hire Clarke as the Interim Conference Treasurer and Benefits Officer.

“We are excited to have Candace Clarke as the new leader of our Conference’s finance and administrative office,” said Cosgrove. “She comes to us with a wealth of knowledge, skills and experience, and she has already shown her value to the organization in these few short weeks of transition as Dan Wilson-Fey prepared for retirement.”