Brian Whittle, CPA, joins Fort Zumwalt School District this month as Chief Financial Officer. Whittle comes to the district from the private sector, where he worked as an account executive in the employee health and benefits division of a global insurance firm. Prior to that, Whittle spent 10 years as the Finance Director at Parkway School District and has spent time in municipal government.
“My primary goals as I start this new position are getting to know my coworkers, learning our financial policies and procedures and looking for opportunities to improve,” he says. Mostly, he says he’s looking forward to diving into the numbers.
A native of the bi-state area, when Whittle’s not at work he likes to spend time outdoors with his wife and teen-aged son. “I like to bike and run,” Whittle says, as well as camping and fishing.
Whittle replaces Jeff Orr, who is retiring effective June 30 after serving the district for 17 years. The two will work together this month, finalizing the budget for fiscal year 2024-2025.
“I am excited that we had an opportunity to add someone with Brian's experience,” Superintendent Dr. Paul Myers says. “And, I want to thank Jeff for his commitment to Fort Zumwalt and his stewardship of our finances.”
Fort Zumwalt’s operating budget was $245 million for the 2023-2024 fiscal year. The district employs almost 3,000 full time staff members and operates its own Student Nutrition, Transportation and self-funded benefits programs.