AllentownSchool District

Allentown School District Names New Chief Financial Officer, Director of Child Nutrition Services

Allentown School District Names New Chief Financial Officer, Director of Child Nutrition Services
Posted on 04/27/2023

ALLENTOWN, PA — The Allentown School District Board of School Directors approved the appointment of Diane Richards, CPA, as the District’s Chief Financial Officer at its Thursday, April 27, 2023 meeting. 


Richards currently serves as the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of the Governor Mifflin School District in Shillington, Pennsylvania. There, she manages the district’s budget and coordinates all financial matters, including those related to investment of district funds, insurance policies, and district construction projects. She also supervises the business, transportation, technology, food service, and buildings and grounds offices. 


Additionally, Richards engaged the community by hosting annual budget-related town hall meetings to allow public involvement in and increase understanding of the complicated school district budget process. 


“We are pleased to welcome Ms. Richards as our Chief Financial Officer,” said Audrey Mathison, Board President. “She brings outstanding credentials, understands the intricacies of working in public education, and will add another layer of financial strength and stability to our district.” 


Earlier in her career, Richards spent 10 years as the CFO at the Wilson School District, as well as seven years at the Antietam School District. Before that, she was a public accountant at Herbein + Company, Inc., and Trout, Ebersole & Groff, where she specialized in audits for school districts and nonprofit organizations.  


Richards is president of the Pennsylvania Association of School Business Officials and has served on the organization’s board since 1998. She is also a member of both the American Institute of CPAs and Pennsylvania Institute of CPAs. 


Richards holds a Master’s Degree in school business leadership from Wilkes University and a Bachelor’s degree in accounting from Messiah College. She will officially begin her five year contract with ASD on July 1, 2023. 


Additionally, Gina M. Giarratana has been named the district’s Director of Child Nutrition Services. Giarratana comes to Allentown from the Pennridge School District where she has served as the Director of Nutritional Services for over a decade. She has extensive experience in both school nutrition and the private sector. 


Giarratana holds a Bachelor’s degree from Penn State University, and previously was the President of the School Nutrition Association of Pennsylvania. Her tenure will begin July 1, 2023. 

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