Sep 24, 2007: Unanimously Elected President of NAST Regional Association

SANTA FE – By a unanimous vote, State Treasurer James B. Lewis was elected president of the Western State Treasurers Association by state treasurers of that region on September 18, 2007. The election took place during the annual meeting of the National Association of State Treasurers (NAST) in Sunriver, Oregon.
In addition, Treasurer Lewis was appointed to serve on the International Committee of the National Association of State Auditors, Comptrollers and Treasurers (NASACT). The appointment was made during the NASACT annual conference August 13, 2007, in Nashville, Tennessee. The committee will examine the global economy, capital investments, currencies and other financial matters.

“This is indeed an honor to be elected by my colleagues to serve as president of the Western State Treasurers Association and to be appointed to the NASACT committee,” Lewis said. “The Western state treasurers want to look at initiatives such as investments, see what’s going on with the sub-prime market, the 529 college savings plans and focus on financial literacy to teach people the basics. We want to concentrate on the continued use of tax-exempt bonds on the state level. There also are billions of dollars in unclaimed bonds, and we want to work with Congress to get these bonds back to the respective owners.”

As president of the NAST Western State Treasurers Association, Lewis also will serve as a vice-president – along with the Mid-Western, Eastern and Southern Regional association presidents – on the executive board of NAST. Treasurer Lewis’ term begins on December 1, 2007, when he takes over the position from Michael J. Murphy, Washington State Treasurer. The Western Regional State Treasurers also selected Joseph B. Meyer, Wyoming State Treasurer, as vice-president and Edward T. Alter, Utah State Treasurer, as secretary/treasurer.

NAST’s Western region also includes Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, and Oregon and the U.S. territories of American Samoa and Guam. NAST includes in its membership state treasurers, state finance officials who have responsibilities comparable to state treasurers, and members of the private sector. NAST focuses on state and federal public policy, the development of policy guidelines, and the promotion of ethics and accountability in government.

NASACT is an organization of state officials responsible for the management of government finances. The membership of the organization includes officials elected or appointed to their state positions.