FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Friday, March 27, 1998

Peace Corps CFO Honored for Saving Agency $1 Million Annually; Lana Hurdle Wins Scantlebury Memorial Award

Washington, D.C., March 27, 1998—Lana Hurdle, chief financial officer of the Peace Corps, has won the prestigious Scantlebury Memorial Award for Distinguished Leadership in Financial Management Improvement for her work in saving the agency—and American taxpayers—$1 million a year.
Known as the Scantlebury, the award is given annually through a cooperative undertaking by the Department of the Treasury, the General Accounting Office, the Office of Management and Budget, and the Office of Personnel Management to improve and coordinate financial management policies and practices throughout the government.
In presenting the award this week at a ceremony in Washington, the award\'s committee cited Hurdle\'s "exceptional and sustained leadership in improving financial management and internal controls at the Peace Corps."
Peace Corps Director Mark Gearan, who nominated Hurdle for the award, said: "Through her outstanding leadership and high professional standards, Lana implemented a new financial payment system to overseas posts that is projected to save the taxpayers $1 million annually." He noted that the savings is particularly significant given that the overall budget of the Peace Corps is just $226 million.
"Lana\'s tenure as Peace Corps\' chief financial officer reflects the finest traditions of public service, recognized through the award of the Scantlebury," Gearan said.
Hurdle, 42, a resident of Arlington, Va., came to the Peace Corps in 1992 as deputy chief financial officer. In March 1996, Gearan named her the agency\'s chief financial officer, and charged her with cutting the agency\'s increasing overseas expenses.
Through a comprehensive review of Peace Corps financial operations, Hurdle determined that Peace Corps could best handle its own financial management processing for overseas, and developed and implemented a plan to do that. When completely implemented at all Peace Corps posts worldwide by August 1998, the plan will save the taxpayers $1 million per year while strengthening the agency\'s financial controls.
Currently, about 6,500 Peace Corps volunteers are working in 84 countries to help fight hunger, bring clean water to communities, teach children, protect the environment, start new businesses, and prevent the spread of AIDS. Since 1961, more than 150,000 Americans have joined the Peace Corps.

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