Mark H. Pullium,

CPA, has accepted a position as Fayette County's director of finance,

replacing Emory McHugh, who left the county for a position with the Georgia

Regional Transportation Authority.

Fayette County's

reputation for good schools and its sound financial condition caused Pullium

to answer the county's advertisement, he said.

"I had

read about Fayette County and its wonderful school system and low crime

rate," said Pullium. "It looked like a good location for a young

family."

Pullium's young

family includes his wife, Sherry, and four children, with a fifth on due

in May. Sherry is a social worker, providing in-home service for disabled

people.

Holder of a

bachelor's degree in business administration from Western Carolina University

in Cullowhee, N.C., Pullium received his CPA from the North Carolina State

Board of CPA Examiners and is currently living in Commerce, Ga.

His eighteen-year

career in accounting operations includes work with the Athens-Clark County

Consolidated Government as a senior accountant and accounting administrator.

He also worked

with three different colleges in the North Carolina system for about eight

years.

Pullium said

he is looking forward to working with the Fayette County government. "Fayette

has a history of sound financial management, and its high bond rate is

a good external indicator of financial health," he added.

His tenure

with Fayette begins Feb. 26.