City of Jonesboro has new finance director

Jonesboro city accountant Steve Purtee has been selected by Mayor Harold Perrin to serve as financial director, replacing Deanna Hornback, who is leaving to join family in Oklahoma. He will assume his new duties Sept. 28.

Purtee is a veteran of financial leadership, having served as finance director for the city of Osceola, corporate treasurer at Big River Steel in Osceola, president and CEO of Northeast Arkansas Federal Credit Union and other accounting and financial positions throughout his career.

“I want to thank Deanna Hornback for doing a great job for the city after coming out of her own retirement, and we wish her well,” Perrin said. “I think the timing is perfect to move Steve into this role, as we are in the early stages of planning next year’s budget. It is going to be a difficult budget year, and he is already on top of it.”

Purtee, a graduate of Arkansas State University and Nettleton High School, has school of banking degrees from the Arkansas Institute of Banking and Louisiana State University.

“I am grateful to Mayor Perrin for putting his trust in me,” Purtee said. “I am very comfortable with this role because of my experience managing the finances of cities, banks and businesses, and I am proud to have a small but strong team around me.”