Beckstead named new CFO for Fort Collins

FORT COLLINS – Mike Beckstead of Salt Lake City has been hired as Chief
Financial Officer for the city of Fort Collins. He will begin work on
Monday, Aug. 22.

Beckstead, 55, is coming to the city from a position as director of
finance and operations at the Salt Lake City Public Library. His
previous experience has been in the private sector, in both finance and
business development, for corporations including Honeywell Aerospace,
Exelon Corp. and AAR Corp.

“I couldn’t be more excited to be coming to Fort Collins,” Beckstead
told the Business Report Daily. “The reputation of the city, and the
opportunity to help make it world-class, were a big part of the
attraction for me. The culture of the city definitely comes across even
on brief visits.”

As the CFO, Beckstead will report directly to the city manager.

“Mike brings a wealth of executive-level finance experience,´ said City
Manager Darin Atteberry. “His background in strategic planning and
performance measurement will make him a valuable addition to our
organization and an outstanding leader for our finance department.”

Atteberry said that while Beckstead takes over in the finance role,
Chief Sustainability Officer Bruce Hendee will continue to be
responsible for “economic health” issues for the city, as well as
community image and innovation activities. The exact details of how the
finance department will be organized will be worked out over the next
month or so as Beckstead joins the executive team, Atteberry added.

“I have been very impressed with Darin’s leadership,” Beckstead said.
“That was part of the draw for me. I think we have a good blend of
values and beliefs. The city seems to be focused on things that I want
to focus on.”

Beckstead said he wants to spend the first month or two of his tenure
asking questions and understanding what is going on in the city
organization, getting to know people and forming relationships.

“I look forward to becoming part of the community,” he added.

A native of California, Beckstead received his undergraduate and MBA degrees from the University of Utah.

Mike Freeman will be stepping down as CFO for the city, and has
announced that he will become CEO of the Rocky Mountain Innosphere,
although an exact start date has yet to be announced.