County Taps Consultant for Finance Post

The Marin County Board of Supervisors appointed a Tam Valley financial consultant this week to a special auditing oversight committee that will review an annual independent audit of the county's financial records.

With support from Supervisors Charles McGlashan, Steve Kinsey and Judy Arnold, Thomas Caldwell, founder and managing partner of the Marin Financial Consultant Group, landed the second at-large appointment to the nine-member Financial Audit Advisory Committee.

Caldwell, 51, said he was excited at the chance to use the skills and experience he's gained in providing financial consulting services to public and private companies for 15 years.

"I felt like the expertise I have and what I've gained over the years is the perfect application for what they're looking for," said Caldwell, a 16-year Mill Valley resident. "It's important to have the experience of a chief financial officer on the side of the entity being audited."

Most recently, Caldwell has served as chief executive officer and chief financial officer for Polyfuel, a Silicon Valley clean technology company focused on development of portable hydrogen fuel cells. Caldwell was brought on board in early 2008, when the company was running out of money and had yet to produce a product. He negotiated the sale of the company to the University of North Florida, a pioneer in fuel cells. Caldwell will be stewarding the distribution of proceeds to shareholders through the end of 2010.

The county panel's other members include Arnold and Kinsey, County Administrator Matthew Hymel, Marin County Superintendent of Schools Mary Jane Burke, Ross Town Manager Gary Broad, County Counsel Patrick Faulkner, Novato Fire Chief Marc Revere, and Scott McKown, another at-large member. Each member serves a three-year term.

County supervisors adopted a $437 million spending plan Wednesday for fiscal 2010-11. The Financial Audit Advisory Committee will hold its first meeting in early September.