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Russell W. Hinton

Russell W. Hinton currently serves as the State Auditor for the State of Georgia. The Governor appointed him to that position on June 2, 1999. Mr. Hinton was confirmed by the General Assembly in March, 2000. The office of the State Auditor was established by an act of the General Assembly in 1923 and is composed of the Executive Office of the State Auditor and nine divisions performing specific and separate functions to fulfill the duties of the State Auditor.

The Department of Audits and Accounts has expanded in both size and responsibility to include financial, performance, information technology and compliance audits for Georgia’s state agencies, colleges and universities, and local boards of education.

Prior to his appointment, Mr. Hinton served as the Director of the Professional Practice Division of the State of Georgia Department of Audits and Accounts. The Professional Practice Division, in coordination with the Department’s Financial Audit Operations Division, was responsible for the audit of the State of Georgia Comprehensive Annual Financial Report and preparation of the Statewide Single Audit. The Professional Practice Division was also responsible for internal quality control reviews of financial audits and research of accounting, auditing and statutory issues.

Mr. Hinton, a native Georgian, graduated with honors from the University of Georgia in 1974 and began his career with the Office of the State Auditor shortly thereafter. He has performed financial audits of state agencies, universities and local education agencies during his tenure with the Department.

Mr. Hinton’s professional affiliations include the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), the Georgia Society of Certified Public Accountants (GSCPA), the National State Auditor’s Association (NSAA), the National and Southeastern Intergovernmental Audit Forum, the State of Georgia Fiscal Management Council, and the Association of Government Accountants (AGA).

In October, 2003, Mr. Hinton was appointed to a three year term of service on the Advisory Council on Government Auditing Standards by U. S. Comptroller General David M. Walker. In January 2007, he agreed to serve a second three year term.

He was President of the Atlanta Chapter of the AGA for the 1995-1996 program year, the AGA Southeastern Regional Vice President for the 1998-1999 program year, and completed a three year term on the AGA National Executive Committee in 2003. He served for two years as Chair of the AGA Financial Management Standards Board, ending service in November, 2006. Mr. Hinton was the recipient of the AGA National President’s Awards for promotion of the CGFM Certification and his leadership as Chair of the Financial Management Standards Board in 2003 and 2006, respectively.

Mr. Hinton currently serves as Chair of the National State Auditor’s Association (NSAA) E-Government Committee. In June, 2003, he was elected to the Executive Committee of the National State Auditor’s Association. In 2005, Mr. Hinton completed a term of service as Chair of the Southeastern Intergovernmental Audit Forum.