The Bedford School Board has elected Dawna Duhamel as the district’s chief financial officer to replace Mark Conrad, who is leaving the district in late August to become the superintendent of schools for the Nashua School District.

Duhamel has served as the business administrator of SAU 41 (Hollis, Brookline, and Hollis-Brookline Cooperative School Districts) since 2007, serving 2,700 students.

Prior to working in SAU 41, Duhamel served as the finance director for the town of Hampton and as a senior accountant for Plodzik & Sanderson P.A., performing financial and compliance audits for New Hampshire school districts and municipalities.

She earned a bachelor of science degree in human services from Springfield College in 1992, and a master of science degree in accounting in 1997. She also holds her certified public accountant (CPA) license.

SAU 41 Superintendent of Schools Susan Hodgdon said, “Ms. Duhamel has demonstrated the ability to produce quality technical reports and answer complex legal and financial questions for the boards in SAU 41. She provides responses to inquiries to a variety of audiences, from sophisticated and highly technical to simple illustrations and answers. She is a consummate professional.”

“We are fortunate to have found someone with Ms. Duhamel’s experience and qualifications,” said Bedford Superintendent of Schools Tim Mayes. “She has a strong work ethic, relates well to fellow employees, and has a strong accounting and municipal/ school financial background. Her ability to communicate financial information in ways that can be clearly understood will be a strong asset to the district. She is responsive to her constituents and will be a good fit for our administrative team.”