Sitka’s city finance director is stepping down. Finance Director Melissa Haley informed the city of her resignation in early October. When the Sitka Assembly met on Tuesday (11-12-24), it approved the promotion of her replacement, controller Brooke Volschenk.
Haley has served in the role since 2020, overseeing the city’s budget during the height of the coronavirus pandemic and the recent tourism boom that brought in an influx of tax dollars. Assembly member Chris Ystad lamented the loss of Haley and thanked her for her work.
“You’ve done a great job. You’ve made all the financial documents very easy to understand, and it’s been great working with you for all these years. So thank you,” Ystad said. “I love that we do have a great succession plan, and Brooke has been coming up under Melissa and learning from her, so I think Brooke’s going to do a great job.”
And assembly member JJ Carlson had one wish for Volschenk:
“I hope you never get tired of explaining the difference between the fiscal year and the calendar year for people,” she said.
Haley will continue as the city’s finance director until April of next year, when Volschenk will assume the role. Volschenk started working for the city in 2022 as the accounting manager before she was promoted to controller. She’s worked in the corporate world as controller, senior accountant, and served as finance director for the Sitka Sound Science Center. She has a Bachelor’s degree in accounting and business management from the University of Alaska Southeast.
