State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson announced that he has appointed Leisa Maestretti as Director of the California Department of Education Fiscal and Administrative Services Division.

Maestretti’s duties include managing the CDE’s Fiscal Systems Analysis, Child Development and Child Nutrition, Budget Management, and Accounting Offices, as well as overseeing fiscal systems and processes, including the Department’s upcoming transition to the Financial Information System for California (FI$Cal).

“Maestretti’s extensive background in fiscal administration and accounting will help support the CDE’s mission of overseeing the state’s diverse public school system,” Torlakson said. “Her leadership and management skills will help ensure that the CDE’s financial systems run smoothly, incorporate the latest technology, and maintain our transparency.”

Maestretti recently joined the CDE team as a Staff Services Manager III overseeing the Budget Management Unit in FASD. Before coming to the CDE, Maestretti was an Associate Director at the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, and provided fiscal administration to the Department of Child Support Services and the California Department of Community Services and Development. She began her state career at the Attorney General’s Office as a paralegal before switching gears to the fiscal and administration arena.

A native of Arnold, California, Maestretti now resides in Sacramento. She replaces Caryn Moore, who is now Director of the School Fiscal Services Division, which apportions funds to local educational agencies (LEAs) and guides LEAs from the state level on fiscal solvency, audit resolution, and financial reports.