John Styer selected as Washington County’s chief financial officer

After a rigorous national recruitment, Washington County Administrator Tanya Ange announced that John Styer will be Washington County’s next chief financial officer.

Styer was appointed as the interim chief financial officer last November, moving over from the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, where he led the Business Administration team for five years.

“In his time as interim chief financial officer, John has focused on building a stronger finance team, leading the FY 2025-26 budget development process and advancing our enterprise resource planning implementation,” Ange said. “These efforts reflect his commitment to transparency, trust and sound fiscal stewardship — values that are essential to both the Finance Department and our county as a whole. We are confident that, with John’s leadership, we will continue to strengthen our financial foundations and navigate the challenges and opportunities ahead.”

During his time with the Sheriff’s Office, Styer supported the development of the Sheriff’s Office’s $179 million budget, managed the department’s service contracts and provided various liaison duties with the County Administrative Office, Human Resources and Finance.

Prior to coming to Washington County, Styer served 30 years with the U.S. Army, retiring at the rank of colonel. In his early military career, Styer served in Army Aviation deploying to Operation Desert Storm, commanding an attack helicopter company in Korea, and serving as an instructor at the Aviation Officers Advanced Course. Styer transitioned to serving as a comptroller and finance officer in budget and finance positions of increasing responsibility. Styer held senior finance positions in the Army’s Cadet Command, the Office of the Assistant Chief of Staff for Installation Management, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and in the U.S. Army’s European Command.

Washington County’s Finance Department is comprised of 25 full-time equivalent positions and is responsible for managing the organization’s accounting and financial systems as well as supporting the process of adopting a $2 billion annual budget.

Washington County is a leading-edge, mission-focused organization that successfully serves the community now and in the years ahead. Washington County is staffed by 2,442 full-time equivalent employees serving a diverse and growing population of 610,245 on the western side of the Portland metropolitan area. More information about Washington County can be found at washingtoncountyor.gov.