Marty B. Handlon credits her financial background as a Certified Public Accountant as key to her success as an elected official.
ALABASTER, AL, May 13, 2020 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Marty B. Handlon, CPA, has been inducted into Marquis Who's Who. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.
Having garnered numerous years of expertise in the field of public service, Ms. Handlon has proudly served as the Mayor of Alabaster, Alabama, since 2012. She credits her financial background as a Certified Public Accountant as key to her success as an elected official. Initially hoping to study psychology while enrolled at Troy State University, she instead earned a Bachelor of Science in Accounting, at the suggestion of her mother. While a full-time professional with the Alabama Department of Postsecondary Education, she returned to Troy State University to earn a Master of Business Administration.
Ms. Handlon's path to CPA certification was not without obstacles, and she credits the process of failing the first time with helping her develop perseverance, through the power of prayer. A nontraditional learner in younger years, she found many accounting concepts were too difficult to fully grasp until she had real world experience. In a career suffused with accomplishments, Ms. Handlon is most proud to have successfully passed the very last written, multi-day CPA examination in one sitting, which was just her second attempt.
As mayor, Ms. Handlon led municipal financial reforms which established a strong financial foundation for Alabaster. Currently serving in her second term, she continues to promote economic stability and excellence in customer service, as well as implementation of the Alabaster Forward Comprehensive Plan for local development. Being the mayor also provided Ms. Handlon with awareness as to other aspects of public service and community support through Leadership Shelby County (2014) and Leadership Birmingham (2018). She credits both of those organizations for opening her eyes to the many facets of diversity in and around her community. She also serves on the Executive Committee of the Alabama League of Municipalities, since 2016.
Looking toward the future, Ms. Handlon is preparing to serve others in a different capacity. After becoming aware of how deeply the Mental Health and Opioid epidemics impacted her community, she decided to return to graduate school for a Master of Clinical Mental Health Counseling, because the need is great and the workers are few. For her numerous contributions to public awareness and education, she was bestowed the National Alliance on Mental Illness Award for the state of Alabama in 2019.
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Since 1899, when A. N. Marquis printed the First Edition of Who's Who in America®, Marquis Who's Who® has chronicled the lives of the most accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field of endeavor, including politics, business, medicine, law, education, art, religion and entertainment. Today, Who's Who in America® remains an essential biographical source for thousands of researchers, journalists, librarians and executive search firms around the world. Marquis® now publishes many Who's Who titles, including Who's Who in America®, Who's Who in the World®, Who's Who in American Law®, Who's Who in Medicine and Healthcare®, Who's Who in Science and Engineering®, and Who's Who in Asia®. Marquis® publications may be visited at the official Marquis Who's Who® website at www.marquiswhoswho.com.
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