Durham, NC — Central Pines Regional Council (CPRC) is proud to announce that Chief Finance Officer Hope Tally has received the Outstanding Finance Officer Award from the North Carolina Government Finance Officers Association. The award recognizes exceptional leadership, ethical stewardship, and excellence in local government finance. 

Since joining CPRC just over three years ago, Tally has led a comprehensive modernization of the organization’s finance operations. Managing tens of millions of dollars annually — including approximately $20 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds on behalf of Wake County — she transformed outdated, manual processes into a modern, automated, and fully compliant financial system. Under her leadership, CPRC implemented a new enterprise financial platform, strengthened internal controls, improved reporting accuracy, enhanced investment earnings, and built a highly skilled finance team that is now widely regarded as one of the organization’s greatest assets. 

Executive Director Lee Worsley praised Tally’s impact, stating, “She is a consummate professional with unmatched finance knowledge and skills. But she is also compassionate and empathetic, with a unique ability to help people get what they need while maintaining financial compliance and excellence. Hope has built a top-notch staff of finance professionals who emulate the same qualities as their leader.”

Through her steady leadership and commitment to transparency and accountability, Tally has elevated financial management practices not only at Central Pines, but in support of Central Pines local government members and partners across North Carolina. This recognition reflects her lasting impact on public finance and regional collaboration.