Director, Central Accounting Operations

Belete Sitota serves as director for the Central Accounting Operations Division (CAOD) in the Office of Financial Operations and Systems.  Sitota provides oversight and direction for all central accounting functions performed by the division which are grouped into four key areas: Cash Reconciliation, General Ledger, Capital Assets, and Accounts Payable/Accounts Receivable.  As CAOD Director, he also serves as a principal advisor to the Deputy CFO for Financial Operations and Systems and the Deputy Controller on matters related to the maintenance and control of the District’s automated general ledger and in the planning, development, and implementation of new accounting systems, processes, and practices as well as enhancements to existing systems and procedures. 

Sitota has served in various capacities during his 15-year tenure with the District’s Office of the Chief Financial Officer.  Most recently, he served as the Project Manager for Accounting Policies as a member of the District Integrated Financial System (DIFS) implementation team. In that capacity, he played a critical role in the development and validation of functional requirements for the implementation of the new financial system.  Prior to joining the DIFS implementation team, for more than six years, he worked as the Cluster Controller for the Government Operations Cluster after having worked for approximately four years as an Accounting Manager with the Office of Financial Operations and Systems. In addition to his government experience, Sitota has worked in public accounting/auditing as well as international accounting. With his varied and wide-ranging experience in governmental and private sector accounting, auditing, and financial reporting, Sitota is a highly skilled and knowledgeable professional and leader. 

He is a certified public accountant, a chartered global management accountant and a certified fraud examiner.  Sitota holds a master’s in business administration from the Maharishi University of Management, a master’s degree in accounting and a bachelor’s degree in accounting, both from Addis Ababa University.  He has received numerous awards and honors during his career and is an active member of several professional organizations including the American Institute of Certfified Public Accountants, Government Finance Officers Association, and the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners.