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Elise Nieshalla, a real estate investor and president of Boone County Council who ran for state treasurer in 2022, has been named the next comptroller for the state of Indiana.
Gov. Eric Holcomb made the announcement Tuesday at the Brick Street Inn in Zionsville. Nieshalla will be sworn in Friday.
“Elise is a dedicated and proven public servant who has committed much of her professional life to bettering her community through service,” Holcomb said in written remarks. “She has shared her financial expertise to help steer and shape the bright future of Boone County, which gives me great confidence she’ll do the same serving Hoosiers as our next state comptroller.”
Nieshalla, 51, has worked for more than two decades as a real estate investor. She is president of the Indiana County Councils Association, where she works with legislators on tax and fiscal policy issues. She is also chairwoman of the Association of Indiana Counties.
“My appreciation runs deep for the strong financial standing of our state and the integrity in which the State Comptroller’s Office is run,” Nieshalla said in written remarks. “It is truly my privilege to receive Governor Holcomb’s appointment to serve our great state and local units of government by upholding the highest standards of fiscal responsibility and offering tremendous Hoosier service.”
Nieshalla was one of the founding members of the Hoosier Leadership Series and was tasked with overseeing education and tax policy for the program. She is a graduate of the Richard G. Lugar Excellence in Public Service Series and was named 2018 Indiana County Councilor of the Year.
She earned her bachelor’s degree in communications from Oral Roberts University and her master’s degree in public affairs from the O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs at IUPUI. Nieshalla lives with her husband, Chris, in Zionsville, where they raised their four children.
Nieshalla, who will be sworn in Dec. 1, will replace Tera Klutz, who is stepping down from the position Thursday despite having more than three years left in her term.
The former auditor for Allen County who was appointed by Holcomb in 2017 said she was pursuing a private sector role, though she declined to say where she was going.
Klutz was the first certified public accountant to be Indiana auditor, a position that was later changed to comptroller during her term. She earned a salary of $94,500 in 2022, according to the Indiana Transparency Portal.
She is credited with implementing a more efficient way to pay the state’s bills, modernizing the state’s payroll system and overhauling the Indiana Transparency Portal to include easier access to government finance information.
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Since this is an elected position, should the Governor have unilateral authority to make an appointment?