DES MOINES, IOWA (October 7, 2019) — State Treasurer Michael L Fitzgerald received the Boyles/Alter Distinguished Service Award on October 7 from the National Association of State Treasurers (NAST). NAST presents this award to a dedicated and committed public servant whose outstanding career in government has provided a respected voice for NAST at all levels of state government. As the longest serving treasurer in the history of the United States, Fitzgerald has been a leader and role model in Iowa for more than 36 years.
"I'm incredibly honored to receive this award from my friends and colleagues with NAST," Fitzgerald said. "As a state treasurer and an elected official, I strive to be the best leader, advocate and citizen I can be every day."
NAST President, Utah Treasurer David Damschen, presented the award to Fitzgerald. "This individual has been an advocate and leader by example in the world of public finance and I would say an absolute role model of what an elected official should be," Damschen said.
These kinds of recognitions are not new for Treasurer Fitzgerald. In 2011, Fitzgerald was the recipient of the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators' Lifetime Achievement Award. And in 2018, Fitzgerald received the College Savings Plans Network's Distinguished Service Award as well as the National Association of State Auditors, Comptrollers, and Treasurers' President's Award.
Fitzgerald is responsible for managing one of the country's premier 529 plans, College Savings Iowa. Currently, there are over 247,000 College Savings Iowa accounts, representing over $5 billion invested in the program. Additionally, he started the Great Iowa Treasure Hunt when he took office and through that program has returned over $270 million in unclaimed property to more than 592,000 individuals. Most recently he started IAble. IAble is a financial resource and savings plan that eligible individuals can use to save for qualified disability expenses.
