The appointment was announced Friday by D'Arcy Dixon Pignanelli, the state's administrative services director.

Reidhead is the current assistant director of finance and a certified public accountant, with experience in the state Auditor's Office. He has been acting director since April 2005, when former director Kim Oliver retired.

Reidhead received his accounting degree from Southern Utah University in 1983. He became an auditor in the Utah state Auditor's Office where he advanced to senior auditor and director of audit.

The Division of Finance is the state's central accounting office. The division maintains accounting and payroll systems, ensures compliance with state financial laws, maintains a data warehouse of financial information, produces the state's financial reports, processes state payments and operates the state's travel agency.