Dianne Nelson has a fondness for small-town life, a knack for numbers and an appreciation for public sector employment.

Those elements converged recently and Nelson beat out a field of challengers to be named Enumclaw’s latest finance director. She started work Dec. 1.

“I like the people you wind up working with in a smaller community,” Nelson said during a recent interview in her City Hall office. “I like the small-town environment.”

A longtime western Washington resident and graduate of Redmond High School, Nelson earned a bachelor of arts degree in business and accounting from the University of Washington and a bachelor of science from City University in accounting. She spent 13 years as an accountant for the city of Redmond before taking over as finance director for the north King County community of Duvall in 2000.

“This is a step up for me,” she said, noting an appreciation for working in a full-service city. “They do everything here.” The numbers she’ll be dealing with are larger, too, as Enumclaw is about twice the size of Duvall.

Reach Kevin Hanson at khanson@courierherald.com or 360-802-8205.