Carla de la Pava was elected Treasurer of Arlington County on Nov. 4, 2014. She has the distinction of being the first female and first Hispanic Treasurer in Arlington County history. As an elected official independent of the County government, she serves more than 229,000 residents and is directly accountable to the voters of Arlington County. Prior to being elected Treasurer, Ms. de la Pava served as Chief Deputy Treasurer for six years, overseeing all aspects of the Treasurer’s Office, including installation of a new internet-based payment portal (CAPP), implementation of technology solutions to improve customer service, and expansion of debt collections through court action which brought in more than $6 million in delinquent taxes and debt owed to Arlington County. One important measure of a Treasurer’s Office’s effectiveness is the tax delinquency rate, which in Arlington stands at an all-time low of 0.33% and is recognized as the best in Virginia. During her tenure, the Treasurer’s Office has received numerous accolades and awards, including the 2011 Government Finance Officers Association Award for Excellence (eGovernment & Technology category) and the 2011 Public Technology Institute’s Excellence in Technology Award. In 2012, Ms. de la Pava was awarded the Master Governmental Deputy Treasurer Certification by the University of Virginia’s Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service. Ms. de la Pava grew up in Alexandria and graduated from Groveton High School. She has a degree in Economics from Wesleyan University and worked in corporate banking for the Chicago and Atlanta offices of Continental Bank and Trust Company of Illinois. She earned her MBA from Harvard Business School and following graduation, her work experience at The Price Company helped to develop a lifelong interest in operations and management. In addition, Ms. de la Pava is a member of the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA), the Virginia Government Finance Officers’ Association (VGFOA), and she serves on the Board of Trustees for the VACo/VML Virginia Investment Pool (VIP). She is actively involved with numerous community organizations, including the Warren G. Stambaugh Memorial Foundation (Board Member), Leadership Arlington (Class of 2010), the Roosevelt Society, the Arlington Committee of 100, the Better Sports Club and Organized Women Voters. She also served as Vice President and Board Member of the Arlington Soccer Association. She is married to Mark Dola, a life-long Arlingtonian and graduate of Wakefield High School. Their three sons, Christopher, Michael and Peter, attended Arlington Science Focus Elementary School, Williamsburg Middle School, and Yorktown High School. She feels lucky to call Arlington County her home and is honored to serve the people of Arlington as their Treasurer.
Mission: In order to provide services to its residents, every government needs revenue and needs to know that its revenue will be collected and kept safe until needed. It is the mission of the Arlington County Treasurer’s Office, as spelled out in the Code of Virginia, to collect state and local taxes and other revenues, to invest and safeguard the funds, and to disburse the funds as directed by the local governing body.
