Jean Degon, a 26-year resident of the Town of Montgomery, became the Village of Walden’s newest treasurer last month and has since been learning the ropes of her financing role. Here’s the scoop on her:

Originally from Staten Island, Degon’s family moved to Central Valley around 1981, then again to the Village of Walden around 1987. She graduated from Valley Central High School, and then from SUNY New Paltz with a concentration in finance. Degon served as a waitress for years before working at Cendant, a relocation services company in Danbury, Connecticut. She then became a financial controller for Consulate, a post-production company based in New York City.

“Cendant was like a professional moving company where I stayed for maybe six months. We did packing for companies that were moving their employees,” she said. “From there, I went to New York City and I worked for a company (Consulate) in post-production. I was there for 25 years.”

Degon and her husband moved to the Town of Montgomery in 1998, where they started a family. In her spare time, Degon enjoys spending time with her loved ones, going outdoors, reading, and most recently, playing pickleball. She was a former member of Berea Elementary’s PTA, assisted with the school’s picture day, and was very involved in her children’s sports, cheerleading, and other activities. Degon loves the Town of Montgomery as a place where she and her friends raised their families together.

“A lot of my friends lived in the neighborhood, so that was very helpful. We all raised children at the same time,” she said. “I loved the Montgomery Nursery School. My children also went to the one in Walden.”

Degon, while not originally looking for a career shift, saw the opening for a village treasurer and considered the position an excellent, local opportunity where she could hone her financing experiences. Through her previous jobs, she is adept in reports, human resources, payrolls, and reconciliations.

“I had a fabulous position that I had no need to leave, but there’s something nice knowing that I am going into the next phase of my life, so I decided it would be a great opportunity. It’s local and less than 10 minutes from my house,” she said. “My goal here is to master each of their processes in order to master my own. So as I’m able to oversee it and get it to where it needs to be.”

Since starting the position in February, Degon has enjoyed serving the village as treasurer and collaborating with her coworkers. She joined right at the end of the village’s financial year-end, so while be may be busy, she embraces the challenge and will tackle whatever comes before her.

“There’s still a lot of learning to do, which is kind of exciting and scary at the same time, but I am embracing it,” she said. “I came in at their busiest time. It’s not as hectic right now but I do foresee that I’ll be able to make some headway going forward.”