Richmond, Va. - Gary Ometer – a Richmond CPA, former bank senior vice president and municipal debt expert – has been named the Chief Financial Officer at the Virginia College Savings Plan.

Currently the Deputy Director, Finance and Administration, of the National White Collar Crime Center, Ometer will join Virginia’s 529 plan in early May. He will head the Virginia College Saving Plan’s finance department, which oversees the investment, administration and distribution of billions of dollars in tax-advantaged 529 savings programs.

Virginia has four 529 programs to suit families’ different college planning needs. Morningstar, an investment research firm, recently ranked two of Virginia’s 529 programs, VEST and CollegeAmerica, among the “Best Five” nationally.

A respected financial manager, Ometer’s expertise includes investment management, financial systems development and the municipal bond market. He was a senior vice president at BB&T Capital Markets from 2000-2006 with responsibilities for $500 million of financial advisory transactions and $5.6 billion of managed underwriting transactions.

From 1992 to 2000, Ometer managed the Commonwealth’s debt at the Department of the Treasury, where he also oversaw the issuance of bonds for public schools and colleges and advised the Commonwealth’s Secretary of Finance and the General Assembly on finance and policy issues.

Mary G. Morris, Executive Director of Virginia’s 529 plan, called Ometer “a seasoned finance professional and a gifted strategic planner,” who also “has a proven ability to identify and implement effective cost savings and efficiencies in the public and private sectors.”

Said Ometer, “The Virginia College Savings Plan is a fabulous organization recognized for its strong management, superior performance, excellent customer service and rapid growth as the country’s largest 529 plan. I am honored to be joining such a great team.”

A business administration graduate of The Ohio State University, Ometer also holds post-graduate credits from the University of Tampa and the University of South Florida. He is a 1998 graduate of the Virginia Executive Institute.