Maria E. Walls is the treasurer of Beaufort County, S.C. A Republican, she was elected to the office in November 2014 after serving for four years as deputy treasurer. In September 2015, she was recognized by Thomson Reuters as its Office Holder of the Year, part of the company's Public Sector Champion Awards, for her agency's implementation of technology initiatives to improve the efficiency and accuracy of the tax process.
A Certified Public Accountant, Walls received her master's degree in accounting, with a specialization in international accounting, from Rider University. Before joining the Treasurer's Office, she worked as an auditor for a multinational CPA firm and for a branch of a regional CPA firm. She also conducted seminars as part of the Financial Literacy Project.
