The Iowa State Center has a new face in charge of business and finance this year.

Patrick Kennedy, certified public accountant and certified internal auditor, is settling in to his new position as Director of Business and Finance. He is responsible for all of the financial activity that goes on at the Iowa State Center, handling everything from purchasing to payroll.

Besides his job responsibilities, Kennedy also said he hopes he can learn a lot about what goes into putting on a show.

“I really like the variety that this job offers. It is interesting to get to see how a show or concert gets put together, with everything from the settlement of the show to verifying the ticket income and all that goes on in between,” Kennedy said.

Kennedy said his job at the Iowa State Center is very different from his previous job at Principal Financial Group in Des Moines. At Principal Kennedy worked in internal auditing. As an internal auditor, he would look at the operations and internal controls for their effectiveness and efficiency within Principal and its subsidiaries, he said.

“My job here is the kind of job I have always wanted to get into, so when I saw the ad in the paper, I went for it,” Kennedy said.

Although Kennedy enjoys his job, he said it has its difficulties. The hardest part right now is being in a completely different industry, he said.

“I have to learn all the new stuff for this industry besides my day-to-day responsibilities,” Kennedy said.

Kennedy is originally from LeMars, Iowa. He graduated from the University of Northern Iowa with a degree in accounting.