Alicia Serra earned local finance officer certification in the first quarter of 2015 through the University of Georgia’s Carl Vinson Institute of Government’s financial management training program. Serra, who works with the City of Gainesville, was recognized with Level II certification for pursuing professional development in governmental finance, accounting, budgeting and more. Level II certification requires finance officers to participate in nearly 200 hours of instruction about the intricacies of government budgeting, purchasing, accounting and other public finance topics.