Tell the readers a little bit about yourself…

I was born and raised in Long Island, NY and studied accounting at Pace University in Manhattan.  After graduating I passed the CPA exam and went to work for a “Big 8” accounting firm (KPMG) for five years.  While there, I transferred to the LA office and eventually left to work for ARCO, the oil & gas company.  During my seven years at ARCO, I earned by MBA at UCLA, met and married my husband of 21 years and moved to Thousand Oaks.  Before starting a family, I left ARCO to work for Amgen, a biotech company, to work closer to home (commuting to downtown LA was miserable!) We have two kids, a son (19) and a daughter (16). I spent 19 years at Amgen in a variety of roles in Finance, Tax, Marketing, Project Management and Strategy before my position was impacted by organizational changes.  I took a brief sabbatical before returning to the workforce and joined the City of Oxnard as Assistant CFO in January of this year.

When and why did you first join CSMFO?

I joined CSMFO right after starting with the City of Oxnard, as this is my first role in the public sector and the City wanted me to have access to all their resources to help me get up to speed quickly.  In fact, I attended the CSMFO annual conference starting with my second day on the job.

What have you worked on in the last month? 

In addition to learning the ropes, I’ve been working on addressing audit findings from the latest Single Audit report, participating in budget discussions, planning for fiscal year-end and managing dozens of miscellaneous issues and ad hoc projects that come up.  It’s never a dull moment in the City of Oxnard!

What aspect(s) of your job do you enjoy the most? 

I enjoy problem-solving, improving processes and learning new things – all of which this role provides abundant opportunities to do.  I also enjoy working in a team setting and sharing laughs whenever possible.  We spend too many hours at work to not have some fun.

What has been your favorite project in your career? (Doesn’t necessarily have to be from your current position/agency).

I really don’t like “favorite” questions – it’s always hard for me to pick favorites.  I’ve been fortunate to have worked on many large projects in my private sector career.  One of the most rewarding projects I led was the development of an in-house training program for finance staff which included a new hire orientation class, a financial planning & analysis academy and an accounting & tax academy.  Teaching and professional development has always been one of my passions.

What is the most challenging situation you’ve faced in your career? 

My transition from private to public sector has been a big culture shock, but it’s too early to say if this is the most challenging situation I’ve faced.  In my last company, I was selected to lead the tax provision and transfer pricing group even though I had no prior corporate tax experience.   It was a daunting challenge from both a technical perspective (corporate tax is extremely complex, especially for U.S. multinational companies) as well as from a leadership perspective (I was managing a team of tax experts!)  Throughout my career I have found that bringing a fresh perspective and asking a lot of questions can quickly translate to value-added contributions in new or “stretch” assignments.  This role was no exception and just by asking a lot of “why” questions, I uncovered errors and significant process improvement opportunities.  I think the same is true now with my transition to the public sector, though I’m still a long way from being a municipal finance expert.

What are some of the important issues you foresee in the future of California finance? 

I think the most important issue is going to be managing through the next several years of increasing pension liabilities.  I doubt there’s a municipality in California that won’t be faced with some very difficult choices to keep their budgets balanced with the projected rise in UALs.  I know we’re already facing this now in Oxnard.  I think this, in turn, may also impact our ability to attract and retain high caliber talent in a tight labor market.

What do you enjoy outside of work? 

Since I spend so many hours sitting at work, I like to stay physically active outside of work – I play tennis, golf, softball and work out at the gym as much as possible.  I’m also very involved with my church where I chair the finance committee, because I just don’t get enough of accounting and budgets at work .  I also love doing puzzles as a stress-reliever – Sudoku, KenKen, Cryptoquotes, crosswords, jigsaw puzzles – pretty much any puzzle I can get my hands on. I’m currently working on a rather difficult 2000 piece jigsaw puzzle which is a landscape of Cinque Terre, Italy – one of my favorite places in the world.

Do you have a favorite quote?

Another favorite question, ugh!    I love inspirational quotes, so if I had to choose one, I would say “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” (Gandhi)

If Hollywood made a movie about your life, what actor/actress would you like to see cast as you? 

Diane Lane (don’t I wish!)