Better Engagement with Early Career Members
As a part of the 2022 Strategic Action Plan, CSMFO aims to have better engagement with early career members, which include, but are not limited to, members that recently graduated, transitioned from either the private sector and/or a CPA firm, and those that are in the first couple of years of their local government finance career. One of the deliverables included hearing from CSMFO members about their experience with CSMFO to demonstrate the value of membership.
In the video below, we hear from Claudia Martinez, Finance Director for the City of La Quinta, and Norite Vong, Finance Manager for the City of Campbell.
Claudia Martinez is the Finance Director/Treasurer for the City of La Quinta and Vice-Chair for the Coachella Valley CSMFO Chapter. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Finance with a minor in Psychology and has over 15 years of progressive government accounting experience. She is driven by a desire to inspire and develop others and sees herself a student of leadership always working to better herself and her team by encouraging everyone to achieve their very best to collectively accomplish the city goals.
Norite Vong is currently the Finance Manager for the City of Campbell. He serves as a budget reviewer for the Recognition Committee. Norite earned his Bachelor of Science in Mathematics/Economics with an emphasis in Accounting from UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles). He has 10 years of experience in public sector auditing and accounting, previously serving as the Assistant Finance Director for the City of San Leandro and as a Senior Auditor for the County of Alameda. On the weekends, you will find him active in a game of basketball or flag football.
See how CSMFO has benefited Claudia and Norite and how it can benefit you as an early career member or your staff that are early career members:
Next month, as the final part of the initiative, President Rich Lee will present the results of focus groups led by local chapter leaders that receive input from early career members to provide feedback on how CSMFO can further support their professional growth.
Rich Lee has served local municipalities all throughout the San Francisco Peninsula over the past 17 years, including South San Francisco, Los Altos Hills, Millbrae, Foster City, and since January 2019, as the Finance Director for the City of San Mateo.
Rich was elected as President-Elect of CSMFO in October 2021. He has also served in other leadership roles, including Board Member, Chapter Chair, and Vice Chair of the Career Development Committee. In 2019, he was appointed to GFOA’s Ethics Committee.
Rich is also an active freelance bass trombonist and has performed with several artists, including Barbra Streisand, Peter Cetera, Gladys Knight, Bernadette Peters, and the San Francisco Opera Orchestra. He has also performed and recorded several albums with local jazz big bands.
During the pandemic, Rich developed audio and video engineering skills and received two awards from Music In Place, a non-profit organization providing support to San Francisco Bay Area musicians to continue creating music while sheltering in place. His various isolation music projects are available on YouTube.
