Shayne Kavanagh
Senior Manager of Research, Government Finance Officers Association

Can you briefly introduce yourself?

I’m the Senior Manager of Research for the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA), the professional association for finance officials in local and state government. My role is to help advance the state of the practice in public finance. I focus on how to improve decision-making in public finance, particularly the long-term financial sustainability of decisions and making decisions that are savvy about managing risk.

I work in local government because, in our democratic system, local government is the government that is closest to the people. It delivers services of immediate and critical value to communities, from education to public safety. Local government is also the best opportunity for most people to get directly involved democratic government. Sound public finances is the foundation for high quality services, and public engagement in budgeting decisions is an important aspect of the democratic discourse in local government.

I’m excited to be an Academy Fellow because GFOA’s work aligns perfectly with a number of the NAPA Grand Challenges. Thus, there is a tremendous opportunity for GFOA and NAPA to multiply the effectiveness of each organization’s respective efforts to promote and strengthen democratic government.