Embracing Complexity and Continuous Improvement.

• Author: Kern, Jara
• Position: AN INTERVIEW WITH TARA BAKER

Jara Kern, writer with Right Angle Studio, spoke with Tara Baker (left), treasurer and general manager of finance for the City of Guelph in Ontario, Canada, about her career path in municipal finance, the biggest challenges facing local governments, and how finance officers can better embrace complexity.

Since joining the City of Guelph in January 2011, Tara has moved progressively through roles including corporate analyst and manager before moving into her current position in June 2016. In 2022 and early 2023, she served as acting general manager for IT before returning to finance. Before entering the municipal finance sector, Tara was an assurance manager at KPMG. A chartered professional accountant, Tara has been an active member of GFOA since 2011 and has been part of GFOA's Rethinking Budgeting team since its inception in 2021.

Finding her place 'in industry'

Tara didn't begin her career in municipal finance, but she has certainly found her passion as she's built a career working for the City of Guelph. After graduating from McMaster University with a Bachelor of Commerce in business, Tara became a CPA and went into public accounting. At KPMG, Tara conducted audits in a wide range of industries, including manufacturing, non-profit, education, health care, and local government. "When I left public accounting to go into 'industry,' as we call it," she recalled, "it was local finance that appealed to me because I really liked the people and the culture I had encountered. I could also see how the work really impacted people and that it mattered." Her first role with the City of Guelph was as a senior corporate analyst, a financial reporting role similar to her work in audit--but now on the other side, in a new sector.

Tara immediately embraced the complexity and challenges. "Right away, I found the dynamic between an elected council of decision makers and a professional administration very interesting. We deliver many different services, and it's a challenge to stay connected to everything that's going on, see the need, and bring the financial strategies and recommendations that pull it all together for council and community. I enjoy the whole process and all its moving parts."

Shifting toward strategy

For Tara, success in her career has come from not shying away from its complexity, but instead developing a level of comfort in bringing knowledge, skills, and experience to move ideas and problem solving forward. As she advanced into new...