Facing the challenges ahead.

• Author: Morrill, Christopher P.
• Position: President's message

It is a great honor to serve as president of the GFOA. I look forward to working with the Executive Board, our standing committees, state and provincial organizations, and all of you, the members of the GFOA. Thank you for the important role you have played, and continue to play, leading your organizations through the greatest financial crisis of our time.

Since 2008, state and local government revenues have declined by tens of billions of dollars. More than half a million jobs have been eliminated in our organizations. We have been challenged with unfunded mandates, attempts to cap or limit our already declining sources of revenue, and increasing service demands as more and more of our constituents have lost their homes and their livelihoods. Despite these challenges, we continue to find new ways to serve our communities.

For many of us, our role as government finance officer has traditionally been one of working behind the scenes. I think that is our nature--to lead quietly from behind. However, as the Great Recession deepened, we were forced into the spotlight, often taking the lead in steering our organizations through the turbulent economy and reassuring the citizens we serve that our communities would survive. You have probably been in the local papers and on television more in the last three years than in your entire career. I knew that my finance officer role had significantly changed when citizens I ran into at the grocery store would tell me how much they looked forward to my monthly financial update broadcast on the local access channel.

Many of us took on this leadership role because it was what our organizations and communities needed. Now, as we are emerging from the economic chasm of the past several years, I urge you to seize the opportunity you now have and to continue to lead. Think of the skills that you can bring to the challenges our communities face. Government finance professionals are trained to think in terms of risk, to support data-driven decision making, and to focus policy makers on long-term solutions rather than short-term fixes. I encourage you to find new ways to use your skills to build more resilient organizations and communities.

You are not alone in this leadership challenge. The GFOA is here to provide you with the tools you need for this expanding role.

The best practices developed by the seven standing committees represent one of the most important contributions the GFOA has made to the public sector...