With three decades of experience working a multitude of jobs in the city’s Finance Department, the office’s newly hired director gives Tulsa’s mayor a bright outlook.
Effective immediately, Tammy Pitts will serve as the city’s chief financial officer, Mayor G.T. Bynum announced Tuesday. Pitts replaces former Finance Director James Wagner, who moved to the Working In Neighborhoods Department last month.
“I am excited to announce that Tammy Pitts will serve as the next Director of Finance for the City of Tulsa,” Bynum wrote in a news release. “Over a three-decade career in the City’s Finance Department, Tammy has developed firsthand knowledge of its many functions.
People are also reading…
“She is a candid leader with a tight grip on every dime of taxpayer money entrusted to the City. Having relied on Tammy’s judgment and guidance for years, I could not be happier to work with her moving forward as the City’s Director of Finance.”
The Finance Department has 161 employees and administers centralized public financial functions for the city through seven divisions: Accounting, Administration, Budget and Planning, City Clerk’s Office, Purchasing, Treasury, and Utility Services, according to the release.
Pitts, who holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from Northeastern State University, has worked for the city for 32 years and has served in various roles within the Finance Department, including accountant, treasury analyst and debt officer, and financial forecast analyst, the release states.
She most recently served as the interim Budget Division manager, responsible for developing and implementing a $968.5 million budget set by city leaders for city services and programs.
Pitts was also responsible for instituting the program-based budget process with senior department leadership, which transformed the annual line-item budget into a transparent program perspective budget.
“I’m truly humbled to have this opportunity to lead the Finance Department and look forward to partnering with the Mayor, Council, and City departments in continuing to provide the highest level of stewardship to the citizens of Tulsa,” Pitts said in the release.
Author Barry Friedman and Ginnie Graham recommend everyone watch the Oklahoma state superintendent debate. Was Jena Nelson not aggressive enough? Did Ryan Walters repeat the same phrases too many times?
