Shayne C. Kavanagh

Shayne Kavanagh is the Senior Manager of Research for GFOA. Shayne has been developing the practice and technique of long-term financial planning for local government since 2002 and has been working with local governments on financial planning ever since. Shayne has worked with many governments on financial planning accross the United States and Canada.

He is the author of a number of publications on financial planning, including:

-The leading book about long-term financial planning in local government, Financing the Future.

-Financial Policies, the essential guide to developing and implementing policies that define standards for financial management.

-A number of articles on long-term financial planning, financial policies, budget reform, using technology to improve efficiency, and other related topics for magazines including Government Finance Review, Public Management, School Business Affairs, and Public CIO.

He is also a regular speaker on the topic of financial planning, having spoken at a number of conferences on the topic, including: the national GFOA conference, the International City/County Managers Association, the National League of Cities, and the National Tax Association. He has also been as guest lecturer at Northern Illinois University, the University of Illinois at Chicago, and the University of Chicago.

Prior to joining GFOA, Shayne was the Assistant Village Manager for the Village of Palos Park, Illinois, where he was responsible for managing all aspects of financial management operations, including budgeting, utility billing, payroll, and accounting. He received his MPA degree from Northern Illinois University and has served on the program’s alumni board of advisors.