With Beth’s departure, TriMet loses someone with superior financial credentials and credibility. Her knowledge and expertise were never more tested and needed than in this past budget year. For me, personally, I am losing a trusted colleague and a person who brought tremendous energy and commitment to her work.
Beth walked into her job at TriMet four years ago with an eagerness to bring her private sector experience into the public sector. This eagerness was fueled by her interest in public policy and particularly her belief in the value of public transportation.
With a relentless focus on ensuring TriMet’s financial stability, Beth helped streamline and modernize our financial systems. She shed light on TriMet finances, created transparency in our transactions, and enhanced TriMet’s credibility with the TriMet Board and outside stakeholders. Because of Beth’s leadership, I believe we better understand the financial challenges ahead and are better equipped to meet them.
I am happy to announce that Beth will be here at least a little while longer. Her last day will be August 22. I have directed Human Resources to immediately begin a recruitment process for a new Executive Director of Finance and Administration.
Please join me in thanking Beth for her many contributions to the agency and wishing her well in her new position.
I don't know what to think about this woman.
ReplyDeleteFred brought here in from the outside, that right there gives her credibility.
And she is now joining the rest of the 'old guard' and getting the hell out of here!
Smart woman.
I met her at the Open House. She at least was willing to talk to me, unlike one Neil McFarlane. Seemed like a nice, intelligent woman.
ReplyDeleteYears ago I worked as a Project Manager and was responsible for a variety of reports that ended up on the desk of a number of Finance Directors. One of them told me a tidbit that I'll never forget:
"When the financial managers start leaving a company, be VERY worried. Because they know, better than anyone else, even better than the President, CEO, Chairman, etc., when things are about to fall apart."
Shortly after I was laid off (one week after the Senior V.P. of North American Operations was fired), she left for a position with a local bank.
Sure enough, the company unraveled. The facility I worked at was shuttered, along with several others. The company - recently bought out by a much larger company, considered it a "discontinued operation" and sold it for pennies to another company, which ended up shipping a lot of work overseas. It too, sold out before too long, to another company, and another.