City of Rochester
News Release
(Thursday, Oct. 10, 2019) – Mayor Lovely A. Warren today announced that Rochester’s Director of Finance, Rosiland Brooks-Harris, was one of 35 finance professionals nationwide chosen for the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) Leadership Academy this fall.
The Mayor appointed Brooks-Harris as Finance Director just over a year ago after Charles Benincasa retired. Brooks-Harris previously served as the City’s Deputy Finance Director and Director of Accounting and has years of experience in public and private-sector fiscal management.
Brooks-Harris is headed to the leadership conference in Charleston, South Carolina Oct. 13-18. According to the GFOA, the focus on the program is on organizational leadership and empowering finance officers to play an enhanced role in their governments.
“I look forward to the opportunity to hear new ideas and learn from other finance directors about the challenges they face in their communities. And I especially look forward to bringing new skills and abilities back to serve the City of Rochester,” she said.
One of the Finance Department’s key responsibilities is preparing the annual Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, which details the city’s financial standing and includes a report from financial auditors.
Credit agencies rely on this document in considering bond ratings, which in turn determine what the city has to pay when it borrows money. “Rochester has consistently maintained strong bond ratings as a sign of its excellent financial stewardship,” Brooks-Harris said.
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News Media: For more information, contact Press Officer Jessica Alaimo at 428-7135.