Will Fuentes, Outgoing CSMFO Board Member Message

Karla Romero, CSMFO Board Member, Finance Director/City Treasurer, City of Brawley

Karla Romero

Will Fuentes served as a Northern California CSMFO Board Member from 2019 to 2022. His years of past and continued service to public finance and CSMFO are celebrated. The Communications Committee asked Will to share some distinct thoughts about being a board member and how he got involved in CSMFO leadership. Here is what he shared. Thank you Will.

Wow! Three years have come and gone, and I can hardly believe my CSMFO Board member tenure came to an end at the San Diego Conference. Where did the time go?! Like all, two of the past three years have been significantly impacted by the pandemic and caused numerous challenges personally and professionally. Nevertheless, my core values and beliefs remain intact, I am hopeful for the future, and I am extremely thankful to have had the privilege to serve on the Board and the trust the membership placed in me back in 2019.

I am also tremendously thankful for all the outstanding and selflessly dedicated people that I have worked with on the Board. A big thanks to former Board member Carrie Guarino, who reached out to me back in 2013 and gently encouraged me to join the Career Development Committee; my first active engagement with CSMFO. Thank you to incoming President Scott Catlett who inspired me with his tireless leadership as former Chair of the Career Development Committee. Thank you to former Executive Director Melissa Manchester who helped me transition into CSMFO leadership and was always there to support me. Thank you to my fellow Board members who have collaborated with me, always listened, supported me when I needed help, and who have now become great friends. And thank you to my best friend and incoming President-Elect (2023) Rich Lee. He will be an outstanding leader for the organization and truly embodies what it means to be CSMFO.

I am hopeful for the future. This hope lies in the fact that we continue to have great volunteer leaders in the organization that care about making this the best professional finance organization that it can be for its membership today and in the future. Scott and Rich will further propel the organization in 2022 and 2023 and I am excited to see what new levels Jean Rousseau incoming Executive Director will take CSMFO. We continue to have great training programs and networking opportunities and these will only get better and expand over time. All these things provide me a great deal of hope in a time where hope is truly needed.

In closing, I again thank you for the opportunity to serve. While this is the end of my Board member tenure, it is not goodbye. I will continue to work with CSMFO into the future. I encourage anyone who may be interested to volunteer as well. This organization only works because of those who decide to help and contribute towards the future. I am only here because of Carrie and Scott. I hope that you will be here in the future because of me or some other gently encouraging volunteer in CSMFO. You are what makes CSMFO great and while you may question whether you can add value, I am here to tell you that you 100% can; no matter what level you currently are in your career. Be the volunteer leader of tomorrow. I look forward to working with you and I thank you sincerely. Here’s to a great 2022 and beyond!

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Karla Romero, City of La Quinta Finance Director/City Treasurer and is honored to serve CSMFO’s Communications Committee Chair. Karla was also CSMFO’s 2017 Volunteer of the Year, Coachella Valley’s Chapter Chair from 2016 to 2019, has been a Communications Committee member since 2017, and a proud CSMFO member since 2007.

She has earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Business Administration and has over 20 years of progressive private and public finance experience. She enjoys seeing others succeed, thus her passion for mentoring, sharing knowledge, and empowering others.

On her free time, she enjoys “trying” to garden, reliving her childhood with a very active son (Titus), traveling, and staying connected with family and friends.