GFOAT President’s Message
September 2024
Good afternoon, everyone! If we haven’t had the opportunity to meet yet, my name is Clara Santos, and I am your new president for GFOAT. I am so honored to serve you all and very excited about the year ahead.
Before I talk about this great organization, let me tell you a little about myself. I was hired by the City of San Antonio straight out of college where I worked in both the budget and finance departments. From there, I worked as the finance director at the City of Boerne and the City of Shavano Park. After that, I worked for a few years as the president of my husband’s company. That was interesting, educational, and challenging to say the least – as many of you married members can imagine. Finally, I came back to the City of San Antonio, where I have been employed for the past 13 years and currently serve as a department fiscal administrator – planning to retire by the end of 2026.
I have been married for 45 years and have four independent, passionate young daughters who are married to four patient and understanding young men. I also have five grandchildren with two more on the way. John Zagurski mentioned in his GFOAT past president’s message that “times they are a-changin’.” For me, I’m at the “looks like we made it” phase of my life – that’s a Barry Manilow reference for you youngsters out there.
But I’m not retired yet! We still have a lot to plan for this year, and I am excited about what we have planned for you. Through our programs, I look forward to helping those of you who, like me, need to train, mentor, and guide our new employees in their professional journey. We need to plan our succession and prepare to pass the baton. I am thrilled to help new members who are just starting in their careers and are full of excitement and questions. Whether you fall on one side of this spectrum or somewhere in between, GFOAT is here to assist you.
The only way we can do this well is by listening to you, which means we need to HEAR from you. We plan our fall and spring conferences with the hope that we are fulfilling your educational needs. But if we do not get feedback, positive or constructive, we will continue providing the same sessions. Having worked in both large and small cities, I have seen a wide variety of work environments. There are cities where employees are highly specialized, work in silos, and have no idea what other staff are responsible for. There are other cities where fiscal staff is responsible for everything from banking, investments, debt, budget, finance, and working with the city council and auditors. This is the dilemma when planning our conferences – making sure we have sessions for each of you regardless of where you work and where your interests lie. So, speak up! You can personally contact me at clara.santos@sanantonio.gov. I am here to serve you.
Finally, get involved! I know it’s difficult when you are juggling so many things between your work and personal life, but the networking and camaraderie volunteering provides is priceless. No matter where you work or what your job description is, you are not alone. Find out what region you belong to, speak to your board representative, and see how they can also assist you. But to benefit from this, you must step up and get involved. As the old adage goes, you get what you give. So please, don’t miss out on this opportunity.
Well, that’s all I have for now. I look forward to seeing you all at the fall conference in San Marcos on Halloween week and to working together in the coming year. Thank you.
Clara Santos
GFOAT President