Mountain View Hires Finance Director Who Knows Ropes, Region

MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA -- The city has appointed Jesse Takahashi as the new director of the Finance and Administrative Services Department.

Takahashi brings more than 20 years of municipal finance experience to the city with an emphasis on collaboration, efficiency and transparency. He is expected to start on Jan. 7, following the retirement of the South Bay city's current director, Patty Kong, who was with the city for 28 years. She served in that role for the past decade.

“I have known Jesse for many years and had the privilege of working with him at the city of Campbell. He is extremely hard-working, talented and dedicated,” City Manager Dan Rich said. “While we had many candidates in our search, Jesse rose to the top with his extensive experience in municipal finance, local and statewide leadership and his down-to-earth, collaborative style. He will be an excellent addition to our award-winning FASD team, which has been recognized by the Government Finance Officers Association for 28 consecutive years and the California Society of Municipal Finance Officers for 32 consecutive years.”

Takahashi is joining Mountain View from Campbell, where he has been the Finance Director since 2006 and worked closely with departments to maintain a balanced budget and guide the city through the recession of 2009. Prior to him being the director in Campbell, he was the accounting manager for nine years and served as an accountant for the city of Cupertino for two years. Before working at municipalities, Takahashi worked for six years at the international accounting firm, KPMG, auditing financial statements for businesses and government agencies.

“I am honored to have this opportunity to join such a well-managed and collaborative organization,” Takahashi said. “It’s an exciting time for Mountain View with many issues and challenges, and I look forward to working with the City Council and staff as soon as possible.”

Among Takahashi’s many accomplishments, he has served as president for the California Society of Municipal Finance Officers, where he also served as a chair, vice-chair and senior advisor on several committees, including technology, professional and technical standards as well as career development and administration. Takahashi is currently a member of the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada, as well as the California Municipal Treasurers Association. He holds a bachelors degree in Business Administration from California State University East Bay (Hayward) with an emphasis on accounting and personnel administration, and became a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) in 1992.

--Image courtesy of city of Mountain View