James Wagner named City of Tulsa finance director

(TULSA, Okla.) Mayor G.T. Bynum announced that James Wagner will serve as the Chief Financial Officer for the City of Tulsa and oversee the Finance Department, effective immediately. The Finance Department administers centralized public financial functions for the City through seven divisions: Accounting, Administration, Budget and Planning, City Clerk’s Office, Purchasing, Treasury and Utility Services. Wagner currently leads the Office of Performance Strategy and Innovation (OPSI) for Mayor Bynum, which is responsible for using data to align citywide strategies toward priority goals set by the Mayor and City Council. Through his team’s work, city employees are using data to empower better decision making while lowering barriers to adopting new and innovative practices. The duties and functions of the Office of Performance Strategy and Innovation will transfer to the Finance Department with Wagner. “James Wagner is an internationally recognized leader in the use of data and innovation to improve civic performance. His work in this field makes the City of Tulsa more effective and empowers people from all parts of Tulsa to play a part in making our city better,” Mayor Bynum said. “I am excited for James to build on that work by leading the City’s highly talented Finance Department team.” “The City’s Finance Department has the enormous task of stewarding the City’s resources. That task involves sound fiscal decision-making and ensuring our resources are leading to the results our residents expect from city government,” Wagner said. “Combining the experience of the Finance Department and OPSI, we can better link our resource decisions to results.” Wagner fills a vacancy left by the passing of longtime City Finance Director Mike Kier in December. Wagner has been instrumental in creating Tulsa’s first performance management system, TulStat, and received national recognition for his role in creating the Civic Innovation Fellowship and Urban Data Pioneers.