Department of Finance Directors

Michael Cohen was appointed Director of Finance on September 14, 2013 by Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. Prior, Cohen was Chief Deputy Director of Finance from 2011 to 2013. He also served at the Legislative Analyst’s Office from 1997 to 2010.

After Finance, Cohen became the Chief Financial Officer of the California Public Employees’ Retirement System in 2018. This retirement system is the largest public pension fund in the U.S., consisting of over 2 million members.

Cohen holds a master’s degree in public affairs from the Lyndon B. School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas, as well as a bachelor’s degree in urban studies from Stanford University.