Joe Stephenshaw
Director, Department of Finance
State of California


Hi. My name is Joe Stephenshaw, and I'm the new Director here at the Department of Finance in California, just as of August 1st of this year. And I'm so honored for this amazing opportunity to lead such an exceptional and dynamic department. I'd like to take this opportunity to invite you to come to Sacramento on October 7th of this year to join us for the DOFCON 2022 policy conference that will be held across the street from the state capitol in the State Library Building.

This will be a chance for you to meet our staff here at the Department of Finance and learn about the challenging and rewarding opportunities that there are here for employment with our department. You'll also have a chance to see a presentation on pressing issues that are facing our state, including homelessness, climate change and mental health. And we'll have a panel discussion with staff that are on the front lines of our budget operations.

Finance offers a challenging and rewarding career where you can grow and thrive here within state government in California. And I'd say that there's probably no department that really offers the opportunities that we do here at Department of Finance. As a front line budget analyst, you'll have the opportunity to work directly with the managers and directors of programs, departments and agencies on not only developing budget proposals, but also an implementation of policy that impacts the almost 40 million people of our state.

And it's really important, challenging and rewarding work that we do here at the Department of Finance. Myself, personally, I started here as a finance budget analyst at the beginning of my career, and I did that for a few years. I probably learned the most that I've learned in my career during that time here, Department of Finance. And when I left the Department of Finance, I never thought in my wildest dreams that I'd have the opportunity to come back as a director of the department.

I left and I worked in the legislature for almost 15 years, elevating through the budget lines there in the legislature to become the staff director for the Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee. And from there, I came back here to lead this wonderful department that I began my career at, and I think that is a perfect example of the boundless opportunities that will be presented to you if you decide on a career here at the Department of Finance.

So with that, I look forward to meeting you at our conference, and I hope to see you on October 7th. Thank you.