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USEFUL INSIGHTS INTO STATE AND LOCAL MANAGEMENT.
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A SOAPBOX FOR THE NATION’S LEADING EXPERTS IN STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT
GUEST COLUMN.
Our Guest Columnists bring you their news and views. Featuring elected and appointed officials, academics, practitioners, researchers, private-sector observers and more.
THE LATEST COLUMNS, ARTICLES AND REPORTS FROM KATHERINE BARRETT AND RICHARD GREENE
THE FUTURE OF GOVERNMENT FINANCE.
We've worked with the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) over many years and have always been intrigued with its continuous explorations of new and innovative ways to approach issues of government finance.and state and local financial management.
In collaboration with that organization, we will be publishing periodic articles in this space dedicated to the future of government finance. These articles by Barrett and Greene will also be published simultaneously in the Women's Public Finance Newsletter at GFOA, with the intent of inspiring new ideas for their members and our readers.
Katherine Barrett and Richard Greene (known affectionately by many as B&G) are best-in-class when it comes to deep thinking about the intersection of performance management and state/local government. Their website is an indispensable resource for anyone interested in the topic.
J.B. Wogan
THE LATEST COLUMNS, ARTICLES AND REPORTS FROM KATHERINE BARRETT AND RICHARD GREENE
HOT OFF THE PRESSES.
“The Complex Challenge of Comparing Emergency Response Times,” Governing, By Katherine Barrett and Richard Greene, November 8, 2025
“AI IN STATE GOVERNMENT: Balancing Innovation, Efficiency and Risk,” IBM Center for the Business of Government Report, By Katherine Barrett and Richard Greene, October 2025
“Special Education: Coming to Terms with the Issues,” Government Finance Review (GFR), By Katherine Barrett and Richard Greene, October 2025
“A Conversation With Melissa Maynard, Project Director at Pew Charitable Trusts,” Government Finance Research Center, University of Illinois, Chicago, by Richard Greene, October 27, 2025
“The Only Certainty in Government: Uncertainty,” Governing, By Katherine Barrett and Richard Greene, October 7, 2025
“Building Better Government From Within: Workforce Excellence and Resident Satisfaction,” A Study by UKG and Polco; Whitepaper by Barrett and Greene, September 2025
THE FUTURE OF AI FOR THE PUBLIC SECTOR
HOT OFF THE PRESSES.
"When Costs are Really Investments," Governing, by Katherine Barrett and Richard Greene. January 14, 2026
"Balancing AI Innovation and Risk for Local Government Finance," by Katherine Barrett and Richard Greene, December 2026
“Special Education: Coming to Terms with the Issues,” Government Finance Review (GFR), By Katherine Barrett and Richard Greene, October 2025
“A Conversation With Melissa Maynard, Project Director at Pew Charitable Trusts,” Government Finance Research Center, University of Illinois, Chicago, by Richard Greene, October 27, 2025
“The Only Certainty in Government: Uncertainty,” Governing, By Katherine Barrett and Richard Greene, October 7, 2025
“Building Better Government From Within: Workforce Excellence and Resident Satisfaction,” A Study by UKG and Polco; Whitepaper by Barrett and Greene, September 2025
JUST PUBLISHED
INSPIRATIONAL WOMEN IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT, 2026.
The “Inspirational Women in Local Government” project, now entering its sixth year, is intended to CELEBRATE women who are doing innovative and transformative work in local government; to ELEVATE more women as role models in local government; and to EDUCATE, through exploration of individual professional and personal journeys.
Now, after receiving dozens of nominations, the selection of our 2026 honorees is complete with our four “Inspirational Women in Local Government” profiled on each Thursday in March. The selection was made by the sponsors of this website section, Envisio, the Alliance for Innovation, and the League of Women in Government, as well as Barrett and Greene, Inc., which publishes Greenebarrett.com.
The third honoree to be announced this year is Ria Pavia, Deputy Director of Innovation, Performance and Audit for the City of Ontario, California. Click on the link within the box to the right to find a short profile and Q&A that shares her personal story, the advice she has for women in local government, and how she helps departments move from good intentions and ideas into measurable outcomes.
As she says, “A big part of my job is connecting the dots across departments. Cities are full of talented people doing important work, but collaboration doesn’t always happen naturally. My role is often to bring those perspectives together, help leaders think bigger, and turn cross-departmental ideas into projects that deliver results.”
The interviews with Pavia and our other 2026 “Inspirational Women in Local Government" took place over several weeks with Envisio’s Liz Steward and Barrett & Greene Inc’s Katherine Barrett. Tune in next Thursday, March 27, to meet the fourth and final 2026 honoree. [Note that the profiles and Q&A that were published in the first two weeks -- for Melissa Moore, Chief Financial Officer of Buncombe County, North Carolina, and Nicolle Rosecrans, Chief Information Security Officer for Arapahoe County, Colorado are still available at the bottom of the page that’s reached though the “Read More” button on the right.]
THE BEST OF THE BEST FROM BARRETT AND GREENE INC.
MOST POPULAR FEATURES.
“B&G have the knack for telling stories and making them relatable. What helps is their depth of knowledge, use of data, and the ability to quickly gain the trust of sources/interviewees.”
Leslie Scott Parker
LIGHTS, ACTION, CAMERA! AN ACCUMULATION OF VIDEOS FEATURING B&G AND THEIR COLLEAGUES
SPECIAL VIDEOS & PODCASTS.
A TREASURE OF TROVE OF HELPFUL LINKS AND OTHER RESOURCES TO HELP UNDERSTAND STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT
RESOURCES.
Among the resources you can find here are: A guide to information about all fifty states budgets and budget practices; A handy reference source for information about all the governors; up-to-date executive orders by state, voices from the GFOA; and more.