School district names Maez as new CFO
SMMUSD HDQTRS School officials announced the hiring of a new chief financial officer on Friday more than nine months after the former head of fiscal services left the district under the shadow of public scrutiny.
Janece Maez, the current assistant superintendent of fiscal services at the Pleasant Valley School District, will assume the role of Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District CFO next month. Maez was one of two candidates interviewed.
“I’m ready to make a career step that moves me up,” Maez said on Friday. “I’m just ready for the challenges that a place like Santa Monica can provide me.”
Maez has spent 17 years at the Pleasant Valley School District in Camarillo, a small district whose student population is about half the size of Santa Monica’s enrollment, a total that tops 11,000. She started out as the director of fiscal services before she was promoted to the assistant superintendent position roughly six years ago.
The permanent spot of chief financial officer in the district has remained open since Winston Braham resigned from the position late last year. The job was occupied in the interim by Stephen Hodgson. There was speculation that Braham left because he disagreed with the direction in which the district was headed.
School board member Barry Snell, who sat through the interviews, said he believes it’s been difficult to find a solid candidate because the pool of qualified applicants is so small. Braham’s resignation and the ensuing publicity and criticism of the district’s transparency in financial matters might have also factored into the long process it took to find the right candidate.
Maez said she didn’t have any concerns about filling the role, hearing nothing but good things — including from Braham — about the school district.
Her experience in handling school building bond measures particularly stood out to Snell who along with the six school board members are currently figuring out ways to spend a $268 million building measure that passed late last year.
“She has a demeanor that comes across as one that is knowledgeable and confident in what she is doing,” Snell said.
Under Maez’ leadership, the voters in the Pleasant Valley district passed a $49 million measure a decade ago.
Another area Maez will have to tackle is the loss of funding due to declining student enrollment over the past few years.
Maez graduated from the University of Washington in 1974 with a degree in business and a concentration in accounting.
“Ms. Maez’s leadership skills and ability to solve problems creatively and analytically will be a valuable asset to SMMUSD,” Superintendent Dianne Talarico said in a statement on Friday. “Her focus on coop-erative decision-making and honest, open, and reliable communication will be a complement to the district’s focus on teamwork and accountability.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on September 22, 2007. Read the original PDF.