Chief Financial Officer

Chief Financial Officer

Houston‑Galveston Area Council (H‑GAC), Houston, Texas. Mackenzie Eason & Associates has been retained by H‑GAC to recruit its next Chief Financial Officer. H‑GAC is a mature, multi‑program regional enterprise operating at the intersection of regional governance, public service delivery, complex grant administration, financial stewardship, and intergovernmental coordination across one of the country’s fastest‑growing and most operationally demanding regions. Over the last five years, H‑GAC has grown considerably, doubling in both employees and budget and emerging as one of the largest Councils of Governments in the United States.

The next Chief Financial Officer will join the organization at a significant point in its evolution. H‑GAC has expanded in size, scope, funding complexity, staffing, and regional impact. The organization’s financial and administrative systems must now continue maturing to support a larger enterprise, a more complex operating environment, and the long‑range needs of an agency that continues to grow and change.

Recent financial and administrative improvements have included the implementation of MIP financial software, new budgeting software through Questica, and the establishment of a formal reserve policy for H‑GAC’s general fund. The next CFO will build on this foundation while helping H‑GAC think more broadly about the next generation of enterprise systems. The organization will need a more comprehensive ERP environment that supports not only finance, but the broader administrative and operational needs of the agency and its various business units.

The ideal candidate will bring the technical depth, executive judgment, communication ability, and strategic mindset required to serve as H‑GAC’s senior financial executive. This individual will be a trusted advisor to the Executive Director, leadership team, board members, and external partners, helping translate complex financial, budgetary, grant, compliance, audit, and risk issues into clear recommendations that support sound decision‑making.

This role requires a leader who understands that financial stewardship in a large regional agency is not simply about maintaining accurate books, producing an annual budget, and having a clean audit. H‑GAC’s next CFO must help the organization understand where it is financially, where it is headed, and what decisions are required to remain strong over the next three to five years.

The right candidate will be able to see the organization as an enterprise, connecting financial strategy to staffing, systems, grants, compliance, procurement, program delivery, facilities, technology, and regional service obligations.

The Chief Financial Officer will be expected to protect H‑GAC’s financial integrity while also helping the organization move with greater clarity, confidence, and coordination. The role requires someone who can preserve compliance and public trust without creating unnecessary barriers to efficient program delivery. H‑GAC needs a CFO who understands when to hold the line and how to explain risk, how to help departments identify a compliant path forward, and how to modernize a process that no longer fits the scale of the organization.

The next CFO will also need to be a builder. H‑GAC’s continued growth requires stronger systems, clearer workflows, deeper staff capacity, and more integrated administrative infrastructure. This leader must be able to develop a high‑performing team, strengthen internal expertise, and create a finance and administration function that is viewed across the organization as credible, responsive, transparent, and mission‑supporting.

The Houston‑Galveston Area Council is one of the largest Councils of Governments in the United States, serving a 13‑county region of more than 7 million residents. Established in 1966, H‑GAC operates as a voluntary association of local governments and a regional service platform that supports intergovernmental coordination, regional planning, and program execution across issues that affect the region’s economy, infrastructure, workforce, environment, mobility,…