jeanine kaufman reed
The Metro Finance Department officially has a new director, but she’s not new to the city.
Jeanine Kaufman Reed was unanimously approved at the Metro Council’s most recent meeting and will take over the position from Interim Finance Director Kevin Crumbo in January. Ms. Reed was interviewed on Oct. 1 by the Rules, Recognition and Public Defenders Committee, which ultimately voted 7-0 to recommend her for Congressional confirmation.
In the process, Mr. Reed spoke about his background in finance, having worked in the financial industry for more than 30 years, and his past stints as deputy finance director and chief accountant at Metro Corporation. Her previous work with the city has given her insight into what she wants to bring to her new role: her determination to bring continuity and stability to the finance team.
“During my time at Metro, we had three different finance directors,” Reed said in an Oct. 1 interview. “And when you change directors so often, it’s really hard to get into a rhythm and feel comfortable playing the role. So that’s one of the things I really want to bring to the table.”
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Reed’s confirmation comes after three people have held the finance director position in four separate terms over the past five years.
During the interview, Reed said he wants to make the finance department more efficient with the addition of Oracle Cloud to eliminate a lot of “paper shuffling.”
He also noted that his appointment comes ahead of new challenges facing the Metro Treasury Board.
“Transportation plans are going to be on the ballot soon, and so is East Bank,” she said. “The budget process is gearing up to start and I think CSP is about to start moving as well, so I think I can really bring my skill set and bring continued financial security to this role. There are a lot of opportunities to bring.”
Mayor Freddie O’Connell’s transportation proposal would cost about $3.1 billion if approved. Nashville residents will vote on the plan through a referendum, with early voting underway. The East Bank development, a key part of ongoing transportation talks, is expected to cost $227 million in infrastructure improvements to the metro.
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In addition to plans to build affordable housing and bike and pedestrian corridors on the East Bank, Metro is in the midst of a $2.1 billion project to build a new Titans stadium. The city and state will each assume $760 million and $500 million in bonds, while the remaining $840 million will be covered by the Titans and the NFL. Metro began paying the $760 million in February.
When Reid takes over in January, Metro’s budget review and investment request process will begin in earnest. All departments plan to submit their final prioritized review requests to the Metro Treasury Office of Management and Budget by early February.
Reed brings experience working in public, private, and nonprofit finance and management roles. These include three years as Deputy Director of the Metro Finance Department, 23 years as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of the Tennessee Titans, and most recently (and since then) as Chief Financial Officer of the Nashville Symphony Orchestra (as of November 2023). Appointed as a responsible person (click here for details).
This article first appeared in our sister publication, The Nashville Post.
